Search

The 2004 annual piracy report published by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) had noted that the Tsunami tidal waves that hit Sumatra in Indonesia might have destroyed the piracy related infrastructure. Some of the pirates may have even perished in the disaster. Besides, there was also a large naval presence and may have acted as a deterrent against piracy activity in the Malacca Straits.

The verdict delivered in July by an international tribunal on the South China Sea case in The Hague is a stunning defeat for China. The Tribunal has upended the maritime claims of a number of nations in the South China Sea, but China is most affected, as its claims were also most extensive. As China had already rejected the verdict even before it was pronounced, the world sits at a juncture of two possible paths — China could become more assert

This "Book of Charts" on the "State of Cities and Towns", produced by ORF Urban Policy Research Initiative, paints a descriptive picture of the current state and developments in employment, education and public infrastructure provision, among others, and the disparities between states, within states and between different sections of the urban society.

Sri Lanka has suffered the most human fatalities (30,000 plus) and infrastructure and other property damage after Indonesia in the catastrophic Tsunami disaster of December, 26, 2004.

Afghanistan has eroded US power and credibility. A transactional America will now encounter transactional friends

China doesn’t have the money to fulfill its infrastructure-building ambitions. That doesn’t mean the West should pay up.

Cyber insecurity is now a global risk no different from the warming climate or forced displacement. Is such insecurity a business risk or a "public bad"?

The 2021 Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) propelled nations to ramp up their climate targets and the concomitant Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. However, the updated NDCs and the announced pledges for 2030 remain insufficient and poorly aligned with the targets of the Paris Agreement. The reduction in projected 2030 emissions is estimated to be 7.5 percent—far lower than the 30 percent requi

Goal seven of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commits the international community to providing access to clean cooking fuels and technologies to all by 2030. Progress has been slow, however, and in about 40 of the UN’s 189 member countries for which data is available, more that 80 percent of the populations continue to lack such access. Using case studies, this brief analyses the role of a country’s policies, i

What India stands to gain from Trump’s pressure on China

Undersea cables must be understood as critical infrastructure, and their vulnerability – to intentional tampering and accidental damage – acknowledged.

Given their frequent recurrence in Indian cities, the problem of urban flooding is gaining focus in policy discussions. Indeed, urban floods can cause massive loss of infrastructure, property, and lives, and have a substantial economic impact. To ensure they remain functional and secure, Indian cities must tackle the issue of floods by examining the urban over-densification problem and adopting innovative mitigation measures with the technical an

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor (EC) has been receiving increased public attention in the last few months because of a strong push by China. When implemented, the project promises mega cites, infrastructure, jobs and better living standards for people living in its fold. Is the BCIM EC really a gamechanger? Or will this project, like others proposed by China under its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, result in

India is currently facing a massive exports slowdown, one of its worst in recent years. Exports slumped for the 13th consecutive month in December 2015 by 15 percent and major exported goods from India have shown negative growth. Half the story relates to external forces: as global growth slows down, India's export markets contract, too. The other half, however, is a story of supply: for many reasons-lack of infrastructure, amongst them-India has

Sri Lanka, which in the 1970s was being hailed as a development success story for a low-income nation, is now mired in a financial and economic disaster, its worst yet since independence in 1948. Despite notable investments in infrastructure projects, and a largely stable growth rate from 2013 to 2019, the Sri Lankan story was marred by a series of untimely and mismanaged economic measures that led to the current meltdown. External factors have c

As Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram go through the process of Assembly elections, ORF Urban Policy research team looks at development patterns in these States. Here is a preview of "Book of Charts", covering Delhi and Rajasthan, on the status and developments in such important areas as employment, education and infrastructure, etc.

India’s development trajectory is closely tied to urbanisation. This brief critiques the existing urban planning framework in the country, examining the gaps and unique challenges posed by urbanisation and the impacts of climate change in hilly cities. The brief focuses on India’s ecologically sensitive Himalayan ecosystem, which have historically received little attention in urbanisation discourse. The region’s hilly urban areas have uniqu

There is no dearth in analyses that sound the alarm on the current United States (US) administration’s policy in the Indo-Pacific. This paper conducts an evaluation of the US’ engagement in the region, and finds it to be contrary to alarmist predictions. President Donald Trump’s administration has reaffirmed commitments towards traditional allies, built on the predecessor president’s courtship of nascent partners, and encouraged partners

FBI Director Wray, in particular, sounded the alarm about China’s targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure for potential cyber attacks.

The demand for basic infrastructure and services in Indian cities has increased phenomenally due to rapidly growing populations. Such unmet demands often adversely affect the quality of urban life, the economic productivity, as well as the process of sustainable development. The main purpose of this brief is to highlight the problems involved in improving access to water supply in Indian cities faced with a severe water shortage crisis. A case st

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

The most urgent need is to upgrade India's physical infrastructure to encourage domestic and foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector. This will absorb the rural labor surplus that is migrating to the cities by providing employment in labor-intensive, less technology-intensive manufacturing, regulated by humane labor laws catering to the contemporary needs of the economy.

Regions which are seamlessly connected for commerce tend to remain together. Like Xi, Modi views infrastructure as a “glue”. For Xi, it is a glue to foster Chinese hegemony over its near abroad. For Modi, it is a “glue” to bind the nation.

As Xi and Modi meet in first Ahmedabad and then in New Delhi, India has political and strategic issues that it will want China to respond to - the contested border and territorial issues, China-Pakistan cooperation on nuclear, missile, maritime and border infrastructure issues.

2016 में देश का UPI इंफ़्रास्ट्रक्चर स्थापित किया गया था. पिछले छह वर्षों में इस ढांचे ने भारत में 80 प्रतिशत वित्तीय समावेश हासिल करने में मदद की है. DPI दृष्टिकोण के बग़ैर ऐसी काम�

चुकीच्या अर्थकारणामुळेअक्षय्य ऊर्जा निर्मितीच्या लक्ष्यापासून भारत भरकटत आहे आणि त्याची किंमत पर्यावरणाला चुकवावी लागत आहे.

जपान, फिलीपिन्स आणि अमेरिका यांच्यात अलीकडे त्रिपक्षीय शिखर परिषद पार पडली. या प्रदेशामध्ये सामूहिक प्रतिसाद आणि स्वसंरक्षण सुधारण्यासाठी सामायिक हितसंबंध दर्शविणार�

अमेरिकेच्या फेडरल ब्यूरो ऑफ इन्व्हेस्टीगेशन (FBI) चे डायरेक्टर ख्रिस्तोफर रे यांनी चीनच्या वाढत्या आक्रमक सायबर क्षमतांबद्दल गंभीर इशारा दिला आहे. विशेषत: चीन अमेरिकेच्य�

अर्थसंकल्पात पायाभूत सुविधांवरील तरतूद वाढल्याने रोजगार निर्मितीला चालना मिळेल आणि एकूण मागणीतही वाढ होईल. त्यामुळे विकासाला गती मिळेल.

हवामान-संबंधित आपत्तींची वारंवारता जसजशी वाढत आहे, तसतसे जागतिक समुदायामध्ये एकत्रित सहकारी दृष्टिकोनाची अधिक गरज आहे

देशामध्ये निर्माण झालेल्या आर्थिक आव्हानांवर डिजिटल चलन हा जादुई उपाय असू शकत नाही.

दुनिया भर में मौसम की घटनाओं और जलवायु परिवर्तन से होने वाली आपदाएं बार-बार और ख़तरनाक रूप से हो रही हैं. इसका विशेष रूप से उप-राष्ट्रीय (सब-नेशनल) संस्थाओं जैसे शहरों और स्थ�

निर्णयप्रक्रियेचे विकेंद्रीकरण, प्राथमिक आरोग्य केंद्रांवर लक्ष आणि विकास आराखडा बनविणे या महत्त्वाच्या गोष्टी कोरोनाकाळात मुंबईने शिकविल्या.

अवैध बांधकामे ही आता देशातील एक शहरी प्रक्रिया झाली आहेत आणि देशातील बहुतेक सर्व मोठ्या शहरांमध्ये याची अनेक उदाहरणे पाहावयास मिळतील. यासंदर्भात रमानाथ झा यांचे भाष्य.

जलवायु परिवर्तन पर अंतर-सरकारी पैनल (IPCC) की ताज़ा रिपोर्ट में ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग के चलते जलवायु से जुड़े जोख़िमों की चेतावनी दी गई है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक ये ख़तरे ग़ैर-जलवायु ज�

यूरोप और एशिया के मध्य वर्ष 2001 और 2022 के बीच कंटेनर ट्रैफिक में वार्षिक दर से औसत 4.4 प्रतिशत की बढ़ोतरी हुई, जबकि ट्रांस अटलांटिक समुद्री मार्ग पर 2 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि दर्ज की गई. �

भारत आणि चीन यांच्यामधील द्विपक्षीय संबंधाची सध्याची स्थिती पाहता नवी दिल्ली यासंदर्भात धोरणात्मक सीमा पायाभूत सुविधांबाबतचे प्रयत्न दुप्पट करत असल्याचे दिसत आहे.

चीन-म्यानमार रेल्वेमार्ग हा जरी दोन देशांमधील दळणवळण प्रकल्प दिसत असला तरी, भारतासाठी त्याचे दीर्घकालीन आणि सामरिक परिणाम संभवतात

चीनची आफ्रिकेतील दीर्घकालीन खेळी ही केवळ आर्थिक प्रभावासंबंधी नाही की लष्करी ताकदीपुरतीही मर्यादित नाही. ती मुत्सद्देगिरीच्या आणि प्रभावाच्या सूक्ष्म कौशल्याशीही सं