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New Delhi's active contribution to brokering a deal with Pyongyang would not only capture its growing stake in regional and international stability, it will also send a clear message to one of the prospective partners in that endeavour, Beijing, that Asia can only have a multipolar order.

Joining the CPEC, as proposed by Mehbooba Mufti, cannot be done without weighing India’s long-term interests

India’s recent outreach to Sri Lanka and Mauritius suggest a renewed focus on the Indian Ocean region.

India is giving peace a chance from a position of strength, after showing it can adequately defend its interests when challenged

China’s bid to ‘internationalise’ the issue could push India to hurt its larger neighbour’s interests.

The possible return of the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, is a challenge. But don’t count India out

The Delhi Government's Bhagidari programme with all its pitfalls and challenges comes as a refreshing idea in the context of urban governance. Given its potential to transform state-ctizen interface, there is need to give it statutory backing. Also, there is enough space for forther improvement of the programme.

In short, the principle of subsidiarity demands that India’s national government take some cues from global trends and cede more powers to the city government in capital territory. The current bill by the Centre not only betrays the concept of “cooperative federalism” often espoused by the Union government, but will further complicate governance in India’s fastest growing mega-city.

New Delhi's focus in the talks with Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik is on the bilateral agenda- especially justice for the plotters of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. But it is in India's interest to widen the conversation to include the latest developments in Afghanistan where Islamabad has begun to make some big moves.

Both India and France are guided by fiercely autonomous foreign policies that are paying their dividends in today’s transactional and volatile world

What does the future hold for this long-standing relationship?

India's potential engagement with Taliban officials marks a significant policy shift amid geopolitical realities, raising concerns for national security.

As a new government led by Maithripala Sirisena takes charge in Colombo, New Delhi has a valuable opportunity to arrest the drift in bilateral relations over the last few years. The Modi government, less constrained internally than the UPA government, is in a good position to rebuild the partnership with Sri Lanka that occupies a vital position on India's maritime frontiers to the south.

A two-tier structure, with elected municipalities for each city district, which share power in a regional government with central representatives, can be a viable model

Russian President Putin's Eurocentric approach and having a Europeanist as his primary foreign policy advisor seem to be impacting on his policy towards Asia. The clout that the Orientalists and Indologists once had in the Kremlin is well and truly gone, and the relationship is that much weaker for it.

With the new government in New Delhi, there is a renewed interest in internet and internet governance in India, according Mr. Thomas Dukes, US Deputy Coordinator for Cyber Affairs. He said the Digital India initiative has been revived and the Government's interest and investment in furthering it is clearly visible.

The Rules-Based Order (RBO) underpins the global maritime trading and security system. A subject of growing discussion and debate in strategic studies circles, it is seen by many as a prerequisite for seaborne trade and commerce, and a crucial factor in formulating national security policy. While many Asian powers have a shared understanding of the principles of maritime conduct, regional states have tended to situate the RBO within the framework

The Supreme Court did award NCR's elected government due authority. But, by leaving reserve subjects with the LG, it contradicted a global governance trend.

The question of full statehood for Delhi has occupied the national limelight since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s landslide victory in the assembly elections of 2015. To be sure, the demand for statehood for Delhi has been on the slow burner since the time of the country’s independence; however, it was in the past three years that it gained considerable pace. While the last seven decades have witnessed nearly all major national parties advocatin

The Aam Aadmi Party's unprecedented electoral victory in Delhi has revived the debate on full statehood to Delhi. But how practical is the statehood for the national capital? What are the issues? To discuss these issues, ORF organised a panel discussion with experienced bureaucrats, academics and experts.

In January 2000, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi initiated a 'Bhagidari Programme' as an attempt to resolve the various problems being faced by the city's residents. Smt. Sheila Dikshit, the Honorable Chief Minister of Delhi, visited the Observer Research Foundation campus on April 10, 2008 to make a presentation on the programme. The discussion was facilitated by Ambassador M. Rasgotra. This discourse is an abridged documen

The three synchronised Delhi blasts of October 29,2005, have proved¿¿if further proof was needed¿¿that the motivation and the morale of the pan-Islamic jihadi terrorists belonging to the International Islamic Front (IIF) formed by Osama bin Laden in 1998 continue to remain undamaged, despite the successes scored by our security agencies in neutralising many of their sleeper cells.

It is India that is not only challenging China when it comes to the major ideas of our times, but is also standing up and confronting China to preserve its vital interests.

India and Germany embark on a path of cooperation leading with trade and security

Modi’s abrupt return from Saudi Arabia only proved the strength of ties

Trust-based partnerships are re-defining the global landscape today and India is moving ahead with a degree of seriousness not seen in recent history.

This time around, it is probably fair to say that no “Wuhan spirit” can salvage bilateral relations.

Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Hague Institute for Global Justice (THIGJ) recently hosted the second workshop of 'The Hague Initiative on Global Governance' in New Delhi between 21st and 23rd November, 2013.

Air quality in India’s capital city of Delhi and its surrounding region (or the National Capital Region, NCR) is poor during most months of the year. Various factors contribute to the worsening pollution, including human activities and a deficit in planning and governance. This brief examines the causes for declining air quality in the NCR as well as the mitigation measures that have been put in place by the government at different periods of t

Any solution to the Kashmir issue requires a two track process involving the domestic separatists and the Pakistanis.

India should be pleased with the Maldives choosing democracy over dictatorship. But it should not imagine that China's powerful influence will pale in Male anytime soon.

The Indian government launched the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in 2015 to drive economic growth and improve people’s quality of life in 100 cities across the country. Over the past four years, various smart projects have been implemented in the selected cities. This report documents the status, progress and experience of implementing the SCM in Delhi. It presents the findings of an empirical investigation of five of the projects undertaken in th

Turkey has been consistently supporting Pakistan’s position on Kashmir even as Islamabad has reciprocated by backing Ankara’s claims on Cyprus

With increasing awareness of the role that a healthy and clean environment plays in the well-being of societies, governments are adopting environment-friendly approaches in the conduct of development activities. This brief examines the environment planning proposals contained in the draft Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) for the period 2021-41. Although the MPD proposes many new ideas to improve prevailing conditions as well as a framework to monitor

Smaller states in the region are now looking to India to act as a balancer in view of China's growing influence and PM Modi must make the most of President Jokowi's arrival by getting serious

With the Delhi Durbar at its dysfunctional worst, power is flowing away from Delhi to State capitals, where some strong men and women are ruling. India's external partners tend to see this with much greater clarity than the domestic observers of Delhi's current listlessness.

With both India and the US having differing domestic and national priorities, these countries are bound to compete and conflict on trade issues. But these must not be allowed to overshadow the larger gains that bilateral trade has brought to each country.

The broad thrust of the NSS document transcends Trump and reflects a growing consensus in the American establishment that China is an adversary. As far as India is concerned, this is the good news.

The centre of gravity of India's foreign policy seems to rest in Pakistan. India has not been able to overcome this psychological vulnerability, despite the growing strategic separation between India and Pakistan. It gets a lot worse when it comes to Pakistan's relations with America.

India-Bangladesh relations face a challenging period following Sheikh Hasina's ouster. Anti-India rhetoric, violence against minorities, and the arrest of a Hindu monk have strained ties. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit aimed to refocus on economic cooperation and address concerns. The interim government must reciprocate to rebuild the partnership crucial for South Asia's future.

As Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram go through the process of Assembly elections, ORF Urban Policy research team looks at development patterns in these States. Here is a preview of "Book of Charts", covering Delhi and Rajasthan, on the status and developments in such important areas as employment, education and infrastructure, etc.