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The American endgame in Afghanistan is driven by the need to save face after suffering a military defeat at the hands of insurgents, with or without a
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 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.
One runs the risk of stepping on many corns by attempting an objective assessment of the place of the late Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), in history.
Across Asia, there is a great demand for India to play a more active role, one befitting its size and interests. But, whenever push comes to shove, we run up against two problems-first, our economy that lacks heft and second, our military which unable to play a role outside our borders.
Adequate regulations need to be put in place as the mass adoption of gen-AI is inevitable and fast-approaching
Why invest in new infrastructure when the extant set could suffice, provided refuelling/battery replacement takes about the same time as now.
Since America passed the Caesar Act which threatens sanctions on any third country that invests in Syria, countries have placed their plans to rebuild
India’s endeavour to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a well-defined and time-bound manner is critical for national and global development. This paper examines India’s data availability to assess the SDGs related to health and nutrition. While India is still facing severe challenges of generating disaggregated information on mortality and cause-specific deaths, the desired data on nutrition and healthcare utilisation are la
The Chinese side is of the opinion that the real conflict between China and India is not at the LAC but on the development front
It is lack of access to easy credit and high rates of interest that are behind the fall in private investment in agriculture
India must bolster its weight in the digital marketplace, commensurate with the number of current and potential netizens. This would be possible only by creating capabilities and an environment where private businesses, SMEs and individuals can access and exploit this medium gainfully.
As generative AI becomes commercially accessible, it is being used to exacerbate loneliness as well as replace human care and relationships with artif
This brief examines the role of West Bengal as a leverage for India to enhance its relations with its eastern and southeastern neighbours. It identifies the domestic and geo-economic aspirations of the state, and outlines the impact of certain misplaced policies and the state’s conflictual relationship with the union government on West Bengal’s development goals. The brief calls on India to nurture a pragmatic, cooperative brand of federalism
Despite being on the backfoot as the country’s civil war intensifies, the military regime is showing no interest in a democratic transition that may be the country’s only hope. India must explore various options for a peaceful resolution to the crisis and provide humanitarian assistance to displaced people
We should not be lulled into complacency about the nature of the militancy in J&K these days. Incidents can be few and far between. But when they occur, they can be deadly. The winding down of the US and NATO operations in Afghanistan could enlarge the area which could be used by anti-Indian jihadis to set up training camps.
Curiosity drew me to the Yasukuni shrine during a recent trip to Tokyo. When I lived in Beijing in the Nineties, I had been struck by the close attention paid by the Chinese authorities to every visit by a Japanese minister to this Shinto place of worship.
Canberra and New Delhi need to streamline their defense and security agenda on an accelerated pace in the face of pressure on both from Beijing.
Pakistan¿s largest province, Baluchistan, is again on the boil. Two rocket firing incidents took place in early December, 2005. The first incident involved firing on a helicopter carrying the Inspector-General of the Frontier Corps. In the second, a rocket was fired at a public meeting addressed by Gen Pervez Musharraf at Kohlu. These incidents appear to have provided an immediate provocation to launch an operation by the Pakistan Army and the F
The ongoing upazila elections in Bangladesh are a move to deepen democracy at the grassroots. Since the election came just after the parliamentary polls that took place in January and was boycotted by main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP),
The re-rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan is a stark reminder of how the more the world changes, the more it remains the same. In the end, America will move on and India will manage. But it is the ordinary Afghans who had placed their faith in the goodwill of these nations that are left to fend for themselves.
If Iran becomes a nuclear state down the road, it will be in the first place due to Iran's intransigence; but it will also be the result of over a decade of poor negotiating by the international community.
The battle against naxals cannot be won purely by military means even though this may be the first requirement. It cannot definitely be won by introducing the Armed Forces in place of the para militaries. This would be the most retrograde of all steps and should not even be considered as an option.
The current Indian government has given clear indicators that it is likely to place regional integration high on its economic diplomacy agenda, be it SAARC, ASEAN or BCIM. The last two are especially important to India's Act East Policy.
China sees itself as a power that has risen to become a peer of the US and wants its place under the sun, in the process unmasking its aggressive intent. The US is trying to push to retain its pre-eminent global status
The public in South Asian countries have reacted variedly to the developments taking place in Pakistan
New Delhi must prepare for more frequent and longer border impasses, including clashes and skirmishes, particularly in the eastern sector.
For a country as self conscious of its past as India, culture and civilization are alluring themes. In recent weeks two themes have surfaced which may attract attention. One idea has been placed in the public square by Justice Markandey Katju.
Focus will be on making US more competitive, rather than blackballing the Dragon
The BIMSTEC region is among the most vulnerable in the world from increased threat due to climate change. In the foreseeable future, climate change is projected to affect each BIMSTEC member country with greater severity and frequency, thereby impeding their response capacity significantly. This brief explores the vulnerability of the region from climate change and the BIMSTEC-level initiatives that have taken place to address the issue. Although
Seen against the backdrop of geopolitical rivalries — and the lack of a common strategic vision among BIMSTEC members — it is hardly surprising th
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has gained more importance recently because of the many hurdles that have come in the way of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) since 2016, mainly due to issues between India and Pakistan. This brief explores the possibilities of stronger trade and investment ties between the BIMSTEC nations by expediting the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (F
Two decades since its inception, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has yet to truly succeed as an instrument of regional integration. The primary reason for the group’s slow progress is general inertia, or lack of interest amongst its members. There have also been more pressing national and regional issues that have overtaken the group’s development. This is set to change under the im
With regard to the growing use of BNPL, the RBI would have to strike a balance to allow innovation and yet have all safeguards in place.
Having already replaced the United States as Brazil's largest trading partner, China-Brazil trade is set for further boost, with benefits to both the economies. However, the increase in trade, and also the huge trade gap between the countries, is becoming a major challenge for Brazil's policy-makers.
Reviving the economy will require addressing the two major challenges — of a rising informal labour force, and slackening demand.
The British government's Integrated Review brought out in 2021 places a high priority on its partnership with India
In healthcare, one of the main rudimentary elements is health education which is lacking in India. Hygiene and cleanliness are very important as is emphasised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and if basic habits like washing hands before eating are inculcated in the people, a lot of diseases could be prevented.
Multiple social issues, such as rising crimes, poverty and lack of education have made it difficult to contain the spread of the pandemic and spread a
China has twice broached the matter of expanding the membership of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa): first, at the 2017 Xiamen Summit, and again, more recently, at the 14th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting in June 2022 convened virtually under the chairmanship of Beijing. With China and India locked in a stalemate along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Chinese proposal has raised concerns in New Delhi. This brief examine
The recent expansion of BRICS places it as a potential voice for the Global South in economic, trade, and investment matters
BRICS is an evolving process, and any exaggerated notion of it becoming a power bloc will be out of place. It might work towards "a multi-polar (or poly-centric) world", which a former Brazilian President had described as an important goal of BRICS, but in no sense it is a ganging-up against the US or the West.
Mayawati has apparently decided that she should retain her core constituency hoping that everything else would fall in place
Member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) continue to grapple with a host of security issues, including the burgeoning ISIS threat and the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. In the recent months, the region has witnessed the immense social, political, economic and geo-strategic implications of terrorism and displacement. BIMSTEC’s counterterrorism initiatives must therefore be scr
A major problem in developing connectivity projects has been the lack of higher direction. By virtue of being strategic, these tasks ought to be done in special quick time. But, more often than not, they end up mired in all kinds of problems. At the best of times inter-ministerial and centre-state coordination is poor.
As AI is rapidly developing, a robust government-led industry self-regulation regime should be put in place
Investment and demand are interlinked, thus a lack of investment creates a lack of demand as it impacts income and employment levels, which in turn im
Replacing tech authoritarianism with state overreach will only exacerbate problems plaguing social media platforms
