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Admitting that the government's 'Make in India' initiative will result in increase in carbon emissions as it focuses on manufacturing, and industries, India's Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javedkar emphasises the need for developing countries to get cheaper access to green technology on humanitarian grounds, notwithstanding Intellectual Property Rights.

India's decision to allow corporates to borrow yuan denominated loans is guided by many factors. There is a big demand for Yuan loans from companies who are importing equipment and machinery from China for infrastructure development.

Why does Manipur continue to be on fire? Civil and human rights activists, social scientists and even the media would have you believe that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) is primarily responsible for this. Is that so? Why is this act necessary? What does it imply?

Bangladesh offers a rare strategic opportunity to transform the geopolitics of the subcontinent. A comprehensive partnership with Dhaka might be the key that will eventually open the door to a productive engagement with Pakistan.

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.

A select group of urban sector professionals in the government and the civil society acknowledge that the problems of inequity observed in almost all Indian towns and cities could be overcome by adopting a balanced and participatory approach to urban development.

While the state of defence cooperation between India and Russia could be described as "healthy and robust", there are some underwater reefs the two sides should carefully steer past.

Aero India 2011 raises a few issues for future debates. Should aerospace modernisation be a national priority as India enhances its hard power? An affirmative answer validates the significance of Aero India. But, such fundamental issues need to be debated beyond the confines of the government.

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.

The voluminous participation by the Afghans in the elections, in which all major candidates asserted their desire to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement with the US, does not bode well for the Taliban, which describes signing of the BSA as "a huge crime".

Cautioning that the security situation in Afghanistan may become complicated in future, Chinese scholars said since both India and China have interests in that country, it could provide an opportunity for both to play a bigger role, setting aside the disagreements regarding Pakistan.

Delhi must not forget that the tyranny of geography limits India's role in Afghanistan. Delhi is in no position to compete with Rawalpindi in Afghanistan. Nor can it dream of replacing US military power across the Durand Line. For now, Delhi must welcome the current dialogue between Kabul and Rawalpindi.

Comparing Afghanistan and the rest of the world, Farkhunda Zarah Naderi, Member of the Afghan National Assembly, said that while the world is looking forward to achieve the status quo, Afghans are still fighting for their primary rights, be it women's, cultural or ethical.

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

After months of painstaking deliberations, Afghanistan's draft Constitution was finally made public on November 3, 2003. However, the road to the final document would in all probability prove to be a daunting process as the formation of the draft was, and might end up being an inconclusive battle for supremacy between the liberals in charge of the country at present and the radicals who once called the shots.

Nearly ten years in Afghanistan and not a solution is sight makes for sad commentary for the ability of the US to solve its security problems or to force a solution on other regions. The year of reckoning may have been postponed from 2011 to 2014.

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 US is unlikely to withdraw from Afghanistan, and the unstated reason for its prolonged stay in the area is to ensure the stability of nuclear Pakistan.

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.

Nawaz Sharief's election for an unprecedented third time as Pakistan's prime minister has been welcomed by the Afghan government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulating Sharief called upon the new Pakistani government to enhance cooperation in order to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan.

As foreign troops begin to leave Afghanistan, criticism of the international coalition's handling of the war has been pouring in from all corners. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center for People and Press showed that a majority of the public does not think the US has achieved its goals in Afghanistan.

The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and there is an overall sense of anxiety about a possible economic collapse and a Taliban takeover. The role of Pakistan and China will add to India's challenging task to ensure stability in Afghanistan in the next few years.

The year 2014 is, in many ways, the year of reckoning for Afghanistan which is undergoing three simultaneous transitions - security, political and economic. Unlike the first two, the economic transition has not had the advantage of clear deadlines and roadmaps and has suffered from lack of long term planning.

Amidst claims by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) that the auditing process is in its final stages, there was hope that the presidential elections will be concluded sooner rather than later.

The registration process for the Afghan presidential elections came to a close last week. As many as 27 candidates have filed nomination and the vetting process, by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC),

The Indian Consulate in Jalalabad was the target of a suicide attack on August 3. The attack, though did not harm the consulate or any Indian personnel, resulted in the death of 9 bystanders.

New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fulfilled his promise of signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the U.S. and Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the NATO within 24 hours of taking office.

Much has already been written about both the drawdown of US troops from the region, and the recent Iranian nuclear deal and the possible impact it could have on Iran-US relations.

A decade after the 'Twin Towers' came crashing down in New York, the US has given its blessings for the Taliban to open its political office in the distant West Asian State of Qatar.

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

The confirmations about the death of Mullah Omar, who is said to have died in 2013, may not have taken many by surprise. His absence from the public domain for years led to various theories about his possible whereabouts.

Though there is a need for a neutral Afghanistan, the prevailing geopolitics of South Asia and the domestic politics of Afghanistan make the 'Congress of Vienna' model and a neutral Afghanistan too utopian a dream to be achieved anytime soon.

The situation in Afghanistan is grim. There is a tendency to confuse random acts of violence with the instability caused by the the Taliban or the neo-Taliban. An analysis of the violent incidents in Afghanistan in the past few years has revealed that more than two-thirds of the violence has been related to land, resources or power-politics, pointing towards unequal sharing of power at the sub-national level. A round-table discussion on Afghanis

The killing of a former Taliban minister, Mullah Abdul Raqeeb, has raised questions about the involvement of the Pakistan establishment in the peace process and a possible rift within the ranks of the militant movement.

For the first time, Taliban and Government representatives met publicly on June 27 in Japan, signalling another round of parleys between the belligerents to find a negotiated end to the insurgency.

As the US pulls out its troops from Afghanistan, all eyes are set on the potential role China can play in the region. China has shown signs of stepping up its engagement with Afghanistan since the formation of the new government in Kabul in September 2014.

The 13th century Italian theologian and philosopher, Saint Thomas Aquinas, said that in order for a war to be just, the three things needed would be the "authority of the sovereign," a "just cause," and a "rightful intention." By that moral compass, the war in Afghanistan could probably be on its way to becoming one-third "just."

The recent developments in the Afghan reconciliation process have evoked a new sense of optimism regarding a peaceful solution to the conflict in the country. First, there was the release of 26 prisoners, in batches, by Pakistan and then the two-day talks in Paris,

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.

The US position on Afghanistan has many weaknesses. Having announced prematurely that the US would withdraw in 2011, efforts at backtracking have only meant that the locals and their Pakistani masters believe that it is a matter of time before the US and NATO will leave.

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 people of Afghanistan have not forgotten what the Taliban did to them and their country when they ruled Afghanistan with Pakistan's political and military support. The Taliban are not popular in Afghanistan.

The possibility of, and debate about, a 'zero option' for American troop presence, or absence, in Afghanistan post-2014 has surfaced once again. According to The New York Times, the US administration has not ruled out the possibility of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan come 2014.