Search

Looking into the future, several challenges seem to be emerging in the Mediterranean that threaten the security of Cyprus.

By investing now to build a green, resilient and inclusive economy, countries can turn the challenges of COVID-19 and climate change into opportunitie

Observer Research Foundation and ORF Chennai-based business magazine Industrial Economist organised a one-day seminar on 23 July 2007 titled SEZs - Prospects & Challenges.

Technology has as much potential to exacerbate as it does to mitigate the risks of terrorism. What takes place in the digital space is merely symptoma

India is developing appropriate capabilities to tackle the new and emerging space security challenges in outer space.

Where China and India indicate conspicuous commonalities, aim for similar objectives and reflect identical challenges — exploring Sino-Indian partne

India’s robust economy has tremendous potential. But for sustained economic growth, it needs direct access to the Eurasian markets, backed by reliable, resilient, and diversified supply chains. Indeed, enhanced connectivity with Central Asia and the wider Eurasia is essential to promote regional stability and unlock economic opportunities for all countries in the region. This paper analyses the status of the key connectivity projects in the reg

Over four billion people do not have access to Internet; that makes a huge two-thirdsof the global population. In India, around four of every five people lack this basic resource. Variousaccess technologies are being developed in different parts of the world to bridge the digital divide.Amongst these technologies, the emergence of small satellites carries immense promise. Thesesatellites are used for applications ranging from remote sensing to co

Our future as a country depends upon the route we take towards growth and, at the same time, how we resolve our environmental challenges.

Urban inequality is a blight experienced by many cities, even in the developed world.In developing countries like India, these social and economic inequalities become even morepronounced, with living conditions in certain populations crossing the line to the abysmal. Inthese cities, agencies responsible for addressing welfare concerns are unable to do so, as theythemselves grapple with a host of challenges. This paper argues that any positive tra

Assembly elections and the challenges before the Indian National Congress, developments in Maldives — and other news from South Asia.

The space domain has changed in significant ways in the last two decades, not only because of a multitude of new players but also the increasing incap

India’s resilient economy has rebounded from pandemic-induced negative growth, making it a shining prospect in the gloomy global arena

As two democracies, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka share many development needs and challenges — this underpin their growing ties.

Sri Lanka’s quest for right-sizing the military and building a well-equipped force for future challenges offers opportunities for India to further e

The central challenge in DAMH is the misalignment between the goals of recipients and the priorities of donors

India’s defence model faces challenges despite the positive trends generated by ‘Make in India’

Institutional collaborations and joint ventures between India and Israel can help address India’s water and food security challenges

This return to business as usual is reflective of the wariness on both sides to escalate the crisis further and prevent it from metastasising into a new front of conflict.

While India is looking to the UN to manage the cyber challenges, America and China are exploring bilateral solutions that could eventually be imposed on the rest of the world. That is very similar to what happened in the nuclear arena five decades ago.

Sweden’s 2023 presidency comes at a critical juncture as Europe confronts several challenges

As the biotechnology industry evolves, integrating synthetic data and model-based reasoning will remain crucial for addressing complex biological chal

Currently, India’s aircraft and aircraft equipment demands rely heavily on foreign lessors. Such over-reliance presents various challenges that need

The findings of Working Group-III (WG-III) of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly highlight the global failure to scale-up mitigation actions to achieve the Paris Climate targets. Immediate and unprecedented action will now be needed to avoid catastrophic global warming in this century. The WG-III report details some of the policy actions needed at the global level to enable a sustai

Relations between India and the Central Asia Republics (CARs) have matured over the past three decades, primarily in the areas of military technology, defence, counterterrorism, and economy, and culture. Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and the resultant security, geostrategic, and geoeconomic challenges, India and the CARs must aim to strengthen their ties. This brief assesses the evolving situation in Afghanistan

As part of the 'Maritime Security Programme (MSP) which was launched by the then Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash on 19th May 2006 at ORF Chennai, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), ORF Chennai Chapter conducted a day long seminar on "Tamil Nadu Coastal Development and Security: Challenges and Responses" on 5th May 2007.

It is clear that the reform that began by addressing tax challenges from digitalisation is now one of taxing MNEs better

Andhra Pradesh is in a state of huge flux today. Apart from challenges like Naxalism, the Telangana issue has intensified the turbulent political atmosphere. The recent submission of Justice B N Srikrishna Committee Report has brought back the question of reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh onto national headlines.

Today, global geopolitical challenges are giving more space for terror and extremist groups. Thus adequate counterterrorism measures need to be adopte

Interventions by the military-royalists continue to impede Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become the next PM, thus posing serious challenges to Thailand

The 20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October 2022 and the subsequent leadership reshuffle gave a new mandate to a ruling elite that will sit at the helm till 2027. It happened at a time when the CPC is facing strong headwinds, among them a tech war with the United States (US) and a downturn in the domestic economy as a result of President Xi Jinping’s ‘zero-COVID-19’ policy. The CPC saw the protests that ensued a

Unlike in other regions of the world, the value of intra-Africa trade has remained low over the years. Moreover, Africa accounts for just 2 percent of global trade. In 2021, African countries launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single African market for the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital, and increase intra-African trade. AfCFTA may be able to provide Indian firms and in

By overcoming the multiple challenges posed against the MCC, the Nepalese government was finally able to ratify the long-delayed agreement.

This paper analyses the domestic compulsions in Australia, India, Japan and the US that are influencing their positions on the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). The paper notes that as the four countries are becoming increasingly aware of the risks posed by China’s rise over the last few years, they have sought to converge to the Quad. For Australia, the concerns are over trade dependency on China, and China’s sharp power projection and

This brief looks at the growing strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal within the emerging and increasingly contested geography of the Indo-Pacific. In three parts, the brief outlines the historic evolution of the littoral, examines the implications of its strategic location at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, and ponders the unfolding challenges to regionalism in the Bay of Bengal. It concludes with a call on India to intensify its efforts to

Although Biden has invoked Trump’s Indo-Pacific construct to promise continuity on US-India ties, the US Congress’ shift to a reformist — from i

The Seychelles’ geographical advantages have given it economic gains from its main Blue Economy (BE) sectors—fisheries and tourism. However, overexploitation and unsustainable management practices have placed undue pressure on these resources. In 2018, the country conceived a sustainable ocean-based development pathway—the Seychelles’ Blue Economy Strategic Framework and Roadmap. Various socio-economic and environmental challenges threate

While the need is clear, realizing such cooperation will mean addressing several key challenges.

India’s decision to abolish cantonments after carving out the military areas, announced in April 2023, has been met with scepticism and support. Cantonments, primarily created during the British rule to station and house the military, evolved to include civilians as residents and staff to provide support and logistic services. Over time, cantonment boards, with some civilian members, were created to manage the civil areas, but the rights of civ

Qatar aims to be a political power broker in the Middle East as witnessed by its efforts in brokering the temporary Israel-Hamas truce. However, with

Steering clear of strategic issues by only focusing on non-traditional security challenges has led to a decline in the relevance of the EAS Summit.

Ten years on from 26/11, the NSG continues to face serious logistical and transportation challenges. Simply put, the NSG cannot wait around to execute

As the new Donald Trump administration tries to get a grip on the multiple domestic and foreign policy challenges facing America, China’s rise will be front and centre as the most significant challenge facing Washington.

The Indian government’s “Smart Cities Mission” aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life through “smart” solutions for the delivery of infrastructure and services. This is expected to transform living spaces, enhance quality of life, and provide employment opportunities, in turn helping reduce crime rates and promoting law and order. Among the challenges to the “Smart Cities” programme is terrorism—especially in ur

In different parts of the world, the federal system of government is facing some of its biggest trials yet, from the COVID-19 pandemic. Federalism—which believes in shared sovereignty and territoriality between multiple constituent units of governance—was anticipated to fail against a massive pandemic that needed swift, and presumably centralised, response. This paper examines federal India’s own experience in the past 18 months. The aim is

Young people across the world today are facing multiple challenges: lost school years due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns, the looming climate crisis, increasingly dangerous virtual spaces, and food and energy security concerns triggered by the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This paper analyses the challenges facing the youths of the Commonwealth, where 60 percent of the combined population are under 30 years old, and explores the investments require

In a post-COVID world — with tasks increasing and budgets shrinking — the challenges at sea are daunting.

India has indeed sounded the trumpet of defence diplomacy as part of its engagement with the ASEAN over the last two decades. If Delhi does not help promote a stable balance of power in Southeast Asia now, India's own security challenges in the future could get a lot more daunting.

First let me say how pleased I am to be here. The Observer Research Foundation has a strong track record of building partnerships between business and policy makers, and generating innovative thinking on how to tackle the major challenges of our times.

After a brief discussion on the uneasy relationship between Regional Trade Agreements and the WTO, the implications of the “deep” integration that the EU is seeking with India are discussed, and the respective positions, interests and concerns of the partners in the long drawn out negotiations are examined. The challenges for India in plunging into such “deep” territory, unprecedented in its history of bilateral or multilateral negotiatio