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Over the years, India has attempted to find political as well as legal solutions to its border dispute with China; these efforts have met with little success. This paper argues that the reason a resolution to the India–China border issue remains elusive is the inadequate understanding—and enforcement—of International Law. It examines the sustainability of China’s position, as well as its general approach to International Law, its interpre

India and China have quickened their rapprochement, driven less by trust, which remains scarce, than by necessity. In a multipolar world, permanent allies and lasting rivals are illusions.

There has been considerable spin from Islamabad as well as New Delhi regarding the results of the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr.Wen Jiabao, to the two countries. The fact that the Chinese have carefully refrained from joining this race for spin and

In the 1971 war against Pakistan, had Indian forces managed to push beyond Turtok and capture Thang, the subsequent Pakistani adventure in Kargil in 1999 or the threat to Siachen would have been infructuous.

The optics around the 2+2 Dialogue in Delhi are defining — the defence ties between the two countries have come of age

The India-US Dialogues, hosted by Observer Research Foundation and Network 18 on January 24 with panels ranging from security and international relations to business and economics, encapsulating the range of issues on everyone's minds.

Conventional wisdom and decades of research have lauded returning diaspora entrepreneurs as critical drivers of innovation in emerging economies. This paper reports a recent departure from this narrative in the Indian context. Drawing on a unique dataset of 596 Indian high-tech startups founded between 2016 and 2023, and a detailed analytical sample of 521 firms, the authors find that startups founded by purely domestic teams are more strongly as

In recent years, startups have been receiving increased attention in many parts of the world. In India, the number of startups has increased fast and more support has become available in all dimensions. This paper analyses the current state of the Indian startup ecosystem and has three goals: to provide an understanding of the growth drivers and motivations of Indian startup founders; identify challenges facing these startups; and outline the pil

As tensions between the US and China escalate, regional states in the Indo-Pacific do not have the luxury of time on their side.

The article has been authored by Premesha Saha, an associate fellow, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation.

The Indo-Pacific region is increasingly being viewed as a global centre of gravity, both for its economic and demographic potential, and the security challenges that could frustrate those possibilities. India—as a champion of the principle of ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ or FOIP—has initiated engagements with its partners in the region, such as the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) that aims to ensure the security and stability of the

New Delhi, having sent a tough message, will hopefully, be working along a coherent policy perspective. Relations with Pakistan are too important to be left hostage to knee-jerk reactions.

Pakistan's offensive against terrorists may have come just too late. Because today, violent Islamic extremism has spread across the country, and is not something that can be tackled by the army alone. But the tragedy of the killing of school children could be the opportunity for Pakistan to make that strategic shift away from using violent Islamic extremists against its neighbours.

Since the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001, in the USA, at least ten taped messages attributed to Osama bin Laden have been telecast by the Al Jazeera TV channel.

The excitement of the Board of Governor's meeting is over and the participants have not been slow to express their views at the outcome. The Iranians are defiant, the Americans triumphant, the Russians cautious, the Europeans smug, the Chinese inscrutable, the Arabs joyous at directing a new argument at Israel, the latter pleased over Iran's predicament yet angry over a dent in their nuclear ambiguity, and the Indians self-righteous.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces challenges to his power not only from receding American support but also from political rivals like the Sadrists and the al-Iraqiyya bloc, and the rise of Sunni insurgent groups like the Islamic State.

India need not be concerned over the Islamic narrative in the country which, in any case, has produced a remarkable quiescent Muslim community in an era of turmoil in the Islamic world. What the Union Home Ministry needs to worry about are the growing instances of communal violence in the country in the past year.

The sudden and spectacular rise of the ISIS as a rival to the Al Qaeda, their brutal efficiency and zeal have led to some analysts seeking more answers about their rise and generous financial and material support beyond that which has come from the Saudis, Qataris and Turks.

With a Muslim population of over 200 million, the third largest in the world next only to Indonesia and Pakistan, India was thought of by analysts to be fertile ground for the recruitment of foreign fighters for the Islamic State (IS). The country, however, has proven such analysts wrong by having only a handful of pro-IS cases so far. Of these cases, the majority have come from the southern state of Kerala. This paper offers an explanation for t

One must avoid an over-interpretation and an over-assessment of the suspected car bomb explosion outside the Australian Embassy at Jakarta on September 9,2004, which caused the death of nine persons and injuries to over a hundred others, most of them innocent civilians.

Despite all the developments, there is still a feeling that the potential of the bilateral partnership has not been fully tapped. For instance, the total annual volume of the bilateral trade is still about $18 billion.

In the run-up to the crucial Diet session, Japanese Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko has effected a cabinet reshuffle, bringing in key changes. But will it produce the desired results as the government needs the support of the LDP-New Komeito combination for parliamentary approval of its reforms?

The India-Pakistan peace process, punctuated with -uctuating waves of optimism and anxiety, has completed three years, and it is appropriate, and timely, to review whether the primary On April 22, 2003 the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told the Indian Parliament that India was unilaterally opening “the doors for talks” with Pakistan. The offer was based on two simple premises: one, that Pakistan would stop cross-border in

Irrespective of an Afghan- US security pact, India should prepare itself for a scenario where it may have to look after its interests by itself. Kabul and New Delhi should also be looking at developing an understanding through which India can directly and independently engage with Pashtun tribal elders, provincial governors and even regional warlords to protect its investments.

This brief examines the Kashmir conflict from the perspective of the young population who have grown up in tumultuous times in the Valley. It builds on findings of field surveys conducted by the author across the Kashmir Valley over the last two years, covering issues that remain unanswered three decades since the start of the insurgency. These topics include Kashmiriyat, the exodus of pandits, governance and administration, the post-2016 unrest

This paper dissects the history and politics of Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), from the 1980s to the present day. It analyses the policies implemented by Pakistani leaders in the region and how successive political parties have attempted to justify Pakistan’s administrative control of it while disregarding any democratic, secular or moral principles in the ruling of its supposed subjects. The pap

The terror attack in Pahalgam in April this year, followed by a military standoff with Pakistan, have highlighted a nascent anti-India nexus involving Islamabad, Ankara, and Baku. This emerging geopolitical alignment necessitates a re-evaluation of India's strategic imperatives through the lens of Kautilya's seminal work on statecraft, Arthashastra. This brief argues that India's commitment to security and prosperity (Yogakshema) demands recognis

There has been speculation galore regarding Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the Al Qaeda in Iraq, ever since the US Marines carried out a flushing-out operation to smoke out foreign terrorists allegedly operating from the Sunni stronghold of Qaim, which is located in a desert area where the Euphrates river crosses from Syria into Iraq.

Karachi, on an average, witnesses close to 800 killings per year, mainly the result of ethnic/political violence. This year, the city has been extremely violent. More than 800 people have lost their lives till the first week of August.

The King strikes,' headlined the New Indian Express" of Chennai its story on the coup staged by King Gyanendra of Nepal after sacking his own hand-picked stooge Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on February 1, 2005.

King Gyanendra of Nepal has dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and taken power into his own hands. This was not an altogether unexpected development, however unwelcome it might be to the democratic forces in Nepal or to the well-wishers of Nepali people in the rest of the world. By whatever name one may call it, it was a royal coup.

King Gyanedra¿s decision to give audience to the various political parties in early January 2004 preferred the ray of hope that the continuing political deadlock in Nepal might end soon.

Thailand appears to be heading for a royal change of guard at the very top. The widely revered and ailing 87-year-old king, Bhumibol Adulyadej or Rama IX of the Chakri dynasty, has not been seen in public for quite some time. Bhumibol is the world's longest serving monarch, having ascended the throne in 1946.

In West Asia, regional powers increasingly fear that the external dynamics of the regional political landscape coupled with the restive internal dynamics of Turkey, Syria and Iraq could potentially unify fractured Kurdish movements and destabilise the region at large.

Ukraine’s bold move is intended to impress Kyiv’s western arms patrons, which could pave the way for a settlement with Russia

Land acquisition remains at the centre of many controversies and public policy paralysis in India. There are very few public policy issues in India that rival land acquisition in terms of its complexity, challenges and significance to country's growth and transition to more urbanised and industrialised status.

The United Nations Security Council, the UN's most powerful body tasked to maintain international peace and security, is failing in its mandate. Its rigid institutional setting, the privileged status of core UN members, and the continuing lack of voice of many countries, have increased the risk of dramatic and systemic failures and shaken the legitimacy and centrality of the UN in the international system. This paper proposes a new solution in th

Of all the arguments for the US to continue in Afghanistan, despite an embarrassing catalogue of reverses, one most often advanced even by such distinguished strategic thinkers as Henry Kissinger is that American withdrawal,

Narendra Modi's emphasis on Vajpayee's foreign policy legacy is politically significant for a number of reasons. It has offered much-needed reassurance all around that India will not abandon its traditional nuclear restraint, continue to seek peace with neighbours and promote regional prosperity through the economic integration of the subcontinent.

The electorate in Bihar has very clearly told the BJP that they had elected the Modi government not to bring some version of Hindutva Raj, but to bring economic and governance changes that would enhance the quality of their economic and personal lives.

While it might be politically palatable to consider a purely Asia-Pacific strategic partnership to maintain stability in the region, this will be strategically short-sighted because no such partnership will have the military muscle or diplomatic heft to achieve its objectives.

The interesting thing is that almost all the current crop of leaders who enjoy connect with their people at the regional level are prime ministerial aspirants in 2014. Everyone is positioning himself or herself in subtle ways already.

The economic and social problems of the European Union (EU) have not been fully resolved since the euro zone crisis. This issue brief walks the reader through the genesis of the crisis, the reforms and the bailout packages implemented; discusses the adverse consequences of austerity and proposes alternatives; and ends with implications for India.

In the Robert Frost poem the narrator¿s neighbour tells him ¿good fences make good neighbours,¿ but he asks, ¿Before I built a wall I'd ask to know/What I was walling in or walling out.¿ However, in the case of the barbed wire fence that has been constructed on the Line of Control (LoC) by the Indian army, no one appears to have asked this question.