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Little is known and even less understood about the 2,00,000-strong Bangladesh Army's corporate interests. The importance of the subject owes itself to the fact that the army has been a veritable power of stability in a country that has been dogged by decades of unending political turmoil. The fact that the Army had to step in to keep the country from slipping into a political abyss in 2006 underlines the criticality of its role in providing stabi

The problem with imposing sanctions on a country which has the world's third largest proven reserves of oil and second largest conventional natural gas reserves is that the implications are felt globally. The price of oil is highly correlated throughout the world due to market arbitrage.

Whoever wins will have the task of steering Canada amid domestic and foreign policy constraints

The idea of energy security which was hitherto rooted in the supply and price of oil has now been expanded to include concerns over the availability and trade of coal. The key concern is the demand growth from China and its impact on coal price and availability, given the level of concentration in its sources of supply.

Russia is now the world’s most heavily sanctioned country, with unprecedented punitive action targeting its energy exports, central bank, and other sectors. Given Russia’s economic resilience amid such economic restrictions and India’s dependence on Russia for its defence and energy requirements, this issue brief highlights the economic rationale for New Delhi to maintain existing trade ties with Moscow despite continued geopolitical pressu

Thinking about the future of global food systems has now become more critical than ever. Climate change impacts—among them, shifts in soil quality, precipitation, pest regimes, seasonal growth patterns, along with land degradation and reduction in biodiversity—have impacted agricultural and aquatic food production systems across the world. Indeed, the causal links between climate change and food security are manifesting more clearly, particul

In an effort to financially hobble Iran, the United States mandated nations to halt their imports of crude from the country by early November, or else risk attracting sanctions themselves from Washington. Not long after, the US announced that eight nations will be exempted from these sanctions, supposedly in recognition of their effort to cut down on their imports of Iranian oil. This brief argues that while it is true that certain countries did

How Delhi can make the most of its ties with Dhaka

India need not be concerned over the Islamic narrative in the country which, in any case, has produced a remarkable quiescent Muslim community in an era of turmoil in the Islamic world. What the Union Home Ministry needs to worry about are the growing instances of communal violence in the country in the past year.

The India-Pakistan peace process, punctuated with -uctuating waves of optimism and anxiety, has completed three years, and it is appropriate, and timely, to review whether the primary On April 22, 2003 the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told the Indian Parliament that India was unilaterally opening “the doors for talks” with Pakistan. The offer was based on two simple premises: one, that Pakistan would stop cross-border in

Qatar is creating a large footprint for itself in the West Asian Qpolitical landscape. The Gulf state was previously known primarily for its oil and gas reserves, and compliance with US interests in the region. However, Qatar has in the recent past made significant efforts to assert regional pre-eminence through an aggressive foreign policy. Emir Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who recently handed over the reins of power to his son, Tamim bin

Iran’s oil sales are at a five-year high as the US looks the other way despite sanctions. Iran is smartly undercutting Russia in selling cheaper oil and upset Saudi Arabia’s plan to profiteer from production cuts. The new world order being shaped amid the US-China battle for global supremacy equally belongs to countries charting independent paths

MBS’ tour is an important one as it goes beyond the bilateral ties and at a time when anti-Saudi sentiment is at an all-time high in Washington, it has sent an important signal that Riyadh is intent on diversifying its partners.

Tunisia, Eygpt, Syria?events may seem to be following a pattern but the changing dynamics in West Asia point to far more complex political and strategic games being played: The US role, Saudi phobia, Israeli and Iranian intrigues. Oil. And, to top it all, the Shia-Sunni face-off. Is Turkey being lured in as a possible Joker in the pack? Welcome to another Great Game.

The Narendra Modi government has shown signs that it doesn’t mean to let Trump’s stance on Iran derail the oil trade with it

India has to tread a fine line in this imbroglio: Taking care of the welfare and evacuation of Indian students and the possibility of oil price hike

While India would be hoping that the reported secret talks between the US and Iran succeeds, avoiding a conflict, New Delhi could take a leaf out of the Chinese and Japanese strategy of reducing its exposure to Iranian oil in return for a waiver from US sanctions.

New Delhi’s decision to import oil from Moscow has disappointed the US and UK, but urging us not to do so as that would help the Russian economy is blatant hypocrisy.

In April 2023, the Supreme Court of India advocated for the government to establish a "uniform national policy" on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), spotlighting the need for comprehensive measures on a significant public health issue. This brief traces India's path to promoting MHH, highlighting key policy initiatives and their impact on period product usage. Using secondary data from the National Family Health Survey-5, this brief introduces

Countries in the Gulf region are facing a proverbial perfect storm: oil demand falling to its lowest levels in decades, disagreements within the group of oil-exporting nations on supply cuts, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The plummeting of oil prices is affecting these countries’ fiscal positions, business sentiments, and economic growth. India has stakes in all this; after all, the country has strong economic, commercial and diaspora ties with th

Among the estimated 1.3 billion people across the world who have no access to electricity, 70 percent are women. This brief discusses the impact of energy poverty on India’s rural women. As women are primarily responsible for securing food and energy for their family, they are the ones who are worst affected by the lack of access to clean and modern energy. The brief calls for a more holistic approach in research and policymaking on energ

The drastic and sudden drop in Venezuelan and Iranian oil exports to India in 2019-2020, due to the looming threat of US secondary sanctions, is the latest supply chain disruption to India’s energy security. To avoid similar disruptions in the future, India must act decisively to increase its Strategic Petroleum Reserves to meet at least 90 days of emergency oil stocks, and combine lobbying efforts between India’s private and public oil compa

Hanoi's decision in granting oil blocks to New Delhi could make China uneasy as Chinese foreign policy, especially towards the South China Sea and the East China Sea, has undergone a major shift in the last few years.

This paper aims to analyse the reasons for the rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, its characteristics, the primary drivers for the growing menace and international responses; it also compares the differences in modus operandi between Gulf of Guinea and Somalian piracy. Till the early 1980s, piracy was often dismissed as being “archaic Tand folklore of the past”, rarely entering the main maritime discourse. But true to its nature, ‘moder

Prolonged turmoil in the West Asia region could result in rising oil prices and interruption in India's trade with the region valued at $120 billion a year. India should have contingency plans in place to deal with unforeseeable consequences of a spreading conflagration.

The US interest in West Asia is declining as domestic economic and political uncertainties make it look more and more inwards. The shale oil and gas boom is transforming energy markets with the US likely to emerge as the world's biggest combined oil and gas producer this year. These trends are reshaping the regional order in West Asia and New Delhi will have to respond pro-actively to preserve and enhance its own interests in a strategically crit

Studies done in ORF estimate that even with everything in our favour, India will be hard put to exceed a thermal coal based capacity beyond 300 GW. In such a scenario, how do we better harness our oil and gas potential and fulfill the great promise that lies hidden in our vast unexplored acreages.

In the coming Pakistan elections, the PPP cannot be written off because it has substantial pockets of support across various provinces. But it deserves some sympathy. Asif Zardari has not had an easy time with the media which had deemed him corrupt from day one or the judiciary and the military which have foiled all his efforts to come up with bold policies.

Though India has decided to cut down oil from Iran and thereby, for the time being, might have placated the US, it, however, cannot afford to ignore Iran either - for a myriad of reasons.

National oil companies have raised petrol prices again and, predictably, everyone is up in arms. Didi promises to lead the charge. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's muted support for price hike notwithstanding.

Narendra Modi’s West Asia policy remains the one area of achievement in an otherwise indifferent record of foreign policy.

Germany’s image as the leader in green energy and the creator of “Energiewende” (energy transition) is under siege. According to a recent study, the self-committed goal to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2020 will likely be missed. This potential shortcoming does not come as a surprise to Germany and has been an intensively discussed issue for many years. Does this mean the end of Germany’s energy transition? This paper anal

The arrival of the French in Mali could well be the beginning of link ups across the oil and mineral rich regions stretching from Sudan across Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Western Sahara.

Regional security in West Asia stands at a precarious intersection.

अफगाणिस्तान-चीन सहकार्याच्या भविष्यासाठी तेल करार ही मूलभूत चाचणी असू शकते.

अफगाणिस्तान ही चीनसाठी एक महत्त्वपूर्ण भूराजकीय परीक्षा असेल. पण जेथे बाकीच्यांना अपयश आले आहे, तेथे चीनला यश येईल का?

अमेरिका-इराण संघर्षात भारतासह अनेक आशियाई अर्थव्यवस्थांचे मोठे नुकसान आहे. कारण हे देश मध्यपूर्वेतील तेलाचे सर्वात मोठे ग्राहक आहेत.

भारत की सफलता इसी पर निर्भर करेगी कि वह अपनी भौगोलिक परिधि के पहलू को किनारे रखकर एक प्रमुख वैश्विक शक्ति के रूप में स्थापित होने के पुरजोर प्रयास करे. 

इंडो-पॅसिफिकमधील युद्धरेषा स्पष्टपणे परिभाषित होत आहेत.

टोकियो संपर्क कार्यालयाची योजना सध्या होल्डवर असूनही, इंडो-पॅसिफिकसह NATO चे सहकार्य अधिक सखोल होण्याची शक्यता आहे.

तेलावरून युद्ध झालेच तर त्याचा तेलाच्या किंमती भयानक चढतील, त्यामुळे केवळ मध्य-पूर्वेतील नव्हे तर संपूर्ण जागतिक अर्थव्यवस्थाच कोलमडून पडू शकते.

ट्रम्प यांच्या स्वयंपूर्णतेच्या मार्गाला अल्पकालीन लाभ आहेत, परंतु मोदींचे वैविध्यपूर्ण स्रोत हे दीर्घकाळासाठी अधिक चांगले पर्याय आहेत

तेलाच्या किमतींमध्ये दिसणाऱ्या चढ-उतारातून आर्थिक परिवर्तनाचे एक रंजक उदाहरण तयार होते- जरी आपल्याला ते समजले तरी, त्याचा अंदाज लावण्यास आपण पूर्णपणे अक्षम आहोत.

चीनच्या ऊर्जा विषयक वाढत्या गरजा पूर्ण करण्यासाठी, त्यांच्या कर्जासाठी- तेल- धोरणातून, लवचिक जागतिक ऊर्जा पुरवठा साखळी तयार करण्याची चीनची गरज चीन-रशिया या उभय देशांतील �

पर्यावरण दिनाच्या निमित्ताने निसर्गाशी असलेले आपले नाते पुन्हा एकदा समजून घेतले तर, भविष्यात लॉकडाऊनचा हा ‘कारावास’ पुन्हा माणसाच्या वाट्याला येणार नाही.

जैसे-जैसे बड़ी ताकतों के बीच जियो-पॉलिटिकल होड़ तेज होगी, वैसे-वैसे भारत के पड़ोसी देशों पर असर पड़ेगा. शेख हसीना की सरकार का गिरना इसका एक उदाहरण है.

अत्यंत स्वस्त दरात कच्च्या तेलाची उपलब्धता ही लवकरच भूतकाळातील गोष्ट बनू शकते.

जगभर कोरोनाच्या महामारीशी जग दोन हात करत असताना, दुसरीकडे तेलाच्या अर्थकारणावरील वर्चस्वाची लढाई लढली जाते आहे. ही लढाई साऱ्या जगासाठी चिंतेचा विषय आहे.