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CCP’s 20th Congress: Xi’s Return and Implications for the People’s Liberation Army
International Affairs | China Foreign Policy Jan 20, 2023

CCP’s 20th Congress: Xi’s Return and Implications for the People’s Liberation Army

The quinquennial National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is typically the venue for political leadership changes and any restructuring of the country’s military apparatus. However, the 20th CCP Congress in October 2022 saw Chinese President Xi Jinping consolidate his control over the state ...

The Future of Cyberwarfare in the Indo-Pacific
International Affairs | Cyber Security | Cyber and Technology Jan 13, 2023

The Future of Cyberwarfare in the Indo-Pacific

The rapid growth in military cyber capabilities of the countries in the Indo-Pacific combined with the use of assets from the cyberwarfare toolbox—in domestic and interstate contexts—is adding uncertainty to already competitive political, military, and economic relations. This issue brief assesses the cyberwarfare context in ...

The Future of Cyber Warfare in the Indo-Pacific
International Affairs | Cyber Security | Cyber and Technology Jan 13, 2023

The Future of Cyber Warfare in the Indo-Pacific

The rapid growth in military cyber capabilities of the countries in the Indo-Pacific combined with the use of assets from the cyberwarfare toolbox—in domestic and interstate contexts—is adding uncertainty to already competitive political, military, and economic relations. This issue brief assesses the cyberwarfare context in ...

Reevaluating Bioweapons Amid Global Political Fragility
Defence and Security | Indian Defence Jan 04, 2023

Reevaluating Bioweapons Amid Global Political Fragility

Unstable political systems, ineffectual international organisations, and unprecedented technological advancements have created a global environment that can enable the development and deployment of bioweapons. New-age bioweapons could be used for more than just as weapons of mass destruction. This necessitates a new approach to mitigate ...

The Xi Plan: The Political Factors Driving China’s COVID-19 Strategy
International Affairs | Domestic Politics and Governance Dec 19, 2022

The Xi Plan: The Political Factors Driving China’s COVID-19 Strategy

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to promote a political model with centralisation and one-party rule at the core to achieve economic growth and stability. This brief assesses the extent to which the CCP’s policymaking mechanisms and internal politics have influenced China’s strategy to ...

Towards a Systems Approach to the Management of Grasslands in India
Climate, Food and Environment | Energy Dec 07, 2022

Towards a Systems Approach to the Management of Grasslands in India

Grasslands that provide a variety of ecosystem services for humans—including carbon storage, which is important to mitigating climate change—are among the world’s most threatened habitats. In India, grassy ecosystems are not accorded any legal protection. Vast acres of these grasslands are converted for revenue-generating use, ...

Early Childhood Care and Education: ‘The Elephant in the Room’ No More
Development | Education in India | Sanitation Oct 03, 2022

Early Childhood Care and Education: ‘The Elephant in the Room’ No More

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in India is enshrined in the Constitution and mandated under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009. Yet, its implementation remains tentative for many reasons, primary of which is the absence of a clear ...

Moving Gender Equity to the Mainstream of Climate Action
Gender | Sustainable Development | Climate Change Sep 29, 2022

Moving Gender Equity to the Mainstream of Climate Action

India is among the countries in the world that are most vulnerable to the consequences of global warming. While there are notable efforts for both mitigation and adaptation, these have failed to consider issues of gender equity even as evidence shows that women and girls ...

US Secondary Sanctions and Petroleum Imports: Safeguarding India’s Energy Security
International Affairs | Energy Security Apr 06, 2022

US Secondary Sanctions and Petroleum Imports: Safeguarding India’s Energy Security

The drastic and sudden drop in Venezuelan and Iranian oil exports to India in 2019-2020, due to the looming threat of US secondary sanctions, is the latest supply chain disruption to India’s energy security. To avoid similar disruptions in the future, India must act decisively ...

Hubris, Biases, and Overlearning: A Historical Analysis of How India Missed Pakistan’s Nuclear Coup
International Affairs | Indian Foreign Policy | Defence and Security | Nuclear Security Jan 05, 2022

Hubris, Biases, and Overlearning: A Historical Analysis of How India Missed Pakistan’s Nuclear Coup

Intelligence agencies are prone to exaggerate an adversary’s capabilities. Indian intelligence in the mid-1970s, meanwhile, severely underestimated Pakistan’s nuclear cunning. For a crucial part of those years, India could not identify AQ Khan’s clandestine nuclear activities to acquire Uranium enrichment technology. This brief names three ...