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Few nations have been thrust more dramatically into limelight since those tragic 9/11 events than Pakistan. Prior to that date, Pakistan was isolated: perceived as a Taliban and Al Qaeda supporter, a military regime, and a failing state. Events of 9/11 brought it closer to a danger where, in the words of General Musharraf, ¿It could lose its strategic assets.¿

ORF, in association with ETH, Zurich, organized a five-day workshop on 'Abundant Energy', conducted by experts from Switzerland who are trying to spread the message that shortages in global energy can be solved by generating energies from sources which are abundantly available.

On September 17, 2001, six days after the terrorist strikes in the US, I had written an article under the above title which was carried the same day by the South Asia Analysis Group. Many of my observations made then remain as valid today as they were on 9/17.

President George Bush as well as Prime Minister Tony Blair have ordered an official enquiry into the reasons why contrary to what the US and the British intelligence agencies had reported before their invasion of Iraq about the presence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, no such weapons have so far been found by the Iraq Survey Group set up by the US to search for them.

During a discussion on the growth of militant groups in Pakistan and its effects on India, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani laid emphasis on retaining the ethos of Muslim Indians and warned against being co-opted and manipulated by foreign minds.

The SAARC region needed to be rescued from colonial era cultural definitions as they were too narrow and a broader range was sought to create cultural zones within the natural boundaries, argues well-known Sri Lankan archeologist Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne.

Uttarakhand devastation would not have been so furious but for years of human greed, administrative and political connivance. We greedily ravaged nature beyond its tolerance and without any rules. When nature responded with a kind of pent up fury, our response was sluggish and confused.

The recent suicide bombings in Uzbekistan that killed more than 40 persons, mostly policemen, reveal an emerging pattern of terrorism in the region.

Results of the 2004 parliamentary elections have generated a serious debate among scholars and analysts following the unexpected ouster of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the victory of the Congress-led coalition. Some see it as ¿the revenge of the poor against the pro-rich image of the government¿ and there are many who ascribe this to ¿the supposed maturity and ingenuity of the India voter¿.

Releasing ORF's latest book on China, the Vice President of India, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari, called for introspection and change of mindset to address the issue of India lagging behind China in the field of science and technology.

The Vice President of India, Shri. M. Hamid Ansari and the Union Finance Minister, Shri. Pranab Mukherjee, remembered the contributions of late Shri R.K. Mishra, ORF Founder Chairman, while releasing 'A Brahmin Without Caste: Remembering Rishi Kumar Mishra' -- a volume contributed by 56 personalities from different walks of life.

Indian Army Vision 2020, the new publication of Observer Research Foundation, was released in Delhi on Tuesday (April 29, 2008) by the Vice President of India, Mr. Mohammed Hamid Ansari.

Possible maritime cooperation with Vietnam and the US - a collaboration unimaginable until very recent times - will strengthen India's current approach to multilateral engagement to secure its strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The India-U.S. Joint Vision and the mention of the South China Sea is India's strategic response to the growing Chinese naval profile in the Indian Ocean Region. In this context, US outreach to Vietnam and India's Act East policy are symbolic of India-U.S. cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Hanoi's decision in granting oil blocks to New Delhi could make China uneasy as Chinese foreign policy, especially towards the South China Sea and the East China Sea, has undergone a major shift in the last few years.

As an ASEAN member, Vietnam has worked hard to secure peace and reconciliation among Southeast Asian nations, which were once deeply divided by war.

The South China Sea dispute is today at the centre of the emerging geopolitical game in the Asia Pacific region. The growing US-Vietnam friendship will have a strong bearing on the direction of the changing regional security dynamics.

Indian Navy's reported lack of enthusiasm in increasing the number of participating ships and aircraft reflects the susceptibility of the Indian establishment to cave in to Chinese sensitivities. From a peak contribution of eight warships in 2007, the number has dropped to four this year.

Visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to China - An AssessmentD.S. Rajan

It is highly likely that the voices from within Pakistan that want greater cooperation with India and greater economic integration with the South Asian region in general will be marginalised.

The debate about Iran's quest for nuclear energy is wholly enmeshed in the politics of US-Iran relationship. Iran is a signatory to the NPT and its additional protocol. It has obligations; it has rights. The focus of the west is on obligations, of Iran on rights. The North-South divide is reflected in the board of governors of the IAEA, with Russia and China supportive of the non-aligned who apprehend, as Washington Post put it,

Unlike the BJP, the focus of the AAP's campaign was not on lofty slogans, such as making a Delhi a 'smart city', but on issues that mattered to the public. No wonder it is commonly said that one should never underestimate the power of the common man.

There is no doubt that the armed forces personnel need some form of indemnification for killing or injuring non-combatants who get caught in the crossfire when the armed forces are acting in good faith in a counter-insurgency campaign.

The sheer magnitude of Vyapam has stunned people. The Bharatiya Janata Party, in power in Madhya Pradesh for the duration of Vyapam, is clearly answerable for the mess. Its government and chief minister have a lot to explain.

Aircraft carriers for India have been somewhat of a waiting for Godot. By the time the elusive Vikramaditya joins the Indian fleet, India's lone and ageing Viraat would have completed nearly 60 years of service and reached the stage to retire.

It is time for the European Union to wake up to the world they actually live in and now move towards the more workable paradigm of "Shared Interests and Shared Prosperity", acknowledging that beneath every façade, nations and societies share only one common value, that of 'self-preservation' based on 'self-interest'.

Twenty-six persons were killed and over a hundred injured by two explosions in Dimapur, the only railway station in Nagaland in India's North-East, on October 2, 2004, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The same day, in a series of co-ordinated attacks in different places in Assam, also in the North-East, involving the use of hand-held weapons, hand-granades and explosives,19 persons were killed.

In spite of its modest economic weight in the initial years, the New Development Bank (NDB) can change the ethos of development finance irreversibly. Rather than replacing or supplanting existing development finance institutions, the NDB will seek to supplement existing resources.

In the war against ISIS, the picture is gloomy. The ISIS is unlikely to be pushed back as long as the Coalition's War against it remains only aerial. The Iraqi troops battling them were trained by the Americans, who after spending billions of dollars on their training find they are not up to the task.

The 9/11 Commission Report has been made public and has, since then, witnessed intense scrutiny and commentary in the international media. The Indian media and analysts have been exceptionally vocal about its findings on Pakistan¿s possible linkages with the 9/11 attackers and conspirators.

The bombings in Russia bring into notice the challenges which India also faces in tackling Islamic militancy. In fact, the Chechen insurgency has in the past been compared to the insurgency in Kashmir.

If India continues to act rigid, it will result in the failure of the Doha round and bring misfortunes for small countries and tragic outcomes for all the members of WTO. India shouldn't get carried away and link its food security and subsidy issues to the Trade Facilitation deal

The December 16, 2014 attack on an Army run school in Peshawar by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has caused global outrage. The attacks led to over 148 deaths of mostly children and some school staff.

The latest White House assessment of the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan submitted to the US Congress has questioned Pakistan's commitment towards degrading and defeating terrorist groups like al Qaeda and Taliban.

The seminar held in ORF Delhi called for a paradigm shift in understanding the various dimensions of the water crisis facing India

Water security is a growing concern in South Asia today. Growing population, expanding urban centres, widespread pollution and mismanagement are pushing several countries in the region towards a water crisis. Mr. B. G. Verghese, well known journalist, author and expert on water issues, calls for better understanding and cooperation among the countries in South Asia to address the challenge of ensuring adequate and equitable availability of water

Initiating the discussion on "Water Security in South Asia", eminent water expert and noted writer, Mr. B. G. Verghese felt that while water is the key to cooperation in the region, climate change is the most important issue for all South Asian countries.

Information and knowledge gaps are largely responsible for creating an environment of mistrust among riparians and the various stakeholders in the river systems.

In a recent interview, former Punjab chief minister and current Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said India's move to export wheat seeds to Pakistan in 1978 played a considerable role in thawing the relations between the two countries.

The Finance Minister can at best provide an enabling environment through the Union Budget and other policy frameworks that lie in his domain. The political and bureaucratic class need to pull in the same direction over the next few years to reverse some of the structural weaknesses.

Could there exist identifiable ways of thinking that are distinctive to the Indian and Chinese psyches, and if so, what might the implications reveal? Could they throw light on some frequently asked questions like: What explains the Chinese prowess in infrastructure and manufacturing? Will China ever become a democracy? Will China and India be friends? The author ponders on these questions, revealing some fascinating insights that could pave the

Noted film personality and now Member of Parliament Javed Akhtar says that one of the reasons for violence against women in India is that we are living in an industrial society with a feudal mindset. He says concrete steps should be taken to effect a real change in the mindset of the people.

The primary objective of the US is to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a launchpad by Al Qaeda

The failed attack on the Indian consulate in Jalalabad on August 3, and the conspiracy to attack the Indian ambassador in Afghanistan, reported in Mail Today the day before that, are indications that we need to plan for the worsening scenario in Afghanistan, rather than for an optimistic one.

The Indian military desperately needs to enhance its defence preparedness. However, given the country's fiscal constraints, this must be done by modernising weapons systems, instead of adding more boots on the ground.

Granted that the US normally goes for the overkill and in comparison our systems are in kindergarten stuff, there is no denying that we need upgrades. Intelligence and intercepts post-event, as in the recent Uri case, are of academic interest.