Written by Sanjaya Baru | Updated: January 14, 2020 10:41:23 am S Jaishankar, who took as foreign secretary, was to launch the annual Raisina Dialogue, a conclave of foreign policymakers and analysts from around the world.

An important foreign policy initiative that the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, took as foreign secretary was to launch the annual Raisina Dialogue, a conclave of foreign policymakers and analysts from around the world. The two questions that would be uppermost on the mind of most foreign delegates to the conference would have little to do with the external affairs ministers remit. These would be the medium term prospects for the Indian economy and restoration of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and, given widespread student protests, in the rest of the country.

As is now widely accepted, the Rising India narrative scripted over the two post-Cold War decades, 1991 to 2011, was based on the improving performance of the economy and Indias political ability to deal with many longstanding diplomatic challenges within a paradigm of realism. Three successive prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh scripted the narrative of India rising as a plural, secular democracy, as opposed to Chinas rise within an authoritarian system.

Indias improving economic performance had opened up new vistas for cooperation with major powers and neighbours. Now the economys subdued performance and domestic political issues have created new challenges for Indian foreign policy. To add to these external concerns, the new approach to relations with India adopted by both President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping has created a more challenging external environment. What, then, are the prospects for 2020?

Through most of this year, President Donald Trump will remain pre-occupied with his re-election. On the economic side, he is unlikely to resolve all bilateral differences on trade policy. Each time New Delhi has tried to meet a US demand, Washington DC has come up with new demands. Moreover, any resolution of his differences with China, even if short-term and aimed at pleasing domestic consumers before elections, can only reduce whatever little bargaining clout India has. The US has, in fact, actively lodged complaints against India at the World Trade Organisation. On the geopolitical side, US intervention in West Asia has always imposed additional economic burden on India and we must remain prepared for more such initiatives that may not be reassuring for the Indian economy.

There has been continuity and consistency in India-China policy over the past two decades, with some ups and downs, but as the bilateral power differential widens, China has little incentive or compulsion to be accommodative of Indian concerns, much less interests. Xis China never fails to remind India of the growing power differential between the two. In dealing with China, India will have to, paraphrasing Deng Xiaoping, build its strength and bide its time. Russia, the other major power, will remain focused on Eurasian geopolitics and the geo-economics of energy. Both these factors define Russias relations with China, and increasingly, with Pakistan, posing a challenge for India.

The governments Pakistan policy has run its course. It yielded some short-term results thanks to Pakistans efforts not to get black-listed by the Financial Action Task Force, but the fact is that the rest of the world is happily doing business with Pakistan, lending billions in aid. The global community may increasingly accept future pleas from Pakistan that terror attacks in India are home-grown, related to the situation in Kashmir or concerns about the welfare of Muslims, unless incontrovertible evidence to the contrary is offered. India needs a new Pakistan policy. Back channel talks should be resumed and visas given liberally to Pakistani intellectuals, media and entertainers to improve cross-border perceptions as a first step towards improving relations.

If much progress cannot be expected this year in relations with Trumps America and Xis China, then which countries should engage the attention of the external affairs minister? There is a category of nations that share Indias concerns about the direction that Trump and Xi have been taking, especially in trade policy and West Asian geopolitics. Like India, these countries have a stake in what the US and China do, but little influence over either.

Opinion | A new, fractured global order is upon us. Indias response must evolve accordingly

These are the worlds Middle Powers Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and perhaps South Korea. One could include Russia, Nigeria and South Africa also in this group. It is a mix of developed and developing economies, some friends of the US and others friends of China. It is an amorphous group but can emerge into a grouping of the like-minded in a world of uncertainty capable of taming both the US and China. A new Middle Powers coalition may be the need of the year.

At home, a New India script is being written in a period of domestic and global uncertainty that has already influenced global perceptions about India. We are moving from an era of predictability to an era of unpredictability at home and abroad. Fresh doubts are being raised about Indias place in the world in the 21st century its economic significance, its political standing and its ideological moorings.

An economic turnaround and restoration of domestic political equilibrium will widen the space for foreign policy initiatives. Persistent economic uncertainty and radically disruptive politics at home will mean that the external affairs minister can at best conduct a holding operation, ensuring that the external environment does not also deteriorate.

There is a view among some policy analysts at home that India too can adopt a disruptive approach as a clever tactic in foreign affairs. This is an illusion. Disruption is not an end in itself. It has to be a means to an end. Powerful nations can afford disruption as tactics. However, given that the strategic elements defining Indian foreign policy in the post-Cold War era have not changed, India cannot risk such tactics without measuring the risk they pose to strategy.

Merely because domestic politics has changed, we cannot afford to be adventurous in foreign policy. The principal question for policymakers is: Has a proper risk assessment been undertaken with respect to the external consequences of domestic policy initiatives? The US may be able to pursue policies at home and abroad without adequate measurement of risk. But India has to assess external economic and geopolitical risk carefully and improve the quality of the external communication of her national interests and personality.

This article first appeared in the print edition on January 14, 2020 under the title The world from Raisina. The writer is a policy analyst and former media advisor to prime minister of India.

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We are moving to an era of unpredictability. A new Middle Powers coalition may be needed - The Indian Express

DRAPER (KUTV)

Some Utahns are trying to track down a group of vandals, saying fence smashing has gotten out of control.

Police in Draper and Sandy told 2News they received four reports of damaged fences over the weekend two in each city. Some of the homeowners said theyve been targeted before.

Rebecca Yu of Draper said a group of people smashed her vinyl fence near 1000 East 12000 South just after midnight on Friday (early Saturday morning). Its the second time her fence has been hit in two years.

Theres not a point to fixing it continually when its going to keep getting broken again, she said.

Another homeowner in Draper, who had her fence repaired by Monday, said she saw about seven young men in hoodies slam their bodies into her fence, then take off in two vehicles.

People have been talking about a trend, a disturbing trend, Yu said, where high school students are pushing their bodies into the fence and breaking it.

RELATED: Are 20+ cases of fence vandalism in northern Utah part of a viral challenge?

I would never even think to do that, she added. I dont understand the psychological reasoning for that.

Yu said she may put up a chain-link fence thats not as easily destroyed.

Parents, please talk to your children, and I hope that there can be some honest communication with whats your child doing when theyre not home at midnight and 1 in the morning, Yu said.

A resident of Sandy told 2News in an email:

2News has documented at least 30 cases of similar fence vandalism in past years:

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Vandals smash vinyl fences in two Utah cities, costing homeowners thousands - KJZZ

Against Columbia, the men won the sabre, 5-4, but lost the foil and the epee to finish with an 18-9 defeat. The women found their first victory of the day against Columbia with a 16-11 win, taking the sabre and the epee by scores of 7-2 and 5-4, respectively.

Both teams picked up a win against the fourth opponent of the day, Haverford. The men won, 16-11, after winning both the sabre and the foil by scores of 6-3. The women earned an 18-9 win after taking both the sabre and the foil, securing a dominant 9-0 victory in the sabre.

For North Carolina's last matchup of the event, both teams faced the host school, Penn State. The men lost to the Nittany Lions, 20-7, after dropping both the sabre and the epee by scores of 8-1, but the Tar Heels picked up a 5-4 win in the foil. The women fell, 19-8, to Penn State, dropping the sabre, foil and epee.

The women's team found its first win of the day in the third matchup, setting the team up with a 2-1 deficit heading into the final two matches. The women were able to earn a 2-2 overall score after beating their fourth opponent, Haverford, but the Tar Heels were unable to come up with a third win against their final opponent, Penn State.

The men's team didn't find its first win until the fourth matchup, which was too late to mount a significant comeback.

Three Tar Heels finished the day with individual winning records. On the women's side, sophomore Aubrey Molloy was the hero, finishing 8-3 on the day. She earned 2-1 advantages against Yale and Penn State and picked up a 1-1 record against Columbia.

Charlotte Summers, another sophomore on the women's team, finished 7-4 overall. She also picked up 2-1 advantages over Yale and Penn State.

For the men's team, James Mulligan, the recipient of the team's Newcomer Award in 2018-19, went 5-4 in the invitational.

North Carolina put in strong performances against some solid teams, ramping up for the postseason that is now only three meets away.

UNC heads to Philadelphia on Saturday for the Philadelphia Invitational Duels, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.

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UNC fencing opens 2020 with mixed results at Penn State Invitational - The Daily Tar Heel

Bridget Dowd/KJZZ

At any given time, there are about 250 wild horses along the Salt River, according to Salt River Wild Horse Management.

Tonto National Forest officials say workers plan Monday to begin installing 4 miles of steel fencing along and near the lower Salt River east of metro Phoenix to prevent wild horses from crossing the Bush Highway and to keep livestock from mingling with the horse herd.

Forest officials say the fence work starting Monday is the second phase of a project that saw workers on Friday complete installation of 10 miles of barbed wire fencing. That work began in November.

Forest Service and state Department of Agriculture officials said previous fences didn't prevent horses from getting onto the highway, resulting in the deaths of 20 or more horses annually.

The Forest Service said the project includes installing 35 gates at designated trails and historically-used access points.

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Fencing To Keep Salt River Horses Off The Bush Highway Begins Next Phase - KJZZ

The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation will be removing one of the two fences it installed to block public access on a seawall pathway between Makalei Beach Park and Leahi Beach Park at the foot of Diamond Head, city officials told Civil Beat on Thursday.

The fence at the Makalei end of the walkway is slated to be removed sometime this week.

There has been a loud public outcry ever since the fences were installed blocking public passage with pathway users calling for the immediate removal of both fences.

Residents are upset about fences that were installed at Makalei Beach Park and Leahi Beach Park at Diamond Head that block all public access along the seawall between the two parks.

Denby Fawcett/Civil Beat

But the city says for now the fence it installed at the other end of the walkway at Leahi Beach Park will remain in place while it searches for ways to make that end of the walkway safer.

It says possible remedies could be signs warning of unsafe conditions, repairs to the railing near Leahi Park or even keeping the current fence on the Leahi Park side in place.

The Leahi Park end of the seawall is where attorneys for Honolulu resident Shizuko Matsuda said she was seriously injured on May 28, 2012 when she fell through a gap in the railing down on to the rocks on the shore.

Matsuda sued the city and the state for negligence in 2016. The city settled in May 2018, paying $275,000 to Matsuda in damages.

Last week, City Managing Director Roy Amemiya Jr. said the city installed the two fences blocking the public from the seawall walkway on Christmas Eve to prevent similar lawsuits in the future.

Matsuda also sued the state for damages for her fall from the seawall but Circuit Judge Keith Hiraoka ruled in favor of the state. Matsudas attorney Kyle Smith is awaiting the outcome of an appeal his firm filed last year with the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

The Parks Department will try to figure out soon if and when the fence on the Leahi Park side can be taken down.

Diamond Head resident Alexi Drouin says he is relieved that at least one of the fences will be removed.

One fence coming down is a good start but I will not rest until the other fence is removed, he said.

Drouin says he used to walk his dog along the seawall every day. He says since the fences went up he has videotaped people dangerously climbing over the fences so they can fish and walk along the seawall.

Honolulu City Council member Tommy Waters, who represents the Diamond Head area, says hes thankful for the removal of the fence and is hoping the fence on the Leahi side can be removed soon.

Waters says it cost the city $6,200 to erect the two fences, and that he is glad the fence removal on the Makalei side will be done in-house with city workers.

Ocean access for the public is what makes people cherish living in Hawaii, he said.

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Denby Fawcett: Fence Blocking Diamond Head Seawall Will Be Removed - Honolulu Civil Beat

Advocacy group concerned over fencing along Lower Salt River

The Forest Service is putting up additional fencing to help keep wild horses safe along the Lower Salt River area, but that's causing concern for some. FOX 10's Danielle Miller reports.

PHOENIX - The Tonto National Forest has put up signage along the Bush Highway to warn drivers of wild horses in the area, and the Forest Service is now putting up additional fencing to help keep the horses safe.

Not everyone, however, is thrilled with the idea.

The Tonto National Forest continuing construction on four miles of fencing along the Lower Salt River in the Mesa Ranger District. The fencing will start at the Granite Reef Recreation Site, and it will run along the river for three miles to the Phon D.Sutton rec Site, and then run along the edge of the river to the Coon Bluff Rec Site, where it will tie into the existing fence.

"At this time, the fence is not going to cross the river," said Chandler Mundy, Range Program Manger for the Tonto National Forest, in a phone interview."We are working on plans for the fence to cross the river in the future near the Coon Bluff Rec Site. That will be the final stretch needed to keep other livestock from joining the herd."

According to the Tonto National Forest, the main goal for fencing is to keep wild horses off of Bush Highway and out of harm's way. However, some are voicing their concerns.

Simone Netherlands, President of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, says the fence will have negative consequences for the public and the horses. She wants the fence moved away from the river and closer to the road.

"So if you're trying to keep wild horses outbut they can still swim, what you're going to do is bottleneck the population because they're all going to have to go through that, and then, you're going to concentrate too many horses with too many people in one area, and that's making for safety problems,"said Netherlands.

Netherlands says the horses will also be cut off from the water, but Forest Service officials disagree with the claim.

"We are not cutting the horses off to the water," said Mundy."They have access to over 12 miles of the river."

The Forest Service says they've worked with several groups on the design and safety of the fence, and it's all to benefit the horses.Netherlands says she'll continue to fight the fence.

In addition to the fencing, 35 access gates have been added for people to pass through.

The Forest Service is asking people to not cut through any of the fencing. People caught cutting through the fencing could be charged.

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Advocacy group says fencing along Lower Salt River poses danger to wild horses and the public - FOX 10 News Phoenix

CHATHAM, NJ - Preston Yen went undefeated in sabre and Charles Gallucci won all his foil bouts to highlight Chatham's 15-12 boys fencing victory over Millburn on Wednesday at the Chatham Middle School.

Also finishing the meet unbeaten for Chatham were epee fencers Jonah Blanchard and Michael Dwyer.

Round one score: Chatham 4, Milburn 5 (Sabres 1-2, Foils 1-2, Epees 2-1)Squad captain junior Preston Yen posted the only sabre win in round one. Freshman Liam Kaplan narrowly missed the tiebreaker in his first high school varsity bout. Freshman foil Charles Gallucci posted the only foil win in round one with a 5-0 shut out. Sophomore epees Jonah Blanchard and Michael Dwyer each posted a victory keeping Chatham in the running for the meet.

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Round two score: Chatham 7, Millburn 2 (Sabres 2-1, Foils 2-1, Epees 3-0)The home team rotation for round two suited the Chatham boys. Kaplan logged his first varsity victory followed by another from Yen. Gallucci and Mahon added a pair of foil wins. Blanchard, Dwyer, and squad captain Ahmer Khan swept the epee bouts of round two and pulling the team into the lead.Running score: Chatham 11, Millburn 7

Round three score: Chatham 4, Millburn 5 (Sabres 2-1, Foils 1-2, Epees 1-2) Final Score 15-12Yen won his third sabre bout for the night followed by Haq with a 5-1. Gallucci wrapped up the foils with a single 5-1 foil win for the third round. The epees subbed in Raaid Khan for a win, while Alex Lee and Hayden Lacy were barely edged out by the Millburn epees in a pair of tied bouts.

Boys vs Millburn = WIN [NJAC 2-0] [All 3-0]Final Score 15-12 (Sabre 5-4, Foil 4-5, Epee 6-3)Referees: Tomasz Stusinski

The Chatham boys will compete in the annual Cetrulo tournament Sunday, the largest high school fencing team tournament in the world.

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Yen and Gallucci Go Undefeated in Leading Chatham Boys Fencing Team to 15-12 Win Over Millburn - TAPinto.net

On Tuesday morning, Prince George and Princess Charlotte headed back to school at Thomass Battersea, the progressive private school that has been the center of the Cambridges mornings and their social lives for the last few years. Since the kids are back at school, Kate Middleton, who turns 38 on Thursday, needed to celebrate her birthday a little early. According to People, she held a party at Anmer Hall, her and Prince Williams country home in Norfolk, on Sunday and invited some of her close friendsincluding one who was recently thought to be on the outs with the duchess.

The celebration started Sunday, when Kate and William went to church in Sandringham with the Queen. Anmer Hall is on the Sandringham estate where the Queen spends the holidays. A larger group also accompanied the royal family: Kates parents, Carole and __Michael Middleton, friends Tom van Strabenzee, Lucy Lanigan-OKeefe (People said shes also a teacher at Thomass), Lady Laura Meade, one of Louis godparents, her husband James Meade, David, Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his wife, Rose Hanbury, Marquess of Cholmondeley.

Rose and Kate were close friends when the Cambridges moved up to Norfolk after Georges birth, as a part of a group some have called the Turnip Toffs, but during 2019, outlets speculated that Kate and Rose were feuding and no longer friends. Roses appearance should put this rumor to rest; after all, you only attend a birthday church service for someone you really like.

While the Cholmondeley couples presence was certainly an attention getter, the real controversy of Kates birthday might have been her headwear. By now, you probably have seen the pictures of the duchess wearing a jaunty blue fedora and purple coat from Hicks and Brown to St. Mary Magdalenes on Sunday. Perhaps to prove that were leaving behind all negative associations with the fedora from the last decade, she wore the hat into a house of worship. The Queen also wore purple to the church service.

Otherwise, details are scarce about what the rest of the party might have entailed. Neither of Kates siblings, James and Pippa, attended the party, likely because both were recently on vacation in the Caribbean. However, we can assume Kate probably pulled a couple of perfect pints.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post misstated Kate Middletons age.

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Kate Middletons Birthday Extravaganza: a Fedora, the Country House, and Mended Fences - Vanity Fair

Cheetahs are best enjoyed from afar. Its a lesson one person had to learn the hard way after attempting to get an up close and personal experience with the animals at a New Jersey zoo.

A man hopped over the first of two fences surrounding the cheetah exhibit at the Cape May County Park and Zoo earlier this week to take a picture of Buju and Beenie, two cheetahs, Cape May County Sheriffs Office spokesman Antwan McClellan said Friday.

The man moved on to the second fence, but was apprehended by park officials before he could hop that one too.

McClellan said the cheetahs ignored the man. After he was back on the right side of the fence, he told park officials a friend of his at another zoo did the same thing and was able to pet a tiger. The man thought he could do the same thing at the Cape May County Zoo, officials said.

The man was not arrested. However, he was given citations and removed from the zoo.

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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Man tried to jump the fence at N.J. zoo to take a picture of cheetahs - NJ.com

It remains to be seen whether trainer Bob Baffert will be representated in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup.

Notably omitted from the revised invitation list released Sunday by Gulfstream Park officials was Roadster, who was in the original field of 12, while remaining on the also-eligible list was stablemate Mucho Gusto.On Monday, Baffert said Speedway Stables Roadster would stay at his Santa Anita base and run in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) going nine furlongs on Feb. 1. The son of Quality Road, who exits a second to Omaha Beach in the Dec. 28 Malibu (G1), continued preparations for the San Pasqual on Monday with a bullet four-furlong drill in :47.40. As for Mucho Gusto, Baffert said he is split between sending him to Gulfstream for the Jan. 25 Pegasus or also running him in the San Pasqual. The 4-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man, who collected a trio of Grade 3 wins in 2019, has not raced since finishing fourth in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park on Sept 29. Baffert previously said the main objective for Michael Lund Petersens Mucho Gustos is the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29 in Riyadh. While he is currently on the also-eligible list for the Pegasus, Mucho Gusto would draw into the field with a defection between now and the Jan. 25 race.Mucho Gusto returned to training around Thanksgiving and boasts three consecutive bullet drills on the work tab, which includes most recently a six-furlong move in 1:12.80 on Friday. Baffert said he will decide on Mucho Gustos comeback race next week.

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Baffert 'on the fence' over shipping for Pegasus World Cup - Horse Racing Nation