Challenges to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s Survival
Prof  K.V. Kesavan
September 1, 2008

Japanese politics seems to be heading in the direction of greater uncertainty and unpredictability with the Lower House election due anytime within the next one year. Very soon Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will be completing his first year in office and what he has achieved during this period......more

The nation and its 40 hectares
Gen. V. P. Malik
September 1, 2008

At a time when the national interest should come first, India’s ’liberals’ turn on their own country and soldiers.

On August 8 when Syed Ahmed Shah Geelani was shouting pro-Pakistan and religious slogans in Srinagar, about 100 km to the north, Colonel J. J. Thomas with his quick reaction team was trying to prevent Pakistani terrorists from entering J&K.....more

Vol I, Issue 34
South Asia Weekly
25 August - 31 August 2008

Leading a 11-member delegation, Nepal’s newly elected Prime Minister Prachanda, visited China on August 23, to attend the closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics Games. Prachanda met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao and discussed bilateral issues.....more

Pakistan after Musharraf: Trapped in a Maelstrom
25 August 2008 

Summary of a round-table discussion on `Pakistan After Musharraf ’ organised by Observer Research Foundation on August 22, 2008.

Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s decision to withdraw support to the coalition government led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has only pushed Pakistan deeper into political crisis which is bound to encourage terrorist and extremist groups to consolidate their position in a nuclear-powered state staggering on the verge of becoming a dysfunctional, if not failed, state.....more

Urban and Regional Development Initiatives in India
Rumi Aijaz
25 August 2008

The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) India-China Centre (Kolkata) in association with the University of Calcutta, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (Kolkata), and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, supported a seminar on Urban Experiences: India, China and the Chinese Indians. The seminar was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Kolkata on August 5, 2008 at the Centre for Social Sciences and Humanities, Calcutta University Alipore Campus in Kolkata.....more

Independence for Kosovo: Secession or Self-Determination?
Saeed Naqvi
14 August 2008

Is the United States in the process of creating a brand new Muslim bloc? If that be the case, it would know that the execution  of  the  plan  necessarily  involves  the  cessation  of  Kosovo  from  Serbia  in  the  name  of  “Self-Determination”. This, Russia will not allow at any cost. Belgrade is Moscow’s Slav ally. And, in a complex way, the Albanian-Serb and the Washington-Moscow stand-off links up with.....more 

The United States and India: A History through Archives
The Formative Years 
Edited by: Praveen K. Chaudhry & Marta Vanduzer-Snow
18 June 2008
 
Declassified documents are arguably the premier vantage for understanding global governance, current security concerns and the international market. The United States and India: A History through Archives includes papers from the Presidential Libraries—FDR to Carter, the White House, National Security Council, Office of Strategic Services, Central Intelligence Agency,.....more

International Human Rights Standards: How Does India Measure Up?
Dilip Lahiri
3 May 2008
 
China’s fulsome praise for India’s human rights record on April 14, 2008 in the first session of the UN Human Rights Council’s new system of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) would have come as a respite for the Indian delegation even as India was being subjected to hard and searching questions on torture in police custody......more

ANNUAL REPORT 2007

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is an endeavour to evolve and aid informed policy formulation for building a strong and prosperous India. The expectations of the global community from India are immense as the country is poised to play a leading role in the knowledge age. ORF believes that in the next 25 years India will be one of the world’s great economic powers and contribute to a significant transformation in the quality of life of humanity.

ORF complements official initiatives by exploring policy alternatives. It provides informed and valuable inputs for decision-makers in the govern-ment, civil society and business leadership of India. ORF’s expertise and resources are dedicated to nation building and international cooperation. ORF pursues its goals through in-depth research and stimulating discus-sions. Observer Research Foundation seeks active cooperation from those who share this vision in a spirit of genuine partnership.

Building Partnerships for a Global India is our motto.....more