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The outcome of India’s Kashmir bet could be profound
Dec 17, 2019

The outcome of India’s Kashmir bet could be profound

The altering of Kashmir’s special status poses risks, but it can also help consolidate our periphery

The Outer Space Treaty
Feb 24, 2021

The Outer Space Treaty

Overcoming Space Security Governance Challenges

The outliers who won the PM's post
Apr 16, 2014

The outliers who won the PM's post

If Narendra Modi becomes prime minister, he will join a select band of predecessors who can be called "outliers" - a scientific term used to describe phenomena which are outside the normal experience.

The outsourcing debate in the US elections
Aug 20, 2012

The outsourcing debate in the US elections

In the US presidential election, dominated by domestic issues and with little focus on foreign policy, outsourcing has emerged as a point of discussion. India is one of the top countries to which the US outsource work.

The overt Chinese message
May 26, 2020

The overt Chinese message

Aggression may be a warning to India to not join issue with US

The Pakistani army planning something against India
May 08, 2015

The Pakistani army planning something against India

It is not the first time that the Pakistan army has accused the R&AW of fomenting trouble in Pakistan. India should be cautious of what lies behind this seemingly sudden provocation. The Pakistan army prepares the ground for a major attack against India and its assets by raising the pitch of allegations to whip up public support at home. This has been the case in the past, including the Mumbai attacks of 2008.

The Pandemic at 24 Months: An Assessment
Aug 14, 2023

The Pandemic at 24 Months: An Assessment

Two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 14-24 million people have died worldwide due to the coronavirus or the chaos of lockdowns and other impacts. To a great extent, much of this current state of the world is due to human health being profoundly misunderstood and neglected in international relations and national politics. This brief discusses two principles that can help understand why this pandemic is not at an

The Paradox of ‘Centralised Federalism’: An Analysis of the Challenges to India’s Federal Design
Sep 17, 2020

The Paradox of ‘Centralised Federalism’: An Analysis of the Challenges to India’s Federal Design

The Indian model of federalism may be one of the most interesting typologies in the world, characterised as it is by a paradox, to begin with: that of being a “centralised federalism.” This paper provides a temporal framework in the discourse on Indian federalism by outlining the history of the country’s federal structure in four different time periods, from the birth of the Indian republic to these contemporary times. It shows how the prev

The paradox that Obama confronts
Apr 29, 2014

The paradox that Obama confronts

The big paradox that the US confronts is the need to confront China and Russia at the same time. Clearly, even the mighty US does not have the energy and resources to do that. Beijing is, of course, quite self-confident because it is locked into the western economies and is, in that sense, sanctions proof.

The paranoia over Ford Foundation
Apr 28, 2015

The paranoia over Ford Foundation

There is an irony in the government's crackdown on Ford Foundation that seems to have escaped most observers. In the 1960s, the principal critics of the Foundation were the Indian Left. Now, the government and critics of foundations and NGOs fail to realise one thing. Now we are a self-confident, resilient society with institutions that have gained considerable depth. We are also a transparent and open society.

The Pashtun awakening
Mar 06, 2018

The Pashtun awakening

Many commentators feel that there is new awakening among the Pashtun. The Pashtun Long March and the ten-day sit-in outside the Islamabad Press Club was meant to kindle that awakening.

The Pathos of Pakistan: With Article 370 gone, Pakistan loses its 'jugular vein' and its face
Aug 12, 2019

The Pathos of Pakistan: With Article 370 gone, Pakistan loses its 'jugular vein' and its face

Pakistan is cornered after India revoked Article 370. But it is still a time of great caution for India. We must watch the neighbour's moves, his begging bowl in one hand, dagger in the other.

The Pathway to Affordable Housing in Urban India: A Case Study of Mumbai
Apr 25, 2023

The Pathway to Affordable Housing in Urban India: A Case Study of Mumbai

The affordable housing challenge plagues cities across India. Although city administrations have framed various strategies to tackle the issue, weak implementation, flawed policies, and an inherent lack of capacity to find longterm solutions have allowed slums to proliferate as an alternative. This paper examines the affordable housing issue in Greater Mumbai. Since affordability is not absolute but relative to the development stage and income di

The Perils of Tech-Utopian Thinking
Mar 17, 2023

The Perils of Tech-Utopian Thinking

This brief explores some of the deeper, and more troubling, effects of the pervasive spread of the logic of technology on social, cultural, and political life. The author critiques the predominant tech-utopian perspective, which frames ever further and faster technological development as critical to continuing social progress, using Neil Postman’s concept of the ‘technopoly’. The brief uses as an example the influence of the logic o

The Persisting Indo-China Border Challenge
Dec 15, 2025

The Persisting Indo-China Border Challenge

Beijing’s recent posture is signalling that a buoyed China sees no reason to divorce its strategic posture from its economic one

The Phantom of RIC Trilateral
Sep 16, 2025

The Phantom of RIC Trilateral

Even in its current non-institutionalised form, the Russia-India-China trilateral is giving India a diplomatic leverage.

The PIE Index 2020-21: Measuring the Health of Primary and Secondary Education Systems in India
Jul 15, 2022

The PIE Index 2020-21: Measuring the Health of Primary and Secondary Education Systems in India

Education in India is compulsory and free for primary and middle school, yet about 20 percent of children aged 6-14 remain absent. Analysts offer various explanations for India’s continued challenges in ensuring universal basic education, including lack of access to schools and poor educational environment. In this context, an index measuring the health of the early education system can be a valuable tool. This paper devises a Performance, Infr

The pitfalls of NYAY
May 13, 2019

The pitfalls of NYAY

While NYAY is a great scheme on paper, it probably needs more consideration.

The PM-KISAN challenge
Feb 15, 2019

The PM-KISAN challenge

The top-down, rushed approach of the government in reaching out to farmers is likely to end in failure

The Policy and Operational Challenges in Formulating India’s New Foreign Trade Policy
Oct 07, 2021

The Policy and Operational Challenges in Formulating India’s New Foreign Trade Policy

In 2022, the Government of India is set to introduce the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) that will provide direction to the country's broader trade policy regime in the succeeding five years. This FTP will be more difficult to draft than the previous ones, for various reasons including the increased global pressure to address trade policy uncertainties, the need for alignment with the self-reliance mission, Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, and the tenu

The political context of Donald Trump’s India visit
Feb 11, 2020

The political context of Donald Trump’s India visit

Ahead of polls, he will seek to leverage the trip for political ends. India should stay focused on the wider agenda

The political pilgrim
Aug 02, 2014

The political pilgrim

Once Narendra Modi steps away from the minefield of Nepal's domestic discourse on the Hindu state, the Indian Prime Minister will find the shared Hindu and Buddhist heritage a solid foundation on which to build a new and lasting edifice of bilateral cooperation.

The politics of Balakot
Mar 20, 2019

The politics of Balakot

Notwithstanding Pakistan’s best efforts to steer the Pulwama narrative to its advantage, what should worry us is the political orchestration that has not ceased yet.

The politics of surgical strikes
Dec 12, 2018

The politics of surgical strikes

The hyped jingoistic ‘surgical’ action did nothing to deter Pakistani ‘misadventure’

The politics of vaccines
Apr 30, 2021

The politics of vaccines

Direct criticism for scarce or expensive vaccines at the government, not the private sector

The Politics of Water Governance in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin
Sep 14, 2023

The Politics of Water Governance in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin

Transboundary water politics in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin areaffected not only by inter-government relations between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh,but also by dynamics on different scales, including the hydropolitics between Indian stateswithin the basin. At the same time, the disputed issues, and the patterns of power dynamicsbetween actors, are similar in transboundary interactions in the basin as well as in inter-stateinteracti

The population paradox in India
Jan 31, 2025

The population paradox in India

India is growing in some states, declining in others – but rapidly ageing all over.

The populists march on
Dec 19, 2019

The populists march on

The simple fact is that there are no easy answer for progressives, whether in Europe, Asia or America.

The Potential Impact of Proposed Gavi Funding Cuts on Global Health Security
Apr 29, 2025

The Potential Impact of Proposed Gavi Funding Cuts on Global Health Security

The global health landscape is undergoing dramatic shifts, none of which are conducive to mitigating urgent health issues that affect large populations across the globe. In particular, the United States (US) will likely slash its multibillion-dollar contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the international public-private platform that seeks to increase access to vaccination in low- and middle-income countries. This brief outlines the potentia

The power triangle in the India-Pacific region
Jul 09, 2012

The power triangle in the India-Pacific region

Strategists in New Delhi would have to factor in that a two front confrontation with Pakistan and China cannot be ruled out. US response in this case is an uncertainty. We need to remember that in the ultimate analysis, China is the resident power and the US is a distant power.

The pragmatic idealism of Nehru
Nov 20, 2014

The pragmatic idealism of Nehru

It is easy to criticise Nehru today. His priority then, as it remains that of our country today, is to take poor Indians out of poverty and protect the country's territorial integrity. Given the circumstances, he did not do a bad job, and he did it without murdering millions as was done in China, or overturning democracy, as was the case in many countries of the time.

The private sector can help address India’s urban flooding woes
Oct 27, 2025

The private sector can help address India’s urban flooding woes

Urban centres that power India’s economy are now routinely drowning under their own weight — victims of poor planning and climate complacency

The problem in Af-Pak is Pak
Dec 14, 2009

The problem in Af-Pak is Pak

The real American dilemma is to find allies in Islamabad who reduce and not multiply anti Americanism

The problem is not Islam, but a civil war within the faith
Jan 12, 2015

The problem is not Islam, but a civil war within the faith

The terrorists may be an extreme minority, but they have successfully coerced the majority?or, to be more accurate, enthralled them?into sympathy for them. They have successfully also intimidated a large number of writers, artists, journalists, film-makers, many of whom live in exile.

The problem of Kachin
Jun 14, 2012

The problem of Kachin

The impact of the Kachin conflict should also be evaluated in terms of Myanmar?s ties with other nations, especially Japan ? a nation that is one of the principal aid providers and architects of Myanmar?s path to development.

The Problem With India’s Multiple Strategic Dalliances
Jun 01, 2022

The Problem With India’s Multiple Strategic Dalliances

Whether it is the Quad, BRICS or the SCO, India is the odd man out.

The problem with Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy is not ideology – but hubris and incompetence
Sep 24, 2018

The problem with Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy is not ideology – but hubris and incompetence

His party claimed to be different from the effete government led by the Congress and its foreign policy therefore needs to be held to a higher standard.

The problem with Teesta
Jun 18, 2014

The problem with Teesta

The Modi government needs to break from traditional, statist methods of conducting water diplomacy and distinguish itself by including the concerns of basin inhabitants on both sides to find a lasting solution to the Teesta issue.

The Process is Unwinding
Jul 12, 2005

The Process is Unwinding

It is time to conduct a reality check on the India-Pakistan peace process. In fact, there is a particular urgency for it. For, the peace process seems to have got hijacked by secessionist elements in Kashmir and Pakistan who never had any stakes in it.