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While the unified structure being adopted by China will lead to the strengthening of its military prowess to back up the country's global ambitions, in India, political waffling has so far prevented the emergence of a similar combined structure for its armed forces.

The Judicial Accountability Bill, looked at in a holistic manner, is indeed a step ahead to restore some of the fundamental values in the judicial bodies of the government -- integrity of the judges, transparency and independence of judiciary.

Whatever be the model for judicial appointments, the crux of the matter is the necessity of giving "cogent reasons in writing" on nominations as well as appointments and whatever model the executive and legislature chooses in its wisdom must give voice to the same.

The Judicial Standards And Accountability Bill 2010 seeks to repeal The Judges (Inquiry) Act 1968 which was enacted with a view to lay down the procedure for removal of Supreme Court and High Court Judges, but does not contain the mechanism for it.

THE DISTURBING aspects of Arab democracy, wrote a columnist in Haaretz recently, "are its implications for Israel." These were listed: advent of democracy in Arab countries would make Israel lose its unique character and the "shared values" with America emanating from it; given the freedom of choice, Arab voters might elect Islamist "extremists"; Arab opinion, as per the most recent Arab Human Development Report

Securing justice - social, economic and political to all citizens is one of the key mandates of the Indian Constitution. This has been explicitly made so in the Article 39-A of the Constitution that directs the State 'to secure equal justice and free legal aid for the citizens'.

The Justice J.S. Verma Committee report on amendments to criminal law includes many of the ideas of the recommendations submitted by ORF, in association with Hammurabi and Soloman, a law firm.

The recommendations of the Verma Committee establishing a link between the urgent need for electoral reforms and gender justice is a novel recommendation in terms of ensuring that candidates / legislators are more gender sensitive.

Many politicians and leaders go out of their way to claim that they are the aam aadmi. But if there was ever a man of the people, it was A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who rose from a humble background to become India's true People's President.

If the US is to stay on in Afghanistan's half a dozen or so bases in the event of it scaling down its combat troops by July 2011, these bases will require a steady flow of supplies.

The ongoing political oscillation in Karachi reflects structural impediments that a country with a weak state and strong society has to face. It underlines the problems that politicians face due to strong kinship.

The Kargil military conflict of 1999 between India and Pakistan came in the wake of the "bhai-bhai" ("we are brothers") euphoria generated by the bus ride of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister, to Lahore and his high-profile meeting with Mr.Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's then Prime Minister. In the euphoria, we let ourselves be caught napping by the Pakistan Army in the heights of Kargil.

Many military veterans have returned the medals awarded to them for gallantry and fighting wars to the President, a sure sign of frustration and feeling of neglect.

Whatever happens between Kabul and Rawalpindi, India has no reason to get too anxious. If Delhi holds its nerve and plays well the few cards it has, India could yet have some impact on the evolution of the Af-Pak dynamic.

The sad fact is the Pakistani rulers are unable to prevent Taliban activists from targeting their own people, the Shias, whose processions have been periodically attacked in Rawalpindi and Karachi. It is high time Pakistani rulers realised the fact that terrorism would consume their own people even before it targeted others in India.

Nawaz Sharif may have made friendly noises towards India, but two years of relative tranquility that the two countries have enjoyed along with Kashmir is threatening to become a casualty of the big power game. Some interested powers have begun to show inordinate interest in the Kashmir dispute all over again.

The apparent role of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba in the terrorist attack in Srinagar on June 24, killing 8 jawans, has raised several questions which may sour the tone and tenor of New Delhi's renewed engagement with Islamabad.

If the Modi government can restore the ceasefire as part of the resumption of talks with Pakistan, strengthen the existing CBMs across the LoC and unveil new ones, the external dimension to J&K could change for the better and create a conducive environment for the ambitious internal agenda for development articulated by the BJP and PDP.

I have stopped reading columns in the International Herald Tribune because I get most of them pushed through my door as op-ed articles in our mainstream English language newspapers.

Located between France and Spain in southwestern Europe is a place called Andorra; 468 kilometres in all, 2.5 times the size of Washington DC with a population of 69,150, predominantly Roman Catholics, 43 per cent of whom are Spanish and rest either Andorrans, French or Portuguese.

On October 8, seismic fault-lines made a mockery of the ceasefire line that was drawn 56 years ago between the Indian and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This map delineation, which was renamed as the Line of Control after the 1971 Indo-Pak war, appears to have gone out of control, at least temporarily, by the fury of the massive earthquake that struck J and Northern Areas on that Black Saturday. Thousands have perished on either side, including

That China is now preparing to extend its railway into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir should stir PM Modi to recognise the significance of the railways for India's national security and factor it into the rail budget to be presented to Parliament next week.

Underlining the urgent need for sustained dialogue representing all stakeholders in Kashmir, speakers at a discussion on the present crisis in Kashmir opined that the situation was very critical.

Excerpts from a lecture delivered by Sardar Abdul Qayuum Khan on April 28, 2007 at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, and the open discussion that followed his presentation. Sardar Sahib led a delegation of 23 persons from PoK, which included senior political leaders from different parties. A galaxy of well-known diplomats, academics, media persons and analysts attended the meeting, which was chaired by Shri. M. Rasgotra, former Foreig

It is ironic that nine years ago, India had expelled Jalil Abbas Jilani, who was then the acting high commissioner of Pakistan, for funding Kashmiri separatists. Nine years later, he was allowed to meet the same separatists.

Despite intermittent violence and media claims, the youth in the Kashmir Valley are apprehensive about the mood and methods of the hard-line political parties and leaders, according to Brigadier K Srinivasan (retd),

The Cabinet Committee on Security¿s decision to have Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani as the new person to be heading the talks with separatist outfits raises several questions. What had prompted the Government to finally involve a separatist outfit at the level of talks that the latter have been demanding for so long? And then what would be the status of talk¿s vis-à-vis Pakistan especially after this peace initiative?

This article evaluates the current situation in Kashmir with a view to explore possibilities of reconciliation and re-assimilation.

Before Sopor incidents and Amarnath Yatra amalgamate lethally, for heaven's sake, pick up those reports of the five Working Groups on Jammu and Kashmir formed by the Prime Minister in 2006-07. Many of the recommendations can be implemented unilaterally.

Intra Kashmir dialogue is necessary for peace in Kashmir, said former president and prime minister of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, while delivering an address at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, on April 28, 2007.

The three-year extension given to Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani by the civilian government recently serves short-term objectives of a few vested interests and compromises long term interests of the region and its people.

India will need to tread lightly in its pursuit to be more assertive vis-ﾅ-vis the Chinese in the IOR. Low key, footprint initiatives, like surveillance stations and docking or berthing rights, may be the key in increasing the reach of its security net in the region, minus the political backlash of acting like a regional hegemon.

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.

The negotiations on Space code of Conduct, set to begin in New York, provide an opportune moment for states to narrow down their differences and help establish a comprehensive instrument. The EU must be patient and develop the necessary consensus so that it establishes a strong support base, vital for the longevity of the code.

The emphasis ever since Dr Manmohan Singh Govt came to power in 2004 has been on 'making borders irrelevant without redrawing them'. To ensure this, there has been a continuing stress on connecting India's border provinces with those of its neighbouring countries.

The abduction of two French journalists in Iraq citing the new French law against head-scarves in public places as the reason marks a new chapter in the ongoing US-led 'global war on terrorism'. Considering that France, along with Germany, was more sympathetic to Iraq under Saddam Hussein when US launched the 'Second Gulf War', it also marks a new phase in the 'international jihad' after 9/11.

Centre’s authorisation on interception of computers imperils citizen’s privacy

It is important to examine how female peacekeepers themselves experience gender and other relations while on duty where the power differential in relation to locals is in their favour, but remains different in relation to their male colleagues.

To any intelligence analyst, it should be obvious that the US has already embarked on a psychological warfare (PSYWAR) campaign to keep Iran on tenterhooks in the hope of thereby breaking its will to resist US pressure to agree to the dismantling of its uranium enrichment capability.

Congress and BJP's answer to the Supreme Court's question on Arvind Kejriwal's petition, challenging the imposition of President's rule in Delhi, may have the potential to rearrange the political landscape.

If the final list of prime ministerial candidates consists of only Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and possibly a third front candidate like Nitish Kumar or anyone else, Arvind Kejriwal will surely be there as the people's candidate. And, in the final analysis, the chances of Kejriwal clinching the highest leadership in the country are brighter than those of Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi.

On January 16, 2012, the Kenyan troops completed 90 days of their presence in Somalia where they had gone to fight the al-Shabaab militants. The initial aim of the invasion, which began as a reaction to a spate of kidnappings and raids on Kenyan border by the Islamic militants, was to secure the border between the two countries.

India should be watching Mr John Kerry's trip to Asia with interest considering that the US and China have just held a dialogue on South Asia, even as the US has refused to hold a bilateral dialogue with India on East Asia in the last year.

Kerry's Russia visit signals Washington reaching out to Moscow and is the first sign towards normalising the US-Russia relationship. However, it will be prudent to say nothing more than that for now.