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The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, often hailed as a diplomatic triumph, aims to limit temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius (C), preferably to 1.5 degrees C, compared to pre-industrial levels. However, with the United Nations (UN) having failed to establish a method for putting a price on carbon, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, and global temperatures increased by more than 1.2 degrees C in 2020. Already, experts warn

A survey shows wide youth support for the Modi government’s foreign policy.

Amid disruptive international crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, ensuring a secure energy supply for development requires focused efforts by individual countries and the international community. This report examines the global governance of the energy transition from the perspectives of the Latin American and Indo-Pacific regions. Despite their geographic distance, the two regions share similarities in their econ

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has historically been a key instrument of state power in modern China, from the time founder Mao Zedong famously said that power flows “from the barrel of a gun.” Today, in the era of Xi Jinping, China is strengthening its defence diplomacy through Xi’s so-called Global Security Initiative (GSI) that envisions a growing role for the Party-state’s arms like the PLA and the Ministry of Public Security. T

Asia’s growing space race is indicative of the larger geopolitical competition in the region. China’s rise and the strategic uncertainties it has created are particularly worrying to India and Japan, leading to surprisingly fast-growing India-Japan strategic cooperation.

The idea was to capture the different dimensions of the war on terror as has been perceived and to locate the war in the larger geo political context in order to appreciate and understand the consequences, according to Dr Ashley Tellis, a well-known senior US policy analyst.

There has rarely been a period in modern history, when the world has not been confronted with terrorism; somewhere or the other, in some form or another, for some reason or the other. As a mean of coercion through violence, terrorism ebbs and flows and keeps undergoing many mutations.

Germany’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has earned it almost all-round approval. This special report argues that there is indeed much that German policy has gotten right. But it is also important to keep an eye on the limitations and failings, for which Germany – and other countries that seek to emulate it – might end up paying a very dear price. In contrast, a timely correction of some aspects of German policy could help pre-empt bo

The Obama Administration is putting it out as though the withdrawal is a great achievement. But the reality is shoddier - we are witnessing yet another western retreat from Afghanistan, one that can have baleful consequences for others.

The forthcoming general election is being watched with bated breath and ever increasing curiosity by different observers. Although the election arithmetic remains more or less the same as it was in 1999, the sheer intensity in which the election is being fought and the issues that are being contested in the public debate may have some implications on the future of Indian politics.

The “marks moderation” debate, which made headlines this summer, [1] resulted in a frenzied, but incomplete, media coverage. There has been litigation as well, stalling the declaration of high-school results of students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and various state boards. This brief aims to demonstrate how the reliance on a simplistic metric—of a 101-

In a stratagem that would make Sun Tzu proud, the government first velvet-gloved an iron fist and then clamped down hard on digital freedom and enterprise

Liberal fundamentalism is now at war with unbridled street anger, whose revisionist purpose and impatience have exhibited a dangerous capacity to self-destruct.

Closer home, the Great Power Game will be played in the unstable fields of Ayatollahs' Iran, a Talibanised Afghanistan, whose leaders have their own world view, and a Sunni radicalised nuclearised Pakistan. The main contestants will be China and the US and our strategic planners may have to start planning for an uncertain future.

Narendra Modi, who is projected by the exit polls done by the media to become the next prime minister, will have to embellish his strong governance image where he has to be fair and seen to be fair in his actions. If winning an election was tough, governance and delivery in India is going to be much tougher.

There is no doubt that the Chinese have overcome their earlier phase of "biding time" and have started taking a more assertive and at times more aggressive posture at sea. A pattern that is also being witnessed in other spheres as well.

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Hague Institute for Global Justice (THIGJ) recently hosted the second workshop of 'The Hague Initiative on Global Governance' in New Delhi between 21st and 23rd November, 2013.

The tragedy last week snuffed out over 750 lives and injured over 800 pilgrims, during the annual Hajj ritual of stoning the Devil at Mina, a few kilometres from Mecca. This incident again highlights a recurring theme that has dogged the Hajj for hundreds of years.

People's power, if not checked, would devour all Monarchies unless "all of us clasp each other's hands". That is when Al Jazeera traded its credibility to join the regional Jihad. Because of this summersault, the network has been the most effective tool in Libya and Syria.

Air quality in India’s capital city of Delhi and its surrounding region (or the National Capital Region, NCR) is poor during most months of the year. Various factors contribute to the worsening pollution, including human activities and a deficit in planning and governance. This brief examines the causes for declining air quality in the NCR as well as the mitigation measures that have been put in place by the government at different periods of t

A large mass of uneducated and undereducated would become part of the labour force over the next decade, adding to the potential of the mid-career education market. Neither the government nor the private sector seems to be gearing up for this opportunity.

Hypocrisy of the political leadership of all hues in Tamil Nadu is completely exposed if we focus on the refugee issue. There are presently over 1,20,000 Tamil refugees living in India. Of this, nearly 70,000 still live either in the hundred odd general (open) or the three special (closed) refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

India, currently the chair of IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa), is responsible for steering the agenda for trilateral collaboration. In its capacity as chair, it is incumbent upon India to revitalise the geopolitical group, which has been so central to the construct of "South-South Cooperation" that engages most political thinkers today.

As the International Court of Justice at The Hague moves forth with proceedings on the cases involving India and Pakistan, it is worth considering whether a decision in favour of the Republic of Marshall Islands would truly be the beginning of a new era.

The fallout of this election forefronts the fault lines in the Bengali identity whose syncretic political and cultural climate has now been marred by religious insecurities.

This brief collects and analyses current evidence in India regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of children (5-9 years) and adolescents (10-19). Using the ‘snowball retrieval’ strategy, the authors identified peer-reviewed studies, reports and government articles published between January 2020 and February 2021 that were relevant to the research question. The brief finds that not only are children and adolescent

Cyber war is a subject that is highly contested among strategists and experts. This brief assesses the impact of cyber operations against strategic targets and demonstrates that while cyber war is a real phenomenon, it is far from producing decisive outcomes. The cyberspace is a medium to conduct military operations and several countries have made investments in capabilities to both attack and defend against cyber-attacks. The brief evaluates the

The post-GST Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) Budget of 2018–19 was the first to contend with the abolition of octroi, which was previously its largest and most robust source of revenue. One year after the introduction of the General Services Tax (GST) by the central government, the MCGM has been forced to find new financing sources. While the state government of Maharashtra has assured that the loss of octroi will be compensated,

A roundtable discussion on the topic "The Impact of High Crude Oil Prices & Challenges in Pricing of Petroleum Products" was organised by Observer Research Foundation at New Delhi on August 14, 2006.

In the past few years, Sweden has been growing closer to NATO than ever, causing some to see Stockholm as very close to joining the Alliance.

As the Indian Army (IA) integrates new and emerging technologies, it will also need technical specialists for innovation and their effective application in peacetime and wartime. This analysis makes the case that the IA can create a technical reserve drawn from the Technical Entry Scheme (TES), Territorial Army (TA) and its Reserves, which can be merged to perform the missions and tasks of the IA. Any prospective technical reserve force that emer

As the global climate crisis intensifies, nations are becoming more hard-pressed to formulate responses that will be acceptable to all stakeholders. In an effort to understand India’s approach to addressing the challenges of climate change, this paper describes the natural circumstances that have historically shaped its responses. The paper also discusses the most crucial imperatives that have guided such actions and suggests that these

Transport activity in India has increased more than sevenfold over the last two decades, its gasoline-fuelled pathway leading to a rapid rise in negative environmental externalities. To decouple the sector’s growth from high emissions, policymakers are scaling up efforts to deploy cleaner fuels for the sector; in particular, liquid biofuels have received a significant push. However, while biofuels help lower emissions at the point of us

After PM Nawaz Sharief's visit to the US, now General Raheel Sharif will be visiting the country. Gen. Sharif has seemingly controlled terror emanating from FATA, has restored the image of the Army after the setbacks during the time of his predecessors Musharraf and Kayani. He runs a quasi-independent judicial system.

Right now, everyone around Putin is singing paeans to his sagacity. It is his ability to cut through the chaff, determine his priorities and then craft his policies fully cognizant of Russia's current limitations that will see him emerge as a universally acclaimed statesman. Authoritarian he may be, but there is no reason to doubt that he is up to this task.

As major powers like China are deepening their military ties with the Gulf, the need for India to look beyond the imperatives of energy and maritime security is critical to its interests in Oman and the wider Gulf region.

France is set to host the most important of climate conventions at the end of this year, one that will determine the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. This makes for an important area where India and France can cooperate.

As the Modi government brings in a renewed push to India's Look East policy with an "Act East" policy, Myanmar's geostrategic position becomes all the more important for India to put the necessary connectivity links with the country and the wider region.

Human capital is the wealth of nations and is dependent on health, nutrition, skills and knowledge of people. To produce and maintain a healthy, highly skilled workforce, India must make cost-effective investments to improve child health and nutrition

While much of the Indo-Russian relationship appears to be already existing ties, especially in the military-technical cooperation and hydrocarbon industry, trade and economic relations are faced with myriad challenges. It is time to diversify the trade basket to include technology, pharmaceuticals, etc.

It seems like the stakeholders in the U.S economic debate are tired with all the "economic pornography" - with all the apocalyptic warnings about debt ceilings, trade deficits, faltering housing recoveries and stubborn unemployment, and are waiting for externally created solutions.

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), known as India Stack, has not only had a profound impact on the country’s economy but also has potential significance for global economic integration. This brief elucidates how this framework has facilitated financial inclusion, spurred innovation, and propelled economic growth in India. It highlights the foundational role of the India Stack in transforming the country’s financial landscape, and

Over the years, India has attempted to find political as well as legal solutions to its border dispute with China; these efforts have met with little success. This paper argues that the reason a resolution to the India–China border issue remains elusive is the inadequate understanding—and enforcement—of International Law. It examines the sustainability of China’s position, as well as its general approach to International Law, its interpre

The ongoing India-China face-off in Eastern Ladakh may appear to be a small-scale confrontation between conventional forces. But it is still one between nuclear-armed states, and the threat of escalation cannot be denied. In its wake, India has carried out a series of missile tests, while China too has fired a number of ballistic missiles near the Paracel and Spratly Islands, apparently to warn the US, but hardly something New Delhi can ignore. T