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The geographical and socioeconomic characteristics of small island developing states (SIDS) expose them to unique challenges. Climate change, in particular, poses a severe threat to SIDS, with rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and changing precipitation patterns negatively affecting their ecosystems, economies, and communities. This brief assesses the challenges faced by SIDS in accessing traditional climate financing and analyses the effec

Unrealised convergences between India and Central Europe can be pivotal in instituting a rare dynamic based on identified complementarities, and not towards exacting competitive leverages

The government is approaching the issue of declining sex ratio with a new commitment. It should be tackled with nuanced policy interventions. Instead of introducing more schemes, the existing schemes could be made more accessible and the loopholes could be confronted.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) plays a critical role in securing India amidst a world in flux. For this massive task, India must possess indigenously produced fighter aircraft engines to power its fighter aircraft variants over the next 50 years without falling into undue dependency on foreign suppliers. As the timely delivery of fighter aircraft to the IAF is linked to the security of supply chains, this brief underlines the need for both the develo

India’s maiden solar mission undertook a journey of around 1.5 million km from Earth, taking 127 days to reach its final destination.

Why India and Iran had modest expectations of President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to New Delhi this month

Naval diplomacy has emerged as a pillar of India’s external engagements. While conventionally regarded as a military arm, the navy is increasingly assuming a greater role as a diplomatic actor. This brief underlines three trends in India’s naval diplomacy in the Indian Ocean, shaped by its broader political outlook in the region. First, there has been a normative shift in how India views the role of the navy. Second, India’s bilateral engag

Affirmative action, especially in the form of reservation policies, to address the issues of inclusion and equity has been in place in India for a long time. The available evidence suggests that the policies of reservation have not been an unqualified success. Indeed, implementation of the reservation policies has faced a variety of issues ranging from problems of identifying the beneficiary groups and the creamy layer to legal interpretation of

Pointing out that the problem for an upcoming Indian defence industry is in the basics, experts suggest that a refinement of processes in conducting business and procurement would go a long way.

More than six months into his tenure, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is possibly as far from achieving a breakthrough with the Taliban. There is no unanimity in the Taliban for peace talks. And Pakistan's failure to bring the Taliban to the table could possibly be a reflection of its limited influence over the group and a bigger obstacle to the talks may be the Taliban itself.

Saeed Naqvi, Distinguished Fellow at ORF, recently journeyed across Afghanistan where he met scores of political leaders, Taleban, US officials, filmmakers, journalists, NGOs, religious leaders and ordinary Afghans. The result is an insightful document on Afghanistan at the crossroads. Do Americans have an Endgame planned? Or, more important, can a superpower in a theatre of strategic importance, have a linear exit plan when multiple strategic op

The change in leadership in Kabul has provided a new opportunity for the US and Afghanistan to work together. Media reports suggesting a larger role for the United States post-2014 than originally envisaged have been doing the rounds for the better part of the past six months.

The visit of Mr. S Jaishankar, India's Foreign Secretary, to Kabul this week came at the fag end of his trip to all the other South Asian neighbouring countries. During this brief visit, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and reaffirmed India's commitment to stay the course in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, there are concerns among Abdullah Abdullah's supporters that he may be reduced to a mere figurehead or that Ashraf Ghani, as President, could still seek to extend his powers.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is desperately seeking external support in order to secure the nation's future. The impending December 2014 deadline for the drawdown of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the consequent reduction of western military and developmental

In Afghanistan, how the unity government strikes an internal balance will in turn determine in long run its ability to carry forth a range of bold policy initiatives through political consensus. It would also to an extent impact morale on the battlefield.

India's most significant investment project in Afghanistan has been the Hajigak mines in Bamiyan province. A Steel Authority of India Ltd-led consortium of six companies had won the rights to extract iron ore from the mines in 2011.

Afghan refugees in Iran are experiencing increasing hostility as State policies become explicitly discriminatory. The recent persecution of these displaced persons has brought this fact to light.

The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years. Despite the bleak forecasts, however, African countries have managed to mount a concerted response to the pandemic. This paper examines the extent of the economic and health imp

In the context of the African Union-International Criminal Court confrontation, the court is no longer about finding justice for the victims as many wrongly assume and believe; rather the process is now about whether an ICC faced with prosecuting cases that don't belong there,

Across Africa, Beijing’s mining dominance is now being scrutinised more closely, with a growing demand for fairer, more transparent partnerships

As geopolitical tensions rise, African nations are increasingly aligning with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative. The framework, which promotes non-interference, respecting sovereignty, and development-focused security, is appealing to African countries as an alternative to Western-led interventions. Through military cooperation, peacekeeping missions, counterterrorism assistance, and non-conditional security aid, among o

Even after the decolonisation of Africa, the continent was unable to formulate, let alone implement its own agenda because of its deep political and economic vulnerabilities. This situation has changed in the last two decades, and today, Africa is witnessing political and economic resurgence. Its leaders realise that the time has come for African development to be owned and driven by the African people themselves. There is a new enthusiasm for th

There is no question that Pakistan's Afghan strategy is evolving. If the Taliban seemed inflexible about negotiations in the past, Pakistan is promising to make it more reasonable. Many in the West and China are ready to accept, at least for now, Pakistan's claim that a new and moderate Taliban is at hand.

After the court sentencing of former Maldives President Nasheed, India has expressed 'deep concern over the developments' and said that it was watching the situation. Yet, it may not be the best of time for Nasheed?s supporters in Maldives and sympathisers in India.

It would be unwise to expect that Trump’s tweet represents a major policy shift. That Pakistan has been playing the US on the issue of support to the Taliban is no secret. If anything, Trump’s remarks are a manifestation of American frustration in getting Pakistan to behave.

Since the early 2010s, Russia has greatly expanded its cooperation with Pakistan, venturing into new areas and levels of cooperation and engaging in more frequent consultations. The bilateral ties have been growing despite many inherent challenges, including historical animosity during some periods of the Cold War, political and financial fragility in Islamabad, and Russia’s strategic partnership with India. At the same time, some of these issu

Despite the optimism surrounding the potential dividends from India’s youth population, demographic ageing is underway. All but five of India’s 28 states have fertility rates below replacement levels, with the share of older adults growing faster than all other age cohorts. However, existing policies, laws, and schemes targeting older adults have fallen short. Poor drafting, limited implementation, and a disproportionate focus on youth needs

India and Bangladesh relations got a major boost following the signing of two agreements, an extradition treaty and a liberalised visa agreement between the two neighbouring countries.

The viability and dynamism of the developing world's agriculture sector remains essential to secure success in the developing world's poverty alleviation strategies. The next ministerial at Bali in December must ensure pressure remains on developed nations to meet the aspirations of developing countries with regards to the global agriculture trade.

The Observer Research Foundation’s first Tech Huddle was held on 23 November 2023 and focused on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in India, highlighting the rapid growth and adoption of AI as well as the complexities associated with developing regulatory frameworks for it. AI governance is in its infancy, both globally and in India, and grapples with issues such as the explainability of AI systems as well as the embedded biases, s

As AI technologies evolve, they hold immense potential for transforming space operations. However, there are significant challenges for both Earth-based and onboard AI, including cybersecurity threats, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the complexity of operating in extreme environments. Given the sector’s strategic nature, the national security implications of these challenges make it imperative that India adopts a comprehensive approach to AI

There is nothing inherently empowering or sexist about technology. It just reflects the values of its creators.

सॉफ्टवेअर सेवा उद्योगात AI म्हणजेच कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्तेला महत्त्व प्राप्त होत आहे. त्यामुळे भारतातील टेक कंपन्या याला कसे सामोरे जातात त्यावर या क्षेत्रातली रोजगार निर्�

AI सिस्टीममध्ये दिसणार्‍या या लिंगभेदाचा महिलांवर विविध प्रकार आणि स्तरांवर प्रभाव पडला आहे, ज्यात पूर्वग्रहदूषित नियुक्ती प्रणालीपासून स्त्रियांना होणारे अनन्य नुकस�

आधार सारख्या डेटासेटवर AI ला प्रशिक्षित करण्याची परवानगी देणे स्पष्ट चिंता वाढवते. AI फायदे आणि गोपनीयतेच्या समस्यांचे निराकरण करण्यासाठी, सरकारने AI नियमांचे परीक्षण करण�

NEP च्या पत्र आणि भावनानुसार LITE ची राष्ट्रव्यापी अंमलबजावणी योग्य आणि निर्दोष तयारीशिवाय पूर्ण होऊ शकत नाही.

The new foreign trade policy (2015-20) announced by the Commerce Minister recently is aimed at doubling India's exports from $465.9 billion in 2013-14 to $900 billion in 2020. However, for this, India has to gain the reputation of producing good quality, zero-defect products which can compete in international markets. To achieve this goal, much needs to be done.

Beijing understands the vagaries of global trading system and the need to hedge.

Delhi, a Union Territory that is home to India’s capital, New Delhi, is among the world’s urban agglomerations with the most toxic air. The magnitude of air pollution is massive. It causes devastating impacts on people’s health, the city’s environment, and economic well-being. Despite overwhelming evidence of the severity of air pollution and its consequences, however, India’s policy measures remain weak. This paper identifies the most

Any future limited conflict between India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will primarily be fought in a high-altitude environment along parts of the 4,000-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). With the Indian Army likely to be constrained by the terrain and numerical parity to fight a largely positional battle with limited mobility and offensive options, air power offers several asymmetric opportunities to create operational advantages

The al Qaeda video showing its current head Ayman al-Zawahari declaring a renewed bout of jihad in the Indian subcontinent has triggered widespread alarm in the region, especially in India. The alarm over a video may seem exaggerated but there are enough reasons for India to worry.

Sections of the Spanish media, quoting the authorities investigating the Madrid blasts of March 11,2004, have reported that the terrorists, who orchestrated the blasts, had used the mobile telephones as timers for the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along with copper detonators, different from the aluminium detonators used in the past by the ETA, the Basque terrorist organisation. According to one report, the IEDs had the alarms set for 7-39

India must expand its development role further and enhance its security profile in Afghanistan

This report examines the role of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and their grantees—the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI)—in shaping political outcomes in Bangladesh. The analysis is set in the backdrop of the ouster in 2024 of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. The report examines allegations of covert infl

It has historically been assumed that while the nature of war remains the same—i.e., violence inflicted on the adversary to bend them to one’s will—the character of warfare changes with technology, organisation, politics and culture. This notion has changed. Over the past decade, the nature of war has also changed, with increased use of non-contact and non-kinetic modes of warfare expanding the battlefield spatially and temporally.

The Central Asian Republics (CARs) have, in recent years, implemented multifaceted foreign policies to achieve strategic autonomy and limit China’s influence and Russia's traditional sway. But domestic uprisings in the CARs, the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict have given China new opportunities to strengthen its presence in Central Asia. This brief investigates China's increased engagement with the CARs