Shared goals draw India and Russia closer
For the Indian strategic community, the United States and China are the two dominant forces in foreign policy. Of the major bilateral visits this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia was relatively understated. Yet both from a global and regional security perspective, the Russia factor can no longer be ignored. Russia and world order The Syrian crisis has been a turning point. Most observers have been surprised at the resilience of Russia's Syria policy. Many expected Moscow to ultimately buckle in the face of a Western onslaught. Yet, nimble diplomacy and a simultaneous maritime buildup in the eastern Mediterranean were able to steer the evolution of the crisis. In September, the Russian Navy stated its Mediterranean deployments "can have a serious impact on the current military situation" around Syria. To be sure, the Obama administration did not appear inclined towards taking part in an escalatory game that could have spilled ov...