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Semiconductors are increasingly becoming the fulcrum of national and economic security. They undergird economies that are growing to be more dependent on digital technologies and aided by advancements in artificial intelligence. As the world works to secure semiconductor supply chains with a firm national push, China is emerging as a formidable contender in certain segments. Within this context, India’s semiconductor ambitions must be evaluated

The paper analyses small satellite activities within India in various institutions and identifies the opportunities as well as the gaps.

The establishment of a new private institution has spotlighted New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to build out the commercial aspect of its space program.

Despite growing Chinese interest in financing and building infrastructure, India remains one of Nigeria’s important partners

New Delhi approved a proposal to purchase six conventional submarines, but given past delays it’s not clear that India’s naval woes will dissipate anytime soon.

As voting begins, the world’s biggest democracy should realize that its rise isn’t inevitable and will require greater courage from its next government.

Why does India have so few available options to manage security threats? In crisis management, Indian policy-makers have faced all-or-nothing choices, either passively absorbing provocations, or overreacting with massive mobilisations and threats of general war. In wartime, with the notable exception of the 1971 war, India has generally fought to degrade enemy military capabilities rather than to achieve decisive operational effects. This paper a

This paper explains Russian co-option of India into the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) at a high level of participation in September 2019 and the range of agreements involved. It argues that the co-option was the result of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dissatisfaction with the economic outcomes so far for the Russian Far East of “northeast Asian regional cooperation.” Moscow related this behaviour to skewed priorities of East Asia’s �

The Canadian government, instead of robustly standing up to extremism, has found it easier to pander to some of the most violent and aggressive groups. This is partly because of how these extremist groups have increased their influence over state institutions

Iran's standoff with neighbouring and Western nations does pose a problem for India which has to balance its relations with Iran against its interest in deepening relations with the US. Collaborating with US initiatives in Afghanistan that exclude Iran might persuade the latter to remove the preferential treatment given to India at Chabahar.

Nepal's outgoing Ambassador in India, HE Mr Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, gave an impassioned call to all countries in the South Asian region to cooperate in curbing, if not eliminating, the culture of violence and fighting insurrectionists. 'Weapons do not respect sovereign borders'

Despite unhappiness and disappointments in India over the repeated US failure since 1981 to call Pakistan to account for its sponsorship of terrorism against India in an attempt to achieve its strategic objectives, a consensus has developed since the terrorist strikes of 9/11 that the Indo-US Co-operation in Counter-Terrorism as developed since 1981 should be kept sustained and further developed.

Indonesia’s upcoming general elections will see a rematch between incumbent President Joko Widodo (commonly called ‘Jokowi’) and his long-time rival, retired lieutenant general Prabowo Subianto. This paper examines the potential impact of the elections on Indonesia’s foreign policy, especially on the country’s maritime relations with India and other major powers. In the 2014 elections, the Visi-Misi (or election manifesto) of the incumb

Given the dependence of Indus River on glacial melt, extensive joint studies on the complex and unique Himalayan systems must be conducted and data must be shared openly, suggested an international conference in Kathmandu organised by ORF, Stimson Center, USA, and Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan.

In a unique move which is expected to give a fillip to research-oriented higher studies in Engineering Education in India, several industry leaders on Saturday, May 31, 2008, pledged to explore ways of developing healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with engineering institutions across the country.

The UPA government's economic policy is insensitive to the woes of the common man whose share of heady GDP growth is only high prices and misery. The fires of rage now sweeping India was only to be expected.

The integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants remains one of the most critical issues in Nepal's peace process. Although there have been a series of agreements since 2006 to formalise the integration of Maoist combatants, the political parties have failed to agree on the number, modality, age and qualification of the combatants.

India's North-East remains a challenge for the policy makers. Keeping together this diverse region, which is home to more than 250 tribes, speaking more than 190 languages and dialects, and addressing the long drawn conflicts to preserve ethnic identities and over land and other resources is an arduous task. Recent months have witnessed a lot of debate on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) introduced by the Central Government to counter

International financial institutions are critical in global development and in achieving sustainable developmental goals, says Dr. Paul Cadario, while Mr. Ashok Lahiri says "international finance cannot be divorced from politics"

Our "strategic interest" will be served when we acknowledge where our current and future interests lie, in terms of economy and politics. Thereafter, we must negotiate India's role at institutions that govern the internet, be it ICANN, IANA or any other body. Our "self-respect" will be enhanced when we negotiate this role from a position of strength.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in India is enshrined in the Constitution and mandated under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009. Yet, its implementation remains tentative for many reasons, primary of which is the absence of a clear government guideline regarding which Ministry is tasked with policymaking and implementation. This brief attempts to offer an answer for the government. It examines

Not all is lost for Fonseka, as yet. He has every right to move the Supreme Court in every case against him, civil or military. The temptation for keeping the political pot boiling is also there, but that will not change the course of the legal and judicial processes.

In the slowdown scenario, it would be important for the government to protect the poor against job losses, ill-health, lack of skills and homelessness. The human development indicators have to be improved.

The issues with adolescent health are not limited to just the structure of the policy — it extends to the structure of institutions as well.

Mainstream debates on European investment in India do not consider the full and diverse impact of investment on economic and social life, and therefore narrow the terrain for crafting richer, alternative investment policies and strategies. This paper examines three misguided—and recurring—ideas that arise in investment debates: (1) consumption growth as an inevitable effect of investment liberalisation; (2) efficiency in fresh food retail as

Senator John Kerry has been at pains to convince his Iranian counterpart that the Congressional act of voting on April 14 to appropriate to itself the power to reject the final deal is merely symbolic and President Obama can easily over-ride these hurdles. But what it reveals is an ugly side of the Congressmen who still live in a world of 'sanctioning' the rest.

I read with great interest your article titled "THE COMING WARS: What the Pentagon can now do in secret" carried by the "New Yorker" in its issue dated January 24, 2005, which is already on sale. The article is about US preparations for a possible covert operation against Iran's suspected military nuclear installations set up with Pakistani complicity.

The unexpected good showing of the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Mayor of Tehran, in the first round of the Iranian Presidental elections held on June 17, 2005, and his emergence in the No.2 position with 19.5 per cent of the valid votes polled as against 21 per cent for the favourite Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani throws open the possibility that in the second

Last week the curtains came down on the 21st century's first unjust war - the US involvement in Iraq. But worse may follow after the American pullout. The implications for India of further turmoil in the Persian Gulf, particularly Iraq are enormous.

The Mumbai blasts were an act of war against the Indian state; it would be naïve to term it as anything else. It was an act of terror to kill as many Indians as possible. It was an act enabled, to a large measure, by a growing perception among the terrorist groups, especially those operating from Pakistan, that the Indian state was soft and indolent.

While India’s diplomatic and political outreach with West Asia has been a success story over the past decade, the geopolitics of technology has the potential to offer a challenge.

With the ongoing multi-polarisation of global politics, new powers would emerge which would in turn increase global insecurity and lead to a greater demand for nuclear weapons even by the countries that as of now do not possess them, cautioned Prof. Rajesh Rajagopalan during an ORF roundtable on nuclear non proliferation.

Islamic State (IS), metaphorically a "baby" of al-Qaeda, may not survive for a long time when public fascination with it wanes, says Dr. Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies and director of the Institute for Transregional Study, Princeton University, USA.

Who used chemical weapons against whom? Is Assad regime guilty? We may never know. What is certain is that one more country in the Middle East will be reduced to an ungovernable territory. Welcome home Al-Qaeda!

Besides a life insurance policy, a piece of land or a house is the first large investment that every Indian makes--sometimes, nowadays, as early as at 25 years of age. Against the backdrop of this changing psyche of the Indian consumer, this Issue Brief analyses the Indian demographics and how, correspondingly, the housing finance sector has evolved.

If hydro power potential of 150,000 MW is to be realised by the end of 2030 as assumed in the Integrated Energy Policy 2006, the government must ensure that policies address the crucial stumbling block of regulatory, social and environmental instability.

Whatever be the truth about Tipu Sultan, the one fact on which there can be little debate is that he fought against British occupation till the very end. If we are to look at our history through the lens of religious bigotry, the first war of independence in 1857, for example, would be of little significance.

The United States (US)-led global economic order has survived crises through structural adjustments and institutional flexibility. Yet, even as it may withstand the disruptions of Donald Trump’s presidency, more fundamental shifts are underway. This brief examines whether recent developments in US trade and monetary policies are temporary disturbances or signals of structural transformations. Early signs suggest that while dollar centrality end

Shakespeare wondered what was in a name, but then again, it was a time before Top Level Domains, global brands with billions of dollars riding on them, and internet governance bodies like ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) existed.

In the last year, ISKP, through its violent attacks, has attempted to create instability in Afghanistan and beyond to trigger propaganda for its jihadi goals.

Will Samuel P Huntington be proved wrong on The Clash of Civilizations if and when Islamic Turkey joins European Union (E U)? And will that enable the E U to put an end to the decades old ethno- territorial feud in Cyprus?

Netanyahu revived his political career through an alliance with far-right groups. His acceding to their drastic demands like the overhaul of the country’s judiciary has ended up exposing the deep fault lines behind Israel’s chronic political instability

During the recent INSS-ORF dialogue, there was a consensus that, while perhaps the origin of the terror threat is different, this is an area where cooperation can and should be enhanced.

India abstains from talking space technology in the context of national security.

The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) organised a brainstorming session on 'Issues in Captive Coal Block Development in India' on March 5, 2009 in partnership with CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory Services

By taxing both income and consumption at punitive rates, the government drains the surplus with the middle class, which could have been used more efficiently for higher consumption, triggering higher production or savings, leading to more funds for investments.