Recent Updates

Building a BIMSTEC agenda for counterterrorism
Terrorism Nov 28, 2017

Building a BIMSTEC agenda for counterterrorism

Member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) continue to grapple with a host of security issues, including the burgeoning ISIS threat and the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. In the recent months, the region has witnessed the immense ...

Health policies of BIMSTEC states: The scope for cross-learning
Healthcare Nov 22, 2017

Health policies of BIMSTEC states: The scope for cross-learning

Public health is identified by BIMSTEC member countries as one among its fourteen priority areas for cooperation. Such collaborations, however, have been limited around traditional medicine. This year’s launch of the JIPMER-BIMSTEC Telemedicine Network (JBTN) which combines public health, communication, and technology, is bound to ...

The forgotten history of Indian international relations
Indian Foreign Policy Nov 16, 2017

The forgotten history of Indian international relations

What does it mean to speak of an ‘Indian’ approach to international affairs? Indian International Relations (IR) is commonly presented as merely a derivative of ‘western’ disciplinary traditions in Europe and North America. This obscures the vast body of work on political science and international ...

Trump’s Afghanistan strategy and emerging alignments in the region: Implications for India
US Foreign Policy Nov 15, 2017

Trump’s Afghanistan strategy and emerging alignments in the region: Implications for India

US President Donald Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy for America’s longest war has potential to drastically alter existing regional relations. The policy, announced after an exhaustive eight-month-long review process, attempts to give a new direction for future US involvement in Afghanistan. Becoming president at a time ...

Common responses to maritime security threats in the Bay of Bengal
Maritime Security Nov 14, 2017

Common responses to maritime security threats in the Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) appears to be gaining momentum in formulating collective strategies to combat non-traditional security threats in the subregion. This brief describes how BIMSTEC had focused on bilateralism or trilateralism from its inception in 1997 ...

Disasters without borders: Strengthening BIMSTEC cooperation in humanitarian assistance
Indian Foreign Policy | Great Power Dynamics Nov 08, 2017

Disasters without borders: Strengthening BIMSTEC cooperation in humanitarian assistance

This brief seeks to understand the importance of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiatives in the Bay of Bengal undertaken by the BIMSTEC countries individually, and the dynamics of their collaboration as a subregional forum. It opens with an analysis of the turbulent nature ...

Energy cooperation under BIMSTEC: Are techno-economic rationales sufficient?
Energy Nov 02, 2017

Energy cooperation under BIMSTEC: Are techno-economic rationales sufficient?

Despite a compelling techno-economic rationale for BIMSTEC nations, regional cooperation in the field of energy has not moved beyond the drawing board. This brief argues that inadequate investment in regional infrastructure, and the lack of political will to invest in shared infrastructure, are the consequence ...

India-Japan ties: Getting a boost under Modi and Abe
International Affairs Nov 01, 2017

India-Japan ties: Getting a boost under Modi and Abe

Since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the Indian prime minister and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, have been instrumental in what has been the most dramatic leap forward in India-Japan bilateral relations. While the two countries have made strides in strengthening cooperation in ...

India’s response to state fragility in Africa
International Affairs | Indian Foreign Policy Oct 27, 2017

India’s response to state fragility in Africa

New Delhi is increasingly positioning itself as a significant player in African peace, security and development. Examining the question of how India responds to state fragility in Africa, this brief finds that India’s engagement is mostly transactional: working around, rather than on, sources of political ...

BIMSTEC and climate change: Setting a common agenda
Climate Change Oct 18, 2017

BIMSTEC and climate change: Setting a common agenda

The BIMSTEC region is among the most vulnerable in the world from increased threat due to climate change. In the foreseeable future, climate change is projected to affect each BIMSTEC member country with greater severity and frequency, thereby impeding their response capacity significantly. This brief ...