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Diplomacy commenced when the first human societies decided it was better to hear the message than eat the messenger. Messages to rulers are rarely purposeless; their timing and occasion are carefully chosen and the content crafted with care.

China has recently rolled out several measures that cracked down on businesses with an aim to redistribute wealth and reduce inequality. Many are likening this to the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.

While China’s white paper on space is a good transparency move, the goals enshrined in the document may also make space more competitive.

In an announcement that caught the nation by surprise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the demonetisation of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes of the Indian currency in November to arrest ‘black money’, end corruption, and choke terrorist finances. This move represents a policy departure and it has far-reaching implications. As national debate has been hijacked by the possible fallouts of demonetisation, other critical issues have been pushed to

Ajit Doval’s approach — now famously referred to as the Doval Doctrine — places limited reliance on diplomacy only to the extent that India’s territorial interests are not compromised.

Former The Hindu correspondent in Pakistan, Nirupama Subramanian, thinks that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has a better chance to head the next government in Pakistan. The thing to be watched is whether he will be able to do so on his own or in coalition with other parties, especially Imran Khan's PTI.

From the Chinese perspective, it was a smart move to invite India to join the maritime Silk Road project. But Delhi is likely to be torn between two competing ideas ? working with China in the maritime domain and the long-standing goal of limiting Beijing's influence in the Indian Ocean.

The question of inviting Australia to the exercise, which currently includes India, Japan and the United States, has been controversial.

The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme in India — an ambitious project, envisioned on a massive scale — will attempt to link 37 rivers, through 30 links, covering a distance of 15,000 km that will transfer 174 trillion litres of water a year.

If Nawaz Sharif really believes that Islamic insurgency has no role to play in Indo-Pakistan relations henceforth, he should enforce immediate control and effectively neutralise LeT and its parallel organisation, the Jamat-ud-Dawa.

With the resignation of the Sindh CM, it is widely speculated that the next to follow suit would be Jamali. His repeated assurances that his government was under no threat, only betrayed his insecurity. General Musharraf, who could have reiterated Jamali¿s confidence,

Whether Japan and India could find an acceptable compromise formula for civilian nuclear agreement that would address their respective concerns will be the main subject of discussion at the India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi on December 27-29.

On Monday night, a television anchor asked Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit about her views on India's decision to run the Lahore bus again. She said: "I hope it doesn't fall by the wayside as the previous one.'' If she clearly sounded sceptical, there are reasons. The last time buses began to cross the Wagah border

US President Barack Obama is trying to reconcile the irreconcilables - the requirements of his domestic audience and the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. It will take a while before we know whether he has fallen between stools.

The consequences of the Okinawa gubernatorial elections, where Prime Minister Abe's party candidate was defeated convincingly, mainly on the issue of relocation of US bases, will resonate on the US-Japan security alliance as well as Abe's ruling LDP party.

The FATF sword is dangling over Pakistan. With the country on the verge of economic bankruptcy, it desperately needs access to international financial markets.

While Mamata Banerjee tries to avoid being branded as an anti-industry and inflexible politician, her best ally could be the pending central land acquisition bill, which thanks largely to Mamata Banerjee, is in comatose since 2007.

Libya's future looks uncertain. The no-fly zone may not be enough to unseat Gaddafi. If Gaddafi survives and maintains his hold over Tripolitania, the world may have to contend with his wrath and a potential rogue state, uncomfortably close to Europe.

New aircraft carrier Vikramaditya will undoubtedly have a major role to play as force multipliers and strategic game changers in the region, but as a ship without even the basic defences against air borne threats, it will be extremely vulnerable, obviating its usage to its potential to the maximum.

For over a year, China is running a huge anti-corruption campaign. More than 1,82,000 officials have been punished, including high ranking military officials, four national leaders and senior executives of state companies. However, this type of arbitrary and high-handed posture could backfire and become a catalyst for political crisis if it continues in the present way.

In Prague, the expensiveness of the custom of burial has become an issue. And this issue is of relevance to most urban societies including ours as pressure on urban land will result in pressure on graveyards.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has a fairly heavy political agenda before him. The foremost is his firm resolve to introduce constitutional reforms. If he wins the December 14 elections, Abe would have bright chances to win another term as the LDP president in September next year and stay at the helm for three more years.

New Delhi is correct to be cautious about the effects of the Masood Azhar listings.

The US may have lost interest in Iraq, but in Syria if it truly desires a diplomatic solution, then Iran has to be brought on board. This is what even the French are telling them. But will the US take the extended hand.

His imprint on trade, security and Asia policy will last. His influence on immigration, climate change may not

The question is whether the governments of the US and China can find a way to manage their differences in a way that does not ignite tensions. No one knows the answer to this. However, managing these tensions will require a lot of diplomatic effort and energy.

The arrival of the French in Mali could well be the beginning of link ups across the oil and mineral rich regions stretching from Sudan across Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Western Sahara.

A popular conclusion drawn by many in the Pakistan media is that Imran Khan has arrived. His Lahore meeting, which was a great success, should alarm the other political players of Pakistan.

In the Union Budget, the Finance Minister needs to restore the confidence of the middle class investor who now have little faith in anything other than gold and real estate as the means of preserving and growing her savings.

India had recently decided to partner Russia in a joint project known as Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). A project like this is a rarity, like Brahmos, that India can ill afford to lose. Prudence would demand employment of a realist strategy of engagement by India in convincing the Russians to expand the scope of involvement.

Bush Blair duo is finding it extremely difficult to justify the invasion of Iraq to the world in general and to their local constituency in particular. The United States military has been unable to locate WMDs in Iraq in spite its best efforts. This has led the entire world to believe that the war was an unjust war.

The Chinese premier's speech on Friday in Beijing, with its promises of transparency, open markets and a focus on quality, indicates that China has taken on board the various critiques of the BRI.

Citizens of India and Nepal enjoy mutual rights of residence, freedom of movement, ownership of property, and can participate in each other’s industrial and economic development without discrimination.

The electoral bonds scheme defeats the purpose of improving transparency and accountability in political funding.

For Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the foremost challenge will be to handle the economic crisis and keeping the political alliance intact. The incoming government will face a strong opposition from Imran Khan and his PTI, who are masters at street campaigning

Much of this month has witnessed a slow but steady build-up of Russian troops in Syria. The Russian move is of huge significance - militarily as well geopolitically - not by what it brings to the table, but by what it prevents the other protagonists from doing in that tragic conflict.

In both rural and urban contexts, women are more vulnerable to heat stress and air pollution in low and middle-income countries like India.

An increasing number of startups and new businesses have been founded in India over the last decade, the majority of them by men. While many Indian women have entrepreneurial ambitions, it is often more difficult for them to succeed. This brief examines the impediments to greater participation of female founders in India’s economy by first gathering available data to describe the situation of women entrepreneurs in the country. It then explores

Feminisation of agriculture is taking place in a number of developing countries, including India, and women are forced to play multiple roles as entrepreneurs, labourers and cultivators. They have to compete with men in getting access to resources which is difficult.

Even today, the Army continues to be organised on the basis of regional, linguistic, caste and religious affiliations. Nearly 70 years since Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose raised combat units in which personnel from all over India served together, it is time that our Armed Forces seriously consider these issues of regionalism, ethnicity and deployment of women in combat roles.

That the Yadavs also constitute the political class is a fact but in this instance neutralized by the backward environment in which women of intermediate castes live

From recent events it is evident that misogyny and patriarchal attitudes cut across party lines, ideologies, sexes and classes. Worse still is the fact that whatever is being won by the serious and concerted efforts of those who really 'care' is being squandered by those who do not.

Women’s representation in India’s Parliament is an important metric to evaluate progress in bridging gender inequities in the country. India has a female population of 662.9 million and is the largest and one of the most resilient parliamentary democracies in the world. As the country completes 75 years of independence, this paper gives a historical account of the progress in women’s representation in Parliament over the past decades. It co

ORF Director Sunjoy Joshi said the seminar on "BRICS trade, investment and finance cooperation"is part of the ongoing research agenda which will feed into the South Afr ican Summit to be held next year.

Regional security in West Asia stands at a precarious intersection.

The ORF Chennai Chapter of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) brought together eminent, senior retired civil servants and police officials, well-known academicians and journalists and policy makers for two days, on January 28 & 29, 2005, at a Workshop on the Naxalite Movement. Mr D Raja, National Secretary, Communist Party of India, inaugurated the Workshop, which was conducted under the guidance of Mr B Raman, Distinguished Fellow and Convenor,

Let first one thousand days of life get a chance to unleash the potential of the child to live a life with dignity.

The ISIS has the potential to become the unifying terrorist force in the South East Asia region, posing a bigger threat to the region, according to terrorism expert Mr. Vikram Rajakumar. He also pointed out the emerging pro and anti ISIS factions in the region, counter balancing the ISIS.