Ministry Of External Affairs Research Articles

The Somali Language Program: Italian Technical Co-Operation in Somalia

In 1977 a group of Italian linguists set up a research program on the Somali language, in the context of the technical co-operation between Italy and Somalia. The program was sponsored by the Italian Ministry of External Affairs and the Somali Ministry of Higher Education. The scientific bodies involved were the University of Rome and the National Research Council (CNR) on the Italian side, and the Somali National University and the Academy of Sciences, Arts and Literature on the Somali side. The program was divided into two separate but obviously related projects: 1) the elaboration of a comprehensive reference grammar of Somali, at the phonological, morphological and syntactic levels; 2) the compilation of a bilingual (Somali-Italian) dictionary and of various glossaries of specific terminologies.

The Disinherited State: A Study of West Bengal 1967–1970. By Sankar Ghosh. Bombay: Orient Longman, 1971. xviii, 324 pp. Appendix. Rs. 30.00. - Bangla Desh Documents. Ministry of External Affairs. New Delhi: Publication Division, Government of India, n.d. xxiv, 719 pp. $7.50. - The Challenge of Bangla Desh: A Special Debate. Edited by Pran Chopra. Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971. 159

The Disinherited State: A Study of West Bengal 1967–1970. By Sankar Ghosh. Bombay: Orient Longman, 1971. xviii, 324 pp. Appendix. Rs. 30.00. - Bangla Desh Documents. Ministry of External Affairs. New Delhi: Publication Division, Government of India, n.d. xxiv, 719 pp. $7.50. - The Challenge of Bangla Desh: A Special Debate. Edited by Pran Chopra. Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1971. 159 pp. Appendix. Rs. 20.00. - The Tempest Within: An Account of East Pakistan. By Dom Moraes. Delhi: Vikas Publications, 1971. xi, 103 pp. Index. Rs. 12.50. - Volume 32 Issue 4

Indo-Soviet Treaty and the Emerging Asian Balance

O n August 9, 1971 India and the USSR signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation for a period of 20 years.' Coming in the context of Brezhnev's proposal to develop a collective security system in Asia,2 the treaty appeared to be a manifestation of the 1969 call for collective security. But analysts who were not taken in by Brezhnev's proposal argued that even though the treaty had been under consideration for almost two years, the situation in Bangladesh and the impending US-China thaw had promoted the mutual desire of India and the USSR to challenge the new orientation in American foreign policy. The diplomatic situation in the subcontinent and in Asia lent credence to the argument that the treaty was a response to the announcement of the secret Kissinger-Chou talks which were held in Peking during July 9-11, 1971. While the possibility of US-China talks had been anticipated by India's China experts in the Ministry of External Affairs, the timing and the effect of the announcement, in the context of India's position on Bangladesh, reflected the need for a diplomatic counterweight against the US and China. A similar calculation seems to have induced Moscow to seek a firmer legal and political basis for Indo-Soviet cooperation in Asia. Several articles in the treaty are straight-forward and merely repeat the known aspects of Indo-Soviet relations. Articles I-VII outline the generalities in Indo-Soviet relations: Soviet support for Indian non-alignment is reaffirmed (Article IV); the principle of non-interference and good neighborliness on the basis of equality is reiterated (Article I); Article II highlights the importance of achieving peace in Asia and the world through

India: Report of the Officials of the Government of India and the People's Republic of China on the Boundary Question. By Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. 1961. 342 CR 213p. Rs. 3.00

India: Report of the Officials of the Government of India and the People's Republic of China on the Boundary Question. <i>By</i> Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. 1961. 342 CR 213p. Rs. 3.00

Report of the Officials of the Governments of India and the People's Republic of China on the Boundary Question. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. [New Delhi: 1961. 555 pp. Rs.3.

Report of the Officials of the Governments of India and the People's Republic of China on the Boundary Question. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. [New Delhi: 1961. 555 pp. Rs.3.

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