International Relations and World Affairs

Narendra Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, in a landmark visit scheduled for July 4. Modi will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a period of two days to discuss "matters of mutual interest," read a press release from India's Ministry of External Affairs. Modi's itinerary also includes plans to meet with members of the Indian community in Tel Aviv and a visit to honor Indian soldiers buried in Haifa cemetery. Important ally Israel has in recent years become an important defense supplier for India. The two countries signed an air and missile defense deal  worth almost $2 billion in April , in what Israel termed the "largest defense contract deal" in its history. "As India seeks to modernize and grow its defense capabilities, it could find an able ally in Israel. The two countries see themselves as bulwarks of democracy in a region rife with illiberal leaders," said CNN New De...

The candidate that India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put forward for the largely ceremonial post of president looks like a canny choice: Ram Nath Kovind, a longtime devotee of a Hindu group allied with the party, but also a dalit—the bottom rung in India’s caste system. He should appeal both to the party’s religiously motivated base, but also to other dalits, who make up close to 20% of the population. Given the strength of the BJP and its allies in Parliament, which elects the president, his ascent is all but assured. Narendra Modi's government is extremely sensitive to criticism The BJP is always looking for ways to shore up its support, but not all of them are so positive. When Mr Kovind’s nomination was announced, Rana Ayyub, a journalist critical of the party, lambasted the choice on Twitter. It took a spokesman for the party less than eight hours to file a complaint with the police, claiming that she was stirring up hatred on the basis of caste—an of...