3059 results found
Cooperation with like-minded countries gives India more space to emerge as a key regional interlocutor
The techno-political needle has shifted the focus to people. Safety and risks matter, but what has been made clear in India’s approach is that these are not all
Biotechnology is a critical and emerging technology with wide-ranging applications in human medicine, biodefence, nutrition, and the use of bio-based materials. This positions it as a key driver of geopolitical influence and a pillar of global health security, where innovations shape disease surveillance and enable the development of medical countermeasures. Recognising biotechnology as an upcoming frontier in technology competition, the Quad cou
The ASEAN’s intent to be in the driving seat is clear as it seeks to manage the emerging regional order with policy moves
After a decade, officials from India, Japan, Australia and the United States convened in Manila in November 2017 to renew their quadrilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. While the agenda of the quad is still unknown, this paper presents a political-military strategy for the grouping directed at shaping Chinese behaviour in the region. Viewing strategy through the ends-means-ways lens, the paper describes key objectives of dissuasion, deterre
Defence cooperation is the dominant component of the India-US bilateral relationship. India seeks to leverage this aspect in the Indo-Pacific to diversify the scope of nascent plurilaterals, integrate with US frameworks to expand cooperation with regional nations, and consolidate its position as the preeminent partner for extra-regional players. This brief recommends that India take advantage of ongoing development initiatives with the US and ide
The Indo-Pacific region is experiencing profound geo-strategic re-alignments. Post-war norms are being challenged by a rising China that is unconstrained by the established legal, economic and diplomatic order. These changes come at a time of growing uncertainty over US commitments to both its regional allies and a liberal international trade regime. In the absence of American leadership, the only formidable and practical alternative is the emerg
The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is one of the most vibrant, distinct, intricate mountain systems in the world. An estimated 210 million people live within these mountain systems, and some 1.3 billion people who live downstream of the HKH rely on the freshwater obtained directly or indirectly from the rivers and tributaries of the region. Recent data shows that significant areas of glaciers in the HKH region are retreating at an alarming rat
While Russia has been very careful of not antagonising China, which has emerged as Moscow's second largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific, Beijing is uncomfortable by the nature of Moscow's involvement in Hanoi.
Shoba Suri and Subhasree Ray, Seas of Sustenance: Navigating ‘Blue Food’ for Indo-Pacific Food Security, June 2024, Observer Research Foundation.
Countries such as India and Australia are redefining their Indo-Pacific policies amidst the growing belligerence of China in the region. The two have a common interest in stability, while standing firmly against any militarisation. Their willingness to partner closely with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific lays the foundation for stronger defence and security cooperation between the two middle-power democracies and Indian Ocean li
In the pushback against China, strategic cooperation between India, Italy and Japan can ensure a free Indo-Pacific
India and South Korea stand as important middle powers whose influence in the Indo-Pacific region is expanding in their own ways. At the same time, their bilateral partnership today has even bigger potential to serve as a stabilising factor amid shifting regional geopolitical equations. The current year—the 50th since the two countries established formal diplomatic ties—is an opportune moment for harnessing their converging interests. This br
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's engagement with Asia is primarily aimed at completing two specific national projects, while at the same time positioning India at the helm of global affairs.
Shared concerns over China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific are pushing Japan and the Philippines to foster a strategic partnership, particularly in the maritime domain. This brief examines the evolving dynamics of the Tokyo-Manila strategic relationship in the context of a tenuous Indo-Pacific. It traces the evolution of Japan’s defence engagement from post-Second World War pacifism to taking on a more proactive regional security
At the heart of Italy’s Indo-Pacific vision lies the understanding of this region as the neighbourhood of its strategic Mediterranean Sea.
When India liberalised its economy more than 25 years ago, many believed that the end of the ‘licence raj’ would reduce, if not eliminate, private and political corruption. However, this change did not occur, and corruption continues to haunt and define India’s political landscape.
Taiwan is an important test case for both the United States and China
This brief looks at the growing strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal within the emerging and increasingly contested geography of the Indo-Pacific. In three parts, the brief outlines the historic evolution of the littoral, examines the implications of its strategic location at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, and ponders the unfolding challenges to regionalism in the Bay of Bengal. It concludes with a call on India to intensify its efforts to
Over the past year, the European Union (EU) increased its efforts to develop a more holistic approach to its engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, the EU has signalled a more concrete intention to integrate defence and security considerations into the policymaking process, with the publication of a regional strategy of engagement in September 2021. This brief aims to tie existing threads of EU diplomatic, developmental, and security pra
Agriculture is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, even as it feeds the 8-billion global population. Around 75 percent of farms, globally, are family-owned and under 2 hectares; together they produce a third of the world’s food. These smallholder farms produce 15-percent lower emissions per hectare than a large farm. Yet, smallholders bear the brunt of climate change, which threatens their livelihood. Big agribusinesses, meanwhile,
China’s external economic engagement in smart city development under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its digital sub-initiative, Digital Silk Road (DSR), is reshaping the geo-economic and geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific. Between 2017 and 2023, Chinese state and private companies invested, loaned, or contracted over US$22 billion in digital infrastructure under the DSR framework, spanning telecommunications, artificial intellig
The Digital Silk Road (DSR), part of the Belt and Road Initiative, symbolises China’s approach to expanding information exchanges and digital cooperation with emerging markets and developing economies. Under the DSR, several private corporations and state-owned enterprises supported by Chinese state banks are offering inexpensive technological contracts and rapidly building digital infrastructure projects. This brief examines the operationalisa
