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Drone or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology has become more accessible and affordable in recent years, and their increasing long-range capability, endurance, and applications, have made them integral for both civilian and military uses. At the same time, malicious elements such as criminal networks, drug smuggling syndicates and terrorist organisations, have exploited the technology to aid their activities. For India, the increase

The issue of migrant workers was one of the important topics for discussion when the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha visited Myanmar on his first official visit on 9-10 October.

Speaking at an interaction with visiting former diplomats from Pakistan, at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, on April 7, 2005, Vice Admiral (Retired) K.K. Nayyar called for a complete "U-turn" in the policies of both India and Pakistan for normalising relations between the two neighbours.

During the recent "5th India-Bangladesh Dialogue" organised in Delhi, there was consensus among all participants on the need for strengthening further cooperation on border management and counter terrorism in order of tackle threats which are common to both the countries.

This brief seeks to understand the importance of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiatives in the Bay of Bengal undertaken by the BIMSTEC countries individually, and the dynamics of their collaboration as a subregional forum. It opens with an analysis of the turbulent nature of the Bay of Bengal, because of which disaster management gains paramount importance for the littoral states. The aim is to understand the BIMSTEC countries’

Conflict between the two Asian giants will act as a drag on their rise.

The benefits of strengthening physical connectivity in a geographically contiguous region are increasingly being recognised. These links are expected to increase economic activity and people-to-people interaction, leading in turn to regional and sub-regional integration. In this backdrop, the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) signed among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal is expected to facilitate cross-border movement of vehicles, thereby reducing

The borders that divide countries into geographical entities also serve as channels of interconnection between the very same territories. Borders divide and connect, at the same time; they present both opportunities and challenges: How do sovereign nations realise the potential of cross-border engagement, while managing the various issues that arise out of opening up these borders? This is a challenge that is true for the BBIN countries —

Last week’s clash near Tawang is only the latest along the increasingly tense China-India border. A lack of clarity on where the border lies foments continued trouble.

Initiated in 1970, the FMR experienced a resurgence in 2016, finding a place within the broader Act East Policy of New Delhi.

India and Nepal have a long history of bilateral ties founded on connections of history, culture and religion, but their relationship is also beset by border conflicts. Although the two have managed to maintain their amiable relationship despite these differences, they both would benefit from finding a sustainable resolution. This brief highlights the efforts of both India and Nepal to resolve their border disputes. It recommends crucial

Neighbours India and Nepal, who share an open border, have not always had the most amicable of relations, oscillating from one extreme to the other. One of their long-standing disputes is over the border area of Kalapani. This discord has the potential to disrupt the other aspects of their ties, especially in the domains of the economy and cross-border security. Further, if the two countries fail to arrive at a resolution to the disagreement, it

The visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had put relations on a higher plane and the overall situation in Bangladesh had turned for the better in 2006

For New Delhi, the pressure from an unrelenting China is pushing India farther away — and leading it to deepen its security partnerships.

Unless India accelerates the pace of the physical border infrastructure build-up, New Delhi will face serious difficulties in any future confrontation with China.

Worse, by attacking the social fabric of the country, the Hindutva groups are laying the ground for greater insecurity in the future.

It is time that earnest efforts are made to fulfill the dream of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to make borders between India and her neighbours irrelevant. A good way could be periodic appraisal of the infrastructure and holding periodical meetings of border States from East, West and South.

China is now India's single largest trading partner and a big growing export market for Indian goods

At the release event of the report on India-Bangladesh Connectivity: Possibilities and Challenges, participants stressed the need for leveraging the positive political climate and emphasised pro-active role of state governments in cross-border connectivity.

Prime Minister Modi has succeeded in adding a new zest and meaning to India-China relations with the visit of the Chinese President. However, it is evident that the full potential in trade and other areas of cooperation would not be realised unless peace and tranquility is restored on the border.

While people in Pakistan have grave doubts whether the sectarian violence will end by engaging in symbolic visits like the one undertaken President Asif Ali Zardari, what is really clear is that the country is involved in a difficult battle to save its soul. This has become a major existential challenge.

The emphasis ever since Dr Manmohan Singh Govt came to power in 2004 has been on 'making borders irrelevant without redrawing them'. To ensure this, there has been a continuing stress on connecting India's border provinces with those of its neighbouring countries.

Kurdish militants in Syria seized a border crossing with Iraq from Islamist rebels linked to al-Qaeda which had held the crossing since March, according to activists and an Iraqi official.

Smugglers and security agencies face-off on the India-Bangladesh borders over illegal cattle trade

Myanmar's unsettled scores on the border front once again took an ugly turn when its border guards police exchanged crossfire with its Bangladesh counterpart for three days from 28 May. A Bangladesh border guard personnel was said to be killed.

The military preparedness and security benefits are critical in the North-east region given the long-standing border and territorial issues with China. The government could consider setting up a nodal agency such as a Strategic Border Infrastructure Board under the PMO to oversee projects on a periodic basis.

Just because China now seems to be in a hurry to move on the border issue should not be cause for New Delhi to reciprocate. We need to weigh the issues carefully and see what serves our interest the best. Anyway, we are not likely to see a final resolution of the border issue in a hurry

Kautilya said that the worst enemy is the enemy within. In Arthshastra, he stated, ¿Arrows may not kill a soldier but skillful intrigue can kill even those in the womb.¿

It is time that India seriously consider "outsourcing" some aspects of its foreign policy to its border provinces. Encouragement of deeper cooperation between border states in both India and Pakistan -especially the two Punjabs, the two Kashmirs, and Rajasthan (India) and Sind (Pakistan) -- could be a good beginning for bettering relations.

Despite the strategic significance of the corridor leading to Bomdila, Selapass, Tawang and Bumla Pass, the state of the road infrastructure is deplorable. Accessibility to food, proper sanitation, waste disposal and more importantly transport and logistics are some of the key concerns.

Bangladesh has to change its energy policy resulting from demand outstripping the current supply. The country believes in energy autarky with focus solely on use of indigenous resources. But frequent changes of regimes and policies by subsequent governments has only helped arrival of more international oil and gas companies in the Bangladesh market.

India should not fall for hyped up fears of nuclear escalation; Pakistan is a rational actor that understands the limitations of nuclear weapons

If only some way could be found to target the BATs specifically, then some kind of a deterrent pressure could be built. As of now, the poor jawans who get killed are merely collateral damage.

Practitioners dealing with national security see the subject of borders from a traditional viewpoint.

With tensions persisting on the Sino-Indian border, Delhi’s efforts to bolster its infrastructure in critical areas continues.

Indian authorities may now have the opportunity to directly access data stored on U.S. servers

India’s border dispute with China, which goes back to the 1950s, primarily owes to the absence of an internationally accepted boundary between them, and of an agreement on where runs the Line of Actual Control. The border, as a result, is patrolled and managed by the military forces of both sides. After initial efforts to resolve the dispute failed, the two sides signed a set of agreements aimed at stabilising the LAC and normalising their rela

Given the state of bilateral relations between India and China, New Delhi is doubling down on its efforts regarding strategic border infrastructure.