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The presence of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan has been counter-productive and has only led to increase in terrorism, according to Dr. Saeed Jalili, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
Pakistan seems ready to expand its counter-terrorism strategy. But such a break from the past needs time, and a sense of ownership. Patience, therefore, will yield greater long-term returns. So, repeated public admonishment by the US will serve to be only counter-productive.
Asif Ali Zardari, 53, the 12th President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is not new to politics, nor is he to the Machiavellian twists and turns necessary to survive in the intensely fratricidal politics of Pakistan where the final shots are called by the Chief of Army Staff.
One of the foremost questions around Trump's victory has been in relation to the future of the Iran nuclear deal, one that the President-elect has cri
The Indian President's presence at the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II in Russia on May 9 is in part about extending New Delhi's solidarity with Moscow at a time when many Western leaders have decided not to show up in protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin's policy in Ukraine.
A few days before President Obama's Indian visit, the US will witness midterm elections. If the opinion polls are anything to go by, the Democratic Party appears to be in trouble. However, Obama can utilize the polls to retool his strategy and win back the voters as Bill Clinton did in 1994.
The challenge for the US is to sell its ideas in a region which views Trump as a non-serious leader and Xi as seemingly visionary.
Today’s uprisings against institutional racism, police brutality and Covid-19 mismanagement tell the tale of a divisive and incompetent president an
As Indo-Pak relations hit rock bottom, the civil-military standoff in Pakistan has flared into the open. Could there be a link between the two?
Country-wide protests over fuel and food prices have broken out in Ecuador as it descends into an economic crisis.
The G20 has the potential to leverage its influence and resources to address the root causes of zoonotic diseases through joint initiatives and take p
Advances in technology, the shifting sands of the global nuclear energy market, and the extant standards and practices surrounding the monitoring of radioactive materials raise important questions about the future of nuclear security. Technological advancements have enabled the retrieval of radioactive materials from unconventional sources and made fuel fabrication easier. The emergence of new players in the nuclear energy market also flags conce
Apart from wearing seat belts, equally important are improvements in road quality and better maintenance of national highways
The February 2017 order by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) for fixing the price ceiling for cardiac stents—a device that normalises blood supply to the heart—brings to fore the old debate on the influence of business in healthcare in India. In view of the increasing number of catheterisation laboratories in the country, and the rise in the use of cardiac stents, this article discusses, inter alia: (a) the role of price
The US has placed India in the category of 'closest partners' for defence cooperation. The official spin was that New Delhi would now be on the same footing as the closest allies of the US such as Britain. That may be the endpoint that New Delhi and Washington have decided upon, but it is far from the current reality. Both sides would need to do an enormous amount of work to attain that goal.
The legal, regulatory and political momentum to take action is there — yet, regulations remain mostly globally uncoordinated.
Long before Snowden, it was suggested that the best way forward was to abandon 'the Internet' and embrace multiple internets, essentially privatising networks. The splintering of the Internet is one possible consequence of viewing Internet rights through the prism of private property.
CyberSpace is a free-wheeling mind- Space at the cutting edge of innovation precisely because of the absence of sovereignty and artificial barriers. Declaring sovereignty here is as absurd as extending one's jurisdiction deep into the minds of others.
Rajasthan’s Right to Health law mandating private hospitals to provide free emergency care has irked private medical practitioners who doubt government’s commitment to reimburse costs. But for citizens dreading medical expenses bankrupting them, the state covering for emergencies is a welcome safety net
The G20 meeting in Seoul next month ( November 11 and 12th) for the Finance Ministers of the twenty member countries that include India, China and the US, is likely to be a stormy one judging from the controversies surrounding the state of the world economy.
It is important to perceive programmability for what it truly represents—an experiment exploring the potential applications of digital money for spe
This paper argues in favour of integrating valuation of ecosystem services in development policy planning in India. The paper presents three cases where monetary values of ecosystem services have been estimated to illustrate the significance of the exercise: the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) in Uttarakhand, the Kunigal Wetlands in Karnataka, and the Indian Sundarbans Delta (ISD) in West Bengal. The first two cases highlight the ecosystem-livelihoods
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, there has been a surge in cases of online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) in many parts of the world. This brief discusses the cases of India and Australia. It examines their efforts to combat the increased incidence of OCSAE resulting from greater use of the internet as movement was restricted in response to the pandemic. The brief focuses on India and Australia as bo
For their survival and success, terrorist organisations need recruits, sanctuaries from which they could operate, funds and arms and ammunition, explosives and other material required for their acts of terrorism. Where, in addition, sponsorship by a State is available, it adds to their strength and to the difficulties of the counter-terrorism agencies in dealing with them.
India is experiencing a surge in power demand owing to an expanding economy. Even as the country has embraced the idea of transitioning to clean renewable energy, its current demand for electricity can only be met by addressing the concerns surrounding coal-fired power plants. The goal of going green might be a medium- to long-term strategy that should be diligently pursued to avoid future crises. In the short term, however, focus should
The workforce participation rate of India’s women is significantly lower than that of the men; and amongst the women, the employment levels of urban women are lower than those of their rural counterparts. Using the findings of the 2018 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released in 2019, this brief provides an overview of the current state of female labour force participation in urban India. It analyses data on vocational training and employm
India’s liberalised 100-percent FDI policy in the space sector will struggle without a national space law.
In the recently inked sustainable development goals (SDG's) which identify international cooperation priorities and set the paradigm for global cooperation, India would be a key contributor laying emphasis on south-south development cooperation as an important pillar of the SDG's post 2015.
The very nature of this tax needs to be assessed to understand either why it is not paid or why recovery is poor.
India should not fall for hyped up fears of nuclear escalation; Pakistan is a rational actor that understands the limitations of nuclear weapons
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
The Observer Research Foundation hosted an exciting, in-depth interaction with Nepalese Maoist leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai on November 18, 2006. Addressing their first international audience together from the same platform, the Maoist leaders put before the distinguished gathering, which included political leaders, former diplomats and members of the academia and media, their vision about a new Nepal which they would like to bui
Japanese are leaders in global technology dealing with energy efficiency and energy savings. As a result, Japan has lowest energy intensity amongst all countries. This situation was brought about in a dramatic change after the 1974 oil shock.
As technology evolves and new solutions emerge, governments have taken greater interest in regulatory matters, particularly in Indo-Pacific economies
Australia’s world-leading legislation provides a template for creating cable protection zones that India could emulate to protect its underwater ass
African countries should learn from mistakes that have already been made while pursuing their own path in Internet security.
The pandemic has exacerbated the income and digital divide in Brazil, particularly amongst the children and youth demographic
Moscow took serious note of the event and President Dmitry Medvedev sent his envoy to the northwest region Ilya Klebanov and Deputy General-Prosecutor Aleksandr Gutsan to Kaliningrad for an emergency meeting
Those in charge of India’s governance, both at the Centre and in the States, need to understand the 21st century politics are at cross-purposes with
Protests in China ऐसे में सवाल उठता है कि आखिर इस विरोध का असर चीन की �
The rape of the young medical student in Delhi, who was returning from a movie with a friend, is not only a failure of the law and order system but also traditional India's incapacity to accommodate the 21st century nation.
Lok Sabha may have passed a Bill to introduce proxy voting for the diaspora, but there are many issues to be ironed out before it comes into practice.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) placed itself in a highly embarrassing situation with its decision to ban the usage of 'obscene' words in text messages. Stiff resistance from users,
The problem of female foeticide and sex selection was highlighted as a big public health concern at a seminar on 'Public Health Concerns and Reforms' organised by ORF and RLS in Delhi. It was said that India could witness elimination of 9-10% girls in the times to come.
Public health is the worst spot in India’s economic path despite a recent rise in GDP growth. Without a healthy population and labour force, India cannot hope to compete with countries in the West or the ASEAN.
Employing Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the health sector has the potential to deliver quality healthcare services that are both affordable an
