The World Today

Kashmir looks like remaining a region of conflict. It may be that a degree of tension will serve the domestic interests of the Indian government, but for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the crisis can only add to troubles at home, where the political opposition is turning belligerent and the civil-military faultline is becoming more pronounced. All sides are playing a dangerous game.

While international attention is on the Kashmir dispute and the possibility of nuclear conflict, the Indian army has one eye on the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, sandwiched between it and China, which is going through twin crises of law and order and political instability.

After September 11, the Bush administration embarked on a bout of diplomatic activity with the aim of establishing military bases for the first time in Central Asia. These states lie to the north of Afghanistan, close to areas in which remnants of the Al Qaeda organisation are believed to have gone to ground. So they are ideal launch pads for military strikes into Afghanistan. Mounting operations from the north also avoids the political difficulties associated with basing US military forces inside Pakistan, where there is still considerable sympathy for the ousted Taliban.

The European Union has always been a hybrid – more than an alliance, so far less than a superstate. But its external relations already amount to a foreign policy.

Twenty two new states have been created and thousands of miles of borders redrawn since the Cold War ended. This remarkably peaceful process has made it possible to think of enlarging the European Union and NATO. Is this the triumph of democracy over nationalism and war?

The EU is bracing itself for profound change over the coming six months. The incoming Danish presidency has placed all its political eggs in one basket and made enlargement the top priority. But, issues of inclusion and exclusion always go hand-in-hand. So, while the EU prepares to admit new member states, many European governments are moving to restrict access for third-country nationals.