A global makeover
The head table of global affairs is in for a makeover, marking possibly a new chapter in international relations. In a couple of weeks from now, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s top interlocutors could be new faces, as the US and China head for leadership changes. In the next few months Pakistan will be heading into presidential elections, with Asif Zardari as the first civilian head of government in that troubled nation to last a full term. Japan, whose troubled politics see an almost annual changeover of guard, is also likely to go in for elections, with former PM, Shinzo Abe a surprise draw. Afghanistan is due for the next presidential elections in 2014 when Karzai will have to make way for another leader. But there are signs that he might be considering a 2013 election, in which case the change of leadership alongwith the drawdown timetable could throw up a completely different political landscape. In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina’s government will be heading into elections in Janu...