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Decoding India’s Priorities at the SCO: Connectivity, Counterterrorism, and Afghanistan
Aug 09, 2023

Decoding India’s Priorities at the SCO: Connectivity, Counterterrorism, and Afghanistan

As an emerging power in the current multipolar global order, India can use the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to protect, promote, and project its geostrategic and geoeconomic interests. The SCO is also a platform for India to reaffirm its commitment to revive and deepen its centuries-old civilisational, spiritual, and cultural ties with other member countries. This paper explores India's priorities at the SCO, chiefly connectivity, coun

Decoding motives behind the Kudankulam intrusion
Nov 25, 2019

Decoding motives behind the Kudankulam intrusion

Was the cyber espionage an effort to access nuclear technology? Was it engineered by strategic rivals?

Decoding Romney's worldview
Aug 17, 2012

Decoding Romney's worldview

At this juncture of the US Presidential campaign, Mitt Romney's worldview seems to be defined, more than anything else, by the desire to sound different from President Obama. But foreign policy is still very much President Obama's turf, and Romney's recent foreign trip did nothing to change that.

Decoding Rural Revitalisation, Xi Jinping’s New Priority
Aug 16, 2023

Decoding Rural Revitalisation, Xi Jinping’s New Priority

As the world grapples with uncertainty in the post-COVID-19 era, China appears to be focusing on bolstering its rural economy. China claims to have brought nearly 100 million people out of poverty since 2012, but the regime feels that unbalanced development can jeopardise the gains of poverty alleviation. The widening economic gap could also foment unrest in the rural areas. Additionally, the government believes that the reliance on grain

Decoding the Afghan elections
Nov 16, 2013

Decoding the Afghan elections

We need to look beyond the Presidential vote in Afghanistan, scheduled for next April. These elections would not only test equations of military and political power as the NATO forces pull out but also the strength and possibility of deeper enduring facts of the Afghan reality.

Decoding the ban on irrational fixed-dose combination drugs in India
Nov 29, 2018

Decoding the ban on irrational fixed-dose combination drugs in India

In September this year, the Government of India banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 Fixed-Dose Combination drugs (FDCs) after a protracted legal battle with manufacturers. The ban followed a report by a Supreme Court-mandated experts’ panel that not only was there no therapeutic justification for the ingredients in these drugs, but they can in fact pose health risks. This paper argues that the move against “irrational” and

Decoding the Biden Administration’s Cyber Security Policy
Jan 15, 2024

Decoding the Biden Administration’s Cyber Security Policy

The Biden administration is seeking to establish a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy as part of its national security. This issue brief analyses the US’s cyber threat landscape and examines the Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy. It explores the strategy’s ideological, geopolitical, technological, and diplomatic significance in a rapidly shifting domain.

Decoding the ISISDecoding the ISIS
Jun 21, 2014

Decoding the ISISDecoding the ISIS

Extremists' groups like the ISIS have capitalised on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's ethno-sectarian politics. And, the resurgence of ethnic animosities has long-standing implications for Iraq and the West Asian region as a whole.

Decoding the Land Acquisition Bill
Aug 31, 2013

Decoding the Land Acquisition Bill

The new land acquisition bill has brought transparency in land acquisition. But by incorporating too many instruments and agencies to ensure the same, it instead risks making the process bureaucratic. Thus, the bill ends up replacing a coercive colonial law with a cumbersome one.

Decoding the Rafale controversy
Oct 16, 2018

Decoding the Rafale controversy

The opacity in the Rafale deal only raises doubts, with its fallout on national security and the 'Make in India' programme.

Decoding the rising Islamist threat in Bangladesh
Oct 27, 2021

Decoding the rising Islamist threat in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is known as a moderate Islamic country. There is a strong and committed secular section, but this is dwindling in numbers

Decoding what lies behind the terrorist attack in Punjab
Jul 28, 2015

Decoding what lies behind the terrorist attack in Punjab

Monday's terrorist attack on Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur district, the first major terror attack in Punjab since 2002, and that took the lives of 11 persons, is a puzzle. This could be a routine warning from the LeT to both the Indian and Pakistani governments against getting too close to each other.

Decoding what U.S. wants from India
Jan 20, 2015

Decoding what U.S. wants from India

Narendra Modi is viewing Obama's New Delhi visit on a longer perspective where he seeks to leverage the U.S. connection to attract technology and investment from the western world, as well as build ties to balance China.

Decolonising Aid: Moving Beyond International Aid Intermediaries
Mar 18, 2024

Decolonising Aid: Moving Beyond International Aid Intermediaries

The international aid system is in need of reform. Despite rhetoric about localisation, a meagre 1.2 percent of international humanitarian aid directly reaches local actors. Overall, there is a lack of transparency and awareness in international policy circles on how funds flow from the donor level to the field. This brief argues that the issue is not just about a lack of capacity on the part of local actors—a sweeping statement often used by W

Deconstructing China’s Interest in the Niger-Benin Rapprochement
May 28, 2024

Deconstructing China’s Interest in the Niger-Benin Rapprochement

Beijing’s motivations concerning the conflict resolution in Niger include a mix of economic, political and reputational drivers.

Deconstructing Pakistan's Command and Control ? Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Oct 13, 2014

Deconstructing Pakistan's Command and Control ? Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Development and production of tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) by Pakistan has increased the level of tensions in South Asia, though it has, in an attempt to ease global concerns over its development of TNWs, has assured that its top leadership will continue to have complete control over its TNWs if deployed.

Deconstructing the Economic Crisis: Imbalances still worrisome
Nov 23, 2010

Deconstructing the Economic Crisis: Imbalances still worrisome

Experts from India and Germany, including academics, practitioners and policymakers, took part in a day-long seminar titled "Deconstructing the Economic Crisis" organised jointly by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS), Berlin.

Deepen ties with Myanmar
Nov 16, 2012

Deepen ties with Myanmar

For both Myanmar and India, Suu Kyi's visit needs to be viewed as yet another important step towards strengthening relationship between the two neighbours. It will serve nobody's interest if the visit were to be seen as a political gain for a party at the cost of others in Myanmar.

Deepening crisis in US
Jan 06, 2021

Deepening crisis in US

The political health of the US is important not just for the country itself, but the world, given its outsize influence as the foremost economic and military power.

Deepening US-India maritime ties in focus with Navy Chief's visit
May 17, 2019

Deepening US-India maritime ties in focus with Navy Chief's visit

China’s naval push is leading India and the United States to do a lot more together, especially in the seas.

Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020: Imperatives for Further Reforms
Feb 04, 2021

Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020: Imperatives for Further Reforms

The Ministry of Defence released the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020) in September last year, in a move to further streamline the procurement process and provide a boost to indigenous arms manufacturing. This brief argues that measures articulated in the DAP—highly anticipated as it was—need to be complemented by additional reforms to create a robust procurement machinery that supports faster and cheaper acquisition as well as hi

Defence as offence: India's struggle with COVID-19
May 03, 2020

Defence as offence: India's struggle with COVID-19

With a very high population density, India has to prevent the virus from reaching vulnerable populations through a systematic approach.

Defence budget : Long-term strategy needed
Feb 16, 2006

Defence budget : Long-term strategy needed

The emergence of Bangladesh as the new hub of international Islamist terrorism, insurgency in Nepal and Maoist militancy across several states, add new challenges to national security threats that India traditionally tackles. Despite these, India's defence expenditure continues to decrease in real terms and as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year.

Defence Budget and its discontents
Jan 24, 2023

Defence Budget and its discontents

Allocations made for capital expenditure must increase if India is to keep pace with China's rising military might

Defence diplomacy
Feb 21, 2015

Defence diplomacy

China has discarded the traditional emphasis on criticising the arms control agreements promoted by the Western powers and focuses instead on securing Beijing's national interests by actively participating in international and regional military negotiations and shaping the international military norms.

Defence expenditure: Going beyond the Budget
Mar 20, 2013

Defence expenditure: Going beyond the Budget

Defence needs to be viewed as an integral part of national planning so as to comprehensively quantify the overall requirement to meet our legitimate security needs and strategic aspirations.

Defence indigenisation can’t happen overnight
Mar 09, 2023

Defence indigenisation can’t happen overnight

New Delhi realises it must be self-reliant in all significant areas relating to the military. Accordingly, it is working overtime to build its defence-industrial capacity, but it will not yield significant results for another two decades.

Defence Indigenisation: Progress and Perils
Mar 16, 2023

Defence Indigenisation: Progress and Perils

The long-term challenge for India is in ensuring deep and sustained investments in defence R&D and a defence industrial ecosystem that can, if not comprehensively, but for the most part, service the requirements of the Indian military.

Defence is important, but the economy must come first
Jun 11, 2014

Defence is important, but the economy must come first

There is need to re-prioritise the expensive items in the services' wish list in a manner that will not strain the economy, without necessarily increasing the vulnerability of the country.

Defence reforms get a fillip, but more needs to be done urgently
Jan 15, 2019

Defence reforms get a fillip, but more needs to be done urgently

At a time when advances in technology are revolutionising warfare, India is still debating the need to move towards leaner force structures. India needs to cut the flab on an urgent basis.

Defence sector needs drastic reforms
Jul 27, 2015

Defence sector needs drastic reforms

Resources are constraining the modernisation drives of India's three services. The government has not been able to check the growth of manpower in the Army and paramilitary forces. This has a direct repercussion on the modernisation plans of the military.

Defence Spending Trends in India
Mar 30, 2012

Defence Spending Trends in India

While allocations for the defence forces have been prioritized, the country's policymakers still grapple with the question: Despite spending billions, how strong is our Defence?

Defence, beyond action-reaction
Mar 31, 2011

Defence, beyond action-reaction

The defence component of the national budget accounts for 14% of central government expenditure, but gets less than 5% of media space. Virtually no discussion on the issue takes place in Parliament either. A call for increased resources for national defence usually goes out only when defence spending by Pakistan and China makes headlines.