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Getting Pakistan to end the Kashmir conflict has been a difficult task, because Kashmir means many things to them. At one level, it is a cause that unites everyone in that country - the jihadis, the army and the civilian elite. At another, it provides it a means to maintain a hostile posture towards India, something necessary for its current sense of national identity.

With tectonic and technological challenges causing disruptions, the neat correlation of a big economy with big power that bears big responsibilities is under scrutiny.

In the coming Pakistan elections, the PPP cannot be written off because it has substantial pockets of support across various provinces. But it deserves some sympathy. Asif Zardari has not had an easy time with the media which had deemed him corrupt from day one or the judiciary and the military which have foiled all his efforts to come up with bold policies.

Modi has been ambivalent about the Lokpal, believing, presumably, that a revitalised administration will make this institution redundant. If so, he is wrong. At some point, he will have to take up the fight directly. This is the lesson we can learn from Xi Jinping. From the outset, Xi has been involved in a struggle against corruption.

Indian counter-terror thinking needs strengthening from the ground up without care of international levers, FATF, and other multilateral security mechanisms

In a municipality of 55 members in Dhule, 16 are Muslims, affiliated to all the mainstream parties in Mumbai. These councillors are virtual middlemen for state leaders, in whose electoral interest they try to keep the local flock.

Compared to the increasing suicide attacks the world over, India has, by and large, remained safe from these assaults. The reason is that Indian Muslims have a strong sense of Indian identity. In both their grievances and aspirations they think like their fellow Indian citizens, rather through any religious or sectarian prism.

With his killing, the US has entered an area of unknowns. Iran cannot be underestimated

The US cannot be seen to be losing the war in a re-election year, and so the US withdrawal needs repackaging as a peace process for Afghanistan. The problem is that nobody really knows what the Taliban wants and reconciling an emirate — and Shariat-based system with the existing constitution — is not easy.

Against the contemporary background of strong systemic shocks to the global economy, the Group of Twenty (G20) must address the stagnation in developmental priorities and spur economic growth. As the current steward of the rotating presidency within the G20, India has acquired a unique podium to spearhead discussions on pivotal global challenges.

Hasina’s victory will likely put Delhi-Dhaka relations under more scrutiny -with the West expecting India to be vocal about the state of democracy in Bangladesh

Japan knows India is the best possible regional counter-weight to a rising China. At the same time, it has to work with China to counter global uncertainties.

As India, China, US and the European Union grapple with the need for equitable and meaningful climate action, strategies are also needed to address the differing needs and capabilities of the sub-national entities that make up these big players.

India, in the new report, falls squarely in the “opportunity” category, rather than in that of “threats” or even “competition” for the US.

In India, the office of the foreign minister doesn't command nearly the sort of authority it should, or it did in the past. While foreign policy in other countries is influenced by domestic politics, in India it's being completely overshadowed by intra-party and intra-government feuds.

Prof Eiichi Katahara and Prof Marie Izuyama, two distinguished scholars from the National Institute for Defence Studies, Tokyo visited ORF on 11 March 2008 to initiate a seminar which was largely attended by scholars, journalists, diplomats, etc.

Settle the border with India. With increasing US pressure, it is in China’s interest.

Though Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani described his Mohali discussions with Dr. Manmohan Singh as a win-win situation, the Pakistan foreign office spokesperson, Tehmina Janjua, described the situation as one of guarded optimism. So what are the ground realities in this exchange? asks Mr. T.V. Rajeswar.

Eminent Nepalese journalist Mr. Yubaraj Ghimire visited ORF and shared his insights on the situation in Nepal.

A Budget is an imperative or otherwise a government will drift aimlessly, though that often seems to be the case even with the most minutely specific Budget. Having said that, one must wonder why there is such a fuss each year when the Finance Minister of India is about to present the Budget?

The MH370 incident has occurred very close to our Tri-service Command at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which has three radar stations. Regardless of whether or not MH370 actually flew over or close to the Command, it would doubtless be useful to learn lessons from this and that switching off radars at night is a dangerous way to economise.

The state’s monopoly of violence is accepted only if it follows the rule of law; if it doesn’t, it justifies the breaking of its monopoly by individuals, mobs and insurgents.

While the impetus for closer alignment is clear, much work remains to be done on the security side and within the wider bilateral relationship.

In the urban-rural stereotyping, the phrase 'city girls' epitomises the impact of urban excesses on the apparent modesty and traditional aspect of femininity. City girls are assumed to be loud, to say the least, and of 'morally inappropriate character' on the extreme. Even within cities, this dilemma of how girls in cities ought to behave persists.

The poem, one of numerous written in that period, expresses admiration for the spell Nehru had cast by his deft navigation of foreign policy between the two blocs not for India alone but a whole group.

In the earthquake tragedy, India and Pakistan have a rare opportunity to forget past differences and bitterness, at least some of it to begin with, and forge a partnership of peace and development. Both the countries should shed past inhibitions and acrimony, and look for fresh opportunities to work together for a common cause: to rebuild Kashmir.

If we do not stand up and reclaim the space we have conceded to criminals and other low-life who now sit in judgment over us, it will be our children who will pay the price in the coming years

A final draft resolution at the United Nations, passed in July 2014, has focused on the UN General Assembly's review process of World Summit on the Information Society outcomes implementation.

For all its flaws, liberalism still has a future—it just may look different from what we are used to.

Everybody agrees that these weapons are enormously destructive and should not be used but the ministers ''personal opinion" has just outdone everything

This will be PM's fifth and shortest bilateral visit to the US since he took office.

India's relations with China and Pakistan are unlikely to see any major strategic change in the years ahead. It is imperative for India to think afresh without losing old friends especially at a time of international flux. A US-Japan-India partnership in the 21st century would need to be worked out.

The Government of Myanmar, in the past few weeks, has played host to a number of high-ranking foreign officials. These include the likes of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The construction of the India-US strategic partnership in the 2000s was an entirely unexpected political bonus. Making it work now is an absolute necessity for both Delhi and Washington as they struggle to cope with a challenging environment at home and abroad.

Antony figured the French were more likely to part with critical technologies needed to enhance India's defence aviation sector than any other country

The United States is willing to listen and learn, India is willing to talk about its domestic evolution. The relationship has matured

The Democratic election nomination tussle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is going through an exciting time as Sanders' far-left economic agenda is increasingly becoming more appealing to the party's base.

With more nations building their nuclear arsenal, the Indo-Pacific is becoming a high-risk place.

Now that the mood and methods have set in for three Provincial Council polls, the results would determine if the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa would want to go ahead with the process in five others before holding the first-ever elections.

The civil society outfits need to remind themselves that the discredited polity that they have sought to replace have their own uses, roles and responsibilities - which the former cannot shoulder unless they themselves convert to being one.

The gentle Arab spring is a long way behind the region which has entered a phase of unprecedented turbulence, conflict and worse. In Libya, some European leaders are about to eat crow, not the best dish in Ramadan.

A closer look at what the recently released US Missile Defense Review means for New Delhi.

One of the great tragedies of our time is the near total decline in the credibility of the Western media. There are some exceptions but only some.

Using disinvestment proceeds to inject public finance into private companies is a great idea.