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The state of Manipur has been steeped in violent conflicts between ethnic groups for decades. The latest, ongoing strife between the Kukis and the Meiteis that erupted in early May has exposed the failure of state forces to contain the violence, even as it reflects the deep-rooted hostility between the two ethnic groups. This brief attempts to engage with the multifaceted, historical ethnic conflict between the Kukis and the Meiteis of Manipur. I

The world is undergoing a process that some have called “covidisation”, or the unravelling of the manifold, far-reaching medical, economic, and social impacts of a global health emergency.[1] There is no dearth of analyses of the many health and economic dimensions of this first massive global civil emergency of the 21st century.[2] This brief examines the social aspect of the pandemic through two perspectives:  one is that of a repr

It is commendable that the prime minister has raised the issue of black money at an international level. The solution, however, lies in following up on commitment for 'more governance and less government' by implementing networked and integrated digital solutions.

Even though the territorial disputes in the South China Sea is nothing new, the recent confrontations among China, the Philippines, and Vietnam have sparked global concerns. It is being feared that the region is becoming a new flashpoint with serious security consequences.

Corruption is a subject of intense debate, discussion and guesswork in India. Even as estimates have been made about the extent of corruption in India, the real magnitude might be far bigger than all the reports have suggested so far. This brief discusses the current state of corruption in India and recommends measures and policy reforms. Data used in the brief are from both primary sources such as the income-tax department, as well as media repo

Pulses are the cheapest source of protein for Indians – and thus a favoured food item nationwide. The Indian pulses sector, however, faces numerous challenges. Scrutiny of the sector increased sharply after price fluctuations in 2015-16 and the increase in import of pulses. Government interventions, as part of the anticipated supply response to the shortfall in availability of pulses, did not entirely mitigate the problem. The sector stands at

Prime Minister Modi's moves on the social sector insurance policy for the poor stand out as an outstanding achievement. But in all other sectors much needs to be done and assessments on the government's performance are divided.

Tunisia, Eygpt, Syria?events may seem to be following a pattern but the changing dynamics in West Asia point to far more complex political and strategic games being played: The US role, Saudi phobia, Israeli and Iranian intrigues. Oil. And, to top it all, the Shia-Sunni face-off. Is Turkey being lured in as a possible Joker in the pack? Welcome to another Great Game.

The real story for strong India-Australia relations lies beyond uranium. With one of the world's strongest mining sectors, Australia can help India exploit its own natural resources in an environmentally sustainable way and thereby address one of the major current constraints on India's economic growth.

Grouped under key issues, the just released publication titled 'The Strategic Rationale for Deeper U.S- Indian Economic Ties' by Dr Ashley Tellis and Dr C. Raja Mohan examines the strategic rationale for expanding U.S-Indian economic integration.

With Erdoğan set to change the nature of the Turkish republic, his political style could exacerbate its problems

Antony has done India a huge favour by absorbing pressure from different lobbies and allowing IAF to select the best possible fighter aircraft.

Ever since I returned from Kabul, I am frequently asked by friends: when are the Americans leaving? When I say, "I don't know", I am dismissed like someone who has wasted his time in Afghanistan and returned without finding an answer to a universal query.

This brief analyses the alignment between India’s development partnerships since Independence, and sustainability goals. It conducts the examination using three phases of India’s development partnerships—i.e., Phase 1, 1947-1990; Phase 2, 1991-2008; and Phase 3, post-2008—and finds that the country’s development cooperation agenda has historically incorporated objectives of sustainable growth. This pattern would continue throughout the

As Myanmar's general elections draws nearer and at a time when China's relations with Myanmar's military-backed government comes under increasing strains in recent months, Beijing seems to be stepping up its multiple-engagement strategy with key political actors to prepare itself for any eventuality post-elections.

Politicians and diplomats usually move on when an infinitely sad event eventually settles in the private domain. But that should not happen in the case of the tragic death of Maniappan Raman Kutty near Kandahar in Afghanistan last week at the hands of the Taliban.

The technology revolution of the 20th century minimised the importance of geographical, economic, social and political barriers and reduced transaction and information costs thus boosting productivity and growth, making governance more transparent and empowering the citizen. It propelled not only democracy, but also the market economy. Its impact on social relations, especially on gender relations, was significant, with the commodification of lab

With newer forms of identities taking over the older ones and parochialism and regional chauvinism becoming the new lingo of identity in the age of Twitter and Facebook, time is now ripe for a serious debate on reorganisation of States in India. The country can no longer afford to postpone this serious public policy issue.

Participants at a panel discussion on "The Changing Face of National Security Work - The Threat and Opportunity of Data" reiterated the importance of striking a balance: between civil liberties and national security, between sovereignty and international cooperation and between individual convenience and protection.

The three B's of Brahmaputra, reverberating the essential constituents of this River system, needs to be evaluated to understand the intricacy of the emerging situations.

In the short term, it appears Libya will be divided between East and West. The world, including the Arab public and 20 million Muslims in Europe, will see the partitioning of the country for what it is: not to stop the "slaughter" of the innocents but for Libya's light crude for which European refineries are specially geared.

The ¿injured innocence¿ in Prabhakaran¿s annual ¿Heroes¿ Day¿ address notwithstanding, the first major LTTE reaction to the ¿southern developments¿ following its counter-proposals to the Sri Lankan peace process has been on expected lines. While swearing by the peace process, Prabhakaran has once again hinted at the possibility of the LTTE going on the separatist route, and to war, if left with no other choice.

The Mehdi Masroor Biswas case has exposed our intelligence preparedness to fight cyber terrorism. Our intelligence agencies were not able to identify the owner of @shamiwitness Twitter account because of a spoofed IP address. Laughable, if it were not a matter of national security.

Given that Pakistan has close ties with North Korea, it may not be difficult to visualise that the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile technology may well find its way into Pakistan. Such an introduction would seriously affect the delicate strategic balance of South Asia and start another round of arms/ missile race.

India needs governments that uphold the law and recognise that it also applies to them

While "guns are as American as covered wagons and the infield-fly rule", unless there are sensible gun control measures, the tragedy of Tucson won't be the last of its kind.

More than ever before, the United States needs the continued support of the European Union (EU) in defence and security matters, especially in the war against terrorism. A draft security strategy prepared in June 2003 by Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for the Common Security and Foreign Policy (CFSP) delineated the threats to security in Europe; international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and failed states.

In Lima and Paris, the global community must ensure that obsession with the legal nature of the post-Kyoto agreement does not detract from achieving what is eminently possible. The next year will in any case determine whether or not climate multilateralism will work.

Past debates on waiving certain sections of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) have centred on issues such as development and technology transfers. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more urgency to such discussions, prompting India and South Africa to table a waiver proposal in October 2020. This brief discusses the evolution of the TRIPS Agreement and the link between the a

China has been making massive investments to create a huge pool of AI experts. The Chinese government wants to overtake the United States and be the global leader in the field by 2030.

Is the R&AW or any other intelligence service infallible? The answer is no. Is the R&AW competent? The answer is yes. Does it need continuous reform and upgrading? Of course, yes.

Sri Lanka has suffered the most human fatalities (30,000 plus) and infrastructure and other property damage after Indonesia in the catastrophic Tsunami disaster of December, 26, 2004.

Some security aspects of the widespread tragedy caused by the Tsunami of December 26, 2004, have not received the attention they deserve.

According to the Tsunami Laboratory at Novosibirsk in Siberia, there were 796 tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean region during the last century. Of these, only 117 caused human casualties and property damage. In the case of a majority of them, the human casualties and the property damage were near the source of the tsunami only.

Iranians take their soccer seriously. Iran's victory over Bahrain last week in the World Cup qualifier resulted in an outburst of rejoicing rarely seen in Teheran. Men and women (some without head scarves) danced on the streets and tore up posters of candidates in the June 17 presidential elections. The police did not interfere. Credible foreign observers have not confirmed reports of police brutality carried by some opposition news channels in t

In order to achieve the SDGs, it is time to re-evaluate the global patents regime. India and other developing countries need to explore policies and practices for creating a culture and system that encourages innovation.

Digital technologies have the potential to annihilate the rich sources of oral history. It is time that we stopped looking at digital technology with rose-tinted glasses

Realpolitik may have trumped the Biden administration’s rather vocal positions on principles in the region

While the opposition and his coalition partners will keep Imran Khan in check, Pakistan’s Army will call the shots

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to be complimented for her candour. Her press conference in Moscow with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov unavoidably focussed on Iran's nuclear plans and Mr. Lavrov said Iran had the right under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to the nuclear fuel cycle. Dr. Rice said, "this is not a question of rights but whether or not the fuel cycle can be trusted in Iran."

Until the early 1990s, India’s urban local bodies (ULBs) were under the complete control of the states, having little functional, financial and administrative autonomy. The 74th Amendment Act of 1992 sought to make ULBs self-governing institutions. Many salutary provisions were made in the Act and there have been certain positive outcomes since it came into effect in April 1993. However, many key issues have remained unresolved and at present,

In 2011, the government set up a task force to examine the processes and procedures related to national security in India and come up with recommendations to fix the problems and plug any gaps that emerged. The panel, chaired by former Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra, submitted its report to the Prime Minister. Now the bureaucratic grapevine suggests that the report may soon meet the fate of other similar endeavours: getting shelved.

Speaking recently in New Delhi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the Government was committed to modernise the armed forces, but "that there is a need to exercise financial prudence and optimise all available resources".

Post-India's surgical strikes in aftermath of Uri attack more questions than answers for Pakistan's ruling establishment?

On the surface, the two-day summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama seems to be yet another step signalling that the world is headed towards a bipolar polity dominated by the US and China. But a deeper analysis will show that it is part of a more subtle effort by the US to protect its global dominance, which from the Indian point of view may not be such a bad thing.

Opinion polls could be misleading and the pandemic’s impact difficult to assess; the cyclical shift in politics is unsure