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This paper outlines the responses of the US Congress and European Union (EU) parliament to the Indian government’s abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the surrounding events, including the communications lockdown in Kashmir. It notes contrasting responses: the US Congress showed a binary reaction of moderate and extreme calls to action, and the EU parliament honed a more expansive approach to address India’s apparent “democrat

The Indian Navy has a bevvy of planned engagements this spring,. including with the UAE and France.

Most central banks across the globe are today seized with the idea of cryptocurrency, with countries like Sweden and China already embarking on their pilot projects. This paper argues that most of the proposed architectures for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) are not designed to mimic the paper currency in its digital form. It proposes an architecture that largely retains all the properties of a paper currency, with only one limitation—i

Evidence from several countries suggests that last-mile connectivity solutions—the transport options available to commuters from the origin of their journey to the point of accessing a public transit system—enhance citizens’ mobility and increase metro rail ridership. This brief evaluates India’s operational metro rail transit systems to identify the missing links in the provision and effective implementation of last-mile connecti

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic hastened the widespread adoption of digital technologies across the globe. The pace of digitalisation—from the micro levels of education and e- commerce to the macro levels of supply chains and production networks—has galvanised governments to advance digital regulations. The tightrope walk of creating policies that enable digital innovation and ensure regulations are in the larger public interest have led t

This report examines India’s dependence on undersea fibre optic cables for its financial well-being. It explains the complexities involved in the laying and maintenance of these cables, lists the vulnerabilities of the existing network, and makes a series of recommendations to progressively address them. These include a phased increase in the capacity of space-based internet services. The report suggests that the opportunity provided by the rec

Iranian civilisation is heresy-prone. Heresy is indicative of a questioning mind. Throughout history, individuals and movements have emerged in Iran to invoke the moral imperative and disrupt the status quo. The most recent events sustain this characteristic of the Iranian personality. Paradoxes abound in the vote in the June presidential election: it was anti-establishment, not anti-regime, anti-clerical but affirmative of the principles of the

America’s global hegemony is the sum total of its domination in various regions of the world like Europe, Middle East, or East Asia. Today when the Americans look at East Asia, they see a hugely enriched and militarily powerful China increasingly challenging them.

India has been witnessing rapid urbanisation in the last decade, particularly in its large and medium-size cities. As more and more people move towards cities and towns, it is imperative to build an understanding of how cities are geared in terms of growth and inclusion. In what ways do India's marginalised communities get excluded from the country's growing urban spaces? This paper studies how individuals and groups are included in􀀳or exclude

The different service arms of China’s armed forces are all undergoing substantial transformation, including exploring the possibilities of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost their combat power and effectiveness especially in a time of war. This paper evaluates the significance and potential of AI in improving China’s military capabilities. Chinese official documents and their enunciation of military doctrine indicate that the c

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe believes that his country needs quicker and more decisive responses to China's increasing maritime ambitions in waters near Japan, according to two Japanese security experts, Dr Marie Izuyama and Dr Hikaru Yamashita.

The idea of a united Indo-Pacific put forward by t he Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is becoming increasingly concurrent with the foreign policy initiatives of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Ambassador of Japan to India, Mr. Takeshi Yagi.

Baghdadi, who has led the ISIS since 2010, has acquired significant financial and military power and influence among Sunni foreign fighters. But the ISIS's violent and extremist methods have alienated Sunni militias and Baghdadi's unwillingness to share power is likely to limit the group's territorial expansion.

Admitting that the government's 'Make in India' initiative will result in increase in carbon emissions as it focuses on manufacturing, and industries, India's Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javedkar emphasises the need for developing countries to get cheaper access to green technology on humanitarian grounds, notwithstanding Intellectual Property Rights.

Naval diplomacy has emerged as a pillar of India’s external engagements. While conventionally regarded as a military arm, the navy is increasingly assuming a greater role as a diplomatic actor. This brief underlines three trends in India’s naval diplomacy in the Indian Ocean, shaped by its broader political outlook in the region. First, there has been a normative shift in how India views the role of the navy. Second, India’s bilateral engag

Affirmative action, especially in the form of reservation policies, to address the issues of inclusion and equity has been in place in India for a long time. The available evidence suggests that the policies of reservation have not been an unqualified success. Indeed, implementation of the reservation policies has faced a variety of issues ranging from problems of identifying the beneficiary groups and the creamy layer to legal interpretation of

With India and Russia having a common interest in Afghanistan’s stability, the ensuing big power competition, which is pushing Moscow into a tight Chinese economic embrace, is increasingly turning out to be a challenge.

Cautioning that the security situation in Afghanistan may become complicated in future, Chinese scholars said since both India and China have interests in that country, it could provide an opportunity for both to play a bigger role, setting aside the disagreements regarding Pakistan.

After months of painstaking deliberations, Afghanistan's draft Constitution was finally made public on November 3, 2003. However, the road to the final document would in all probability prove to be a daunting process as the formation of the draft was, and might end up being an inconclusive battle for supremacy between the liberals in charge of the country at present and the radicals who once called the shots.

Given his limited choices in stabilising Afghanistan, which include supporting a national election, US President-elect Donald Trump will find India to be a reliable and trusted partner in this process

The situation in Afghanistan is grim. There is a tendency to confuse random acts of violence with the instability caused by the the Taliban or the neo-Taliban. An analysis of the violent incidents in Afghanistan in the past few years has revealed that more than two-thirds of the violence has been related to land, resources or power-politics, pointing towards unequal sharing of power at the sub-national level. A round-table discussion on Afghanis

India's most significant investment project in Afghanistan has been the Hajigak mines in Bamiyan province. A Steel Authority of India Ltd-led consortium of six companies had won the rights to extract iron ore from the mines in 2011.

Afghan refugees in Iran are experiencing increasing hostility as State policies become explicitly discriminatory. The recent persecution of these displaced persons has brought this fact to light.

The recent US decision to suspend training of Afghan local police has underlined the growing worries in Washington over the incidents of Afghan soldiers killing American troops in 2012.

The key is to achieve peace within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — a system that is defined by its core values related to human rights, women’s rights, democracy, rule of law and political inclusion.

As geopolitical tensions rise, African nations are increasingly aligning with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative. The framework, which promotes non-interference, respecting sovereignty, and development-focused security, is appealing to African countries as an alternative to Western-led interventions. Through military cooperation, peacekeeping missions, counterterrorism assistance, and non-conditional security aid, among o

The 18th African Union summit, held on January 30, ended without a clear winner for the contested position of the Commission's Chairperson. The election had taken place through a secret ballot and the two contenders for the position were the incumbent.

The Poonch incident two weeks ago and in Uri indicate there is no fight left in the militants in the Valley.

Since the early 2010s, Russia has greatly expanded its cooperation with Pakistan, venturing into new areas and levels of cooperation and engaging in more frequent consultations. The bilateral ties have been growing despite many inherent challenges, including historical animosity during some periods of the Cold War, political and financial fragility in Islamabad, and Russia’s strategic partnership with India. At the same time, some of these issu

Despite the optimism surrounding the potential dividends from India’s youth population, demographic ageing is underway. All but five of India’s 28 states have fertility rates below replacement levels, with the share of older adults growing faster than all other age cohorts. However, existing policies, laws, and schemes targeting older adults have fallen short. Poor drafting, limited implementation, and a disproportionate focus on youth needs

ndia was facing a massive balance of payment crisis when the Observer Research Foundation released a document, ‘Agenda for Economic Reform’, on 1 July 1991. The Agenda outlined the reasons for the crisis and recommended a broad strategy to enable the country to overcome it. As India marks 30 years since the start of widespread reforms that opened up the economy, ORF revisits the recommendations outlined in the document.

The successful Agni V test adds to the incremental steps that India has been taking to enhance its strategic deterrent capabilities. This has been marked earlier this year by the commencement of the sea trials of the Arihant, nuclear propelled ballistic missile firing submarine.

There are many obstacles for the US-China summit, such that the American side is simply not ready for a substantive negotiation. But there are also many areas of discussion, including North Korea, the One-China policy and trade.

A lot will depend on how the TNA and the NPC proceed during the upcoming fishers' talks in Colombo. For any fishers-negotiated solution to be effective, it has to have the cooperation of the Tamil Nadu and Northern Province Governments across the Palk Straits.

The Observer Research Foundation’s first Tech Huddle was held on 23 November 2023 and focused on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in India, highlighting the rapid growth and adoption of AI as well as the complexities associated with developing regulatory frameworks for it. AI governance is in its infancy, both globally and in India, and grapples with issues such as the explainability of AI systems as well as the embedded biases, s

As AI technologies evolve, they hold immense potential for transforming space operations. However, there are significant challenges for both Earth-based and onboard AI, including cybersecurity threats, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the complexity of operating in extreme environments. Given the sector’s strategic nature, the national security implications of these challenges make it imperative that India adopts a comprehensive approach to AI

AI सिस्टीममध्ये दिसणार्‍या या लिंगभेदाचा महिलांवर विविध प्रकार आणि स्तरांवर प्रभाव पडला आहे, ज्यात पूर्वग्रहदूषित नियुक्ती प्रणालीपासून स्त्रियांना होणारे अनन्य नुकस�

There are only two ways to look at the recent decision of the US administration to arm Pakistan with new weapons. First, as the Bush administration officials have been trying, rather hard, to convince the international community, particularly India, that the weapons they are selling to President Pervez Musharraf¿s Pakistan are meant to fight terrorism.

India is assured of an ally in the United States on the Kashmir issue; the US — under the tenets of Westphalian sovereignty — has chosen to back India unequivocally. Yet it was not always so. There was a time soon after India’s Independence that the US government, through the State Department, was actively consorting with National Conference leader and Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah to look for ways by which to secure

It has historically been assumed that while the nature of war remains the same—i.e., violence inflicted on the adversary to bend them to one’s will—the character of warfare changes with technology, organisation, politics and culture. This notion has changed. Over the past decade, the nature of war has also changed, with increased use of non-contact and non-kinetic modes of warfare expanding the battlefield spatially and temporally.

The Central Asian Republics (CARs) have, in recent years, implemented multifaceted foreign policies to achieve strategic autonomy and limit China’s influence and Russia's traditional sway. But domestic uprisings in the CARs, the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict have given China new opportunities to strengthen its presence in Central Asia. This brief investigates China's increased engagement with the CARs

The new Indo-Pacific strategy by the European Union (EU) follows previous measures to increase engagement with the region in the economic, security and connectivity domains. The plan indicates a clear intent to position the EU in the emerging global and regional governance structures, focusing on strategic autonomy, inclusivity, the rules-based order, and common public goods. Implementing the action plan based on the strategy is likely to face nu

The paper provides an understanding of high flows in a river system by explaining the hydro-meteorological, hydro-geomorphological, ecological and socio-economic dimensions of monsoon-related high-flows in the Ganga-Padma river system straddling India and Bangladesh. The aim is to inform the existing flood management approach in India, which has failed to adequately incorporate the geomorphic, hydrologic, hydraulic and biological processes of riv

The phenomenon of individuals leaving their home country and making their way to conflict zones to join terror and insurgent groups is not new. In the past few years, however, the numbers of these “foreign fighters” have increased: thousands of people from more than 80 countries have made their way to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other battle zones. As countries in the West struggled to deal with these intra-geographic threats from radicalis

India began investing in Space science and technologies in the 1960s, putting in place an administrative structure similar to that for Atomic Energy. However, unlike the atomic energy domain which came under the 1948 Atomic Energy Act (revised in 1962), the country’s space activities are yet to be regulated by specific legislation. India’s space agency, ISRO, has historically viewed space technology applications primarily for societal develop

The US Congressional Staff was pointed out that though Pakistan's political machinery is willing to work with all parties, including India, on Afghanistan, the army apparatus and the ISI still remains a liability. These factors must be taken into account while US deals with Pakistan.

By entering the scene though a little late in the day, SLMC president Rauff Hakeem on the one hand, and the People's Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT), the latter the political outfit floated by the LTTE as far back as 1989, have made the 10 May polls to the Provincial Council high profile and interesting at the same time.

India presents a unique case of balancing decarbonisation efforts with industrial growth. While notable progress is being made in decarbonising the power and transport sectors, reducing industrial emissions poses a formidable challenge. To meet its decarbonisation targets, India will need massive capital flows, projected at US$10.1 trillion by 2070. While green finance will support technologies that align with the Paris Agreement, transition fina