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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been energetically pushing the Indian view. If he is able to transform the Indian economy and put it on a fast growth track in the coming years, he will sharply enhance India's weight in the international system.

If the purpose of privacy is to preserve democracy, then data protection laws must reflect this purpose.

In some ways, the real war began after 2009, as the US forces drew down from Iraq. The result was a carrots and sticks approach; the swelling to over 60,000 US troops in Afghanistan (with another 30,000 committed during the “surge”) coupled with greater economic assistance to Pakistan

Despite the promise of 2014, India's neighbourhood policy has run into some confusion. There are many examples. With Pakistan, India is paying for the Narendra Modi government's initial missteps.

Before PM Modi can pat himself on the back for a fine diplomatic performance in Lanka, Modi now faces a big political test in the Maldives, where the regime of Abdul Yameen has arrested former President Mohamed Nasheed on charges of terrorism and a perverted judicial system has sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

Caps on surge prices with its effect on market remain under-studied. However, Ola & Uber cannot resist regulation

It would perhaps be wiser for the government to focus on how to stop the outflow of black money instead of just chasing money already stashed abroad. One method is to enter into agreements and treaties with countries to share information, like the way the US is doing now.

To take India-Japan ties to the next level, three issues need to be resolved. First, early end to their negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation. Second, a decision on the offer of the US-2 amphibian aircraft. Third, the symbolism of Japanese technology products which can be used for military applications.

President George W. Bush is a desperate man today. He wants Osama bin Laden, dead or alive. More than 12000 US troops, including a 1400-men strong elite commando unit known as Task Force 121, are in Pakistan and Afghanistan hunting for Laden. Supporting them is a 70,000-strong contingent from President Pervez Musharraf¿s Army.

The stagnation in US-Russia relations does not augur well for New Delhi's strategic interests. It's a throwback to the Cold War, when India had to choose between the two countries

India got a reality check recently when newspapers splashed the shocking conclusions of the first Socio-Economic and Caste Census since 1934. The message from the numbers is obvious: India has to resolve some very basic issues within before it can aspire to be any kind of power, regional or global.

New Delhi’s expected involvement amid recent tensions with some other participants will make for interesting dynamics.

The US-led TPP would face increasing competition as China recently concluded a free trade agreement with Australia (ChAFTA) and South Korea and is pushing for a broader Asia-trade pact - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

It is gratifying to note that women's safety did figure in the Annual Budget 2014-15 with an outlay of Rs 200 crore. Good enough for the lowered expectations but not sufficient given the exponential rise in violence against women across the country. Same allocation for the Patel statue has made the matters worse by pitting living and breathing population against a memorial.

It is gratifying to note that women's safety did figure in the Annual Budget 2014-15 with an outlay of Rs 200 crore. Good enough for the lowered expectations but not sufficient given the exponential rise in violence against women across the country. Same allocation for the Patel statue has made the matters worse by pitting living and breathing population against a memorial.

Aware of the economic threat posed by the US, the Chinese president has been pushing for economic reforms.

India and China have to shoulder greater responsibility to ensure that they adopt more inclusive and cooperative approach in addressing each other's concerns. And no amount of multilateral level cooperation (BRICS, G-20, WTO) can diminish some of these vexed issues.

Intelligence agencies are prone to exaggerate an adversary’s capabilities. Indian intelligence in the mid-1970s, meanwhile, severely underestimated Pakistan’s nuclear cunning. For a crucial part of those years, India could not identify AQ Khan’s clandestine nuclear activities to acquire Uranium enrichment technology. This brief names three reasons: hubris, biases, and overlearning from one’s experiences. For New Delhi, this is as much a p

The furore generated in Pakistan over the al-Qaeda chief, Osama Bin Laden's death in 'Operation Geronimo' by the US forces is symptomatic of Pakistan's dilemma in the 'war against terror'.

India's vote at Geneva in favour of the UNHRC resolution critical of Sri Lanka possibly signals the increasing vulnerability of national interests to regional interests dictated by the necessity of coalition politics. India's this strategic folly would once again rebound to China's and Pakistan's advantage.

Human rights issues have been a cornerstone of US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. This paper examines Washington’s human rights focus on India and China under former President Donald Trump, and identifies trends under the current Joe Biden administration. The paper notes an emergent US bipartisan approach to refocus on Beijing’s human rights record following a period of policy dissonance owing to concerns to protect its economic

As the debate on using humans as guinea pigs rages across Asia, the rationale for developing new drugs, new treatments and new research is equally stronger. The solution lies somewhere in between where governments, pharmaceutical companies and those in medical profession have to wear ethical hats and delineate profit from greed.

An international posse led by the US has set off along with a motley crowd hunting for one of the two remaining leaders of the Axis of Evil. The British are there, as always, galloping along close to the Americans. The Germans and the French have returned to the fold after staying away in the hunt for Saddam Hussein.

Tamil Nadu fishers have put their politicos on notice. Sympathise and empathise with them on their cause but not politicise it too much, as it may have become a hurdle and a hitch, not amounting to support and solutions.

Our fascination with quantitatively large projects overlooks the small qualitative project developments like Small Hydro which offers a lot more scope for sustainable socio-economic and environmental development.

The emergence of this new grouping is clearly an outcome of the Abraham Accords of Aug 2020 and the possibilities that they have created for Israel and the UAE to be on the same platform with India and the US. As President Biden moves to Saudi Arabia for the second leg of his visit to West Asia, we are likely to see a push towards integrating Israel through trade, technology, direct flights and people-to-people contact even with countries where f

The most quoted reason for aircraft accidents in the Indian Air Forces is the absence of Advanced Jet Trainers. It is a valid point but to blame the increasing number of accidents on one factor would be grossly misleading.

The central government is considering a proposal to select aspiring IAS and allied services candidates after the 12th standard with a view to catching them young for a career in the bureaucracy. Presumably, a new academy will be established for this purpose because the Mussoorie academy has a different charter.

From an internet governance point of view, and the debate over the ITU staking its claim over managing the internet resources and taking over the ICANN functions, GAC's role is an important one, but which often finds itself as not having enough 'clout' in the ICANN decision making process.

Nepal's Prime Minister Bhattarai has difficult tasks ahead. His credibility has diminished following a heap of unpopular moves he resorted to. He has been criticised for seeking amnesty for rights violators and for his failure to deal with rampant corruption and worsening law and order situation.

The EU's proposed International Code of Conduct (ICoC) for space activities would not be successful if major space actors stay out of the ICoC, according to Indian PM's Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Amb. Rakesh Sood. He says the ICoC was welcomed simply due to the lack of alternate initiatives.

Adoption of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can affect the performance of firms in a variety of ways, including faster processing of information and products, the facilitation of changes in business practices and improved internal organisation and management. Indeed, much of the recent research on developed countries in this area has emphasised less the adoption decision per se than what adoption facilitates. In particular, ICT is

The higher levels of development seen in the northern and southern Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh serves to highlight that successive governments have been unable to leverage the agricultural productivity of the region and enhance basic infrastructure throughout the state.

India's macro position on equity at international fora such as Rio +20 must be reflected in its domestic resolve to offer energy equitably to its diverse population. The imperatives of creating a 'green economy' must only follow and complement such efforts.

A former director at the Cabinet Secretariat, D.S. Rajan, says that though India-China relations are peaceful for the time being, New Delhi cannot lower its guard as China's intentions are not clear with regard to the border issue.

When a strategy yields no results, or worse, is counterproductive, then the wise move is to change it. Our strategy of not reacting to repeated Pakistani depredations or offering conciliatory gestures may have earned us international accolades but has not made Pakistan change its policy options or stance towards India.

The new management has been quick to reassure investors that the value in IL&FS shares will not be allowed to be eroded.

The global order is fast-changing; the field of International Relations (IR), less so. Despite the rise of other countries in economic and geopolitical terms, the field of IR continues to be dominated by the West and its theories, methods and policy concerns. The idea of ‘Global IR’ proposed in this brief aims to make the field more inclusive and universal. After outlining the major elements of a Global IR paradigm, the brief suggests that In

Modi has a rare opportunity to tap into the positive trends within the South Asian diaspora. An intensive engagement with them would be a valuable complement to Modi's declared strategy of befriending neighbours. Modi could signal the new approach by meeting their representatives during his Australia visit this month.

Although the issue of same-sex marriage may have been settled legally with the Supreme Court verdict, politically, it remains volatile. Since the ruling, reactions of the 2016 Presidential candidates have been deeply polarised, indicating the potential of the issue to become a determining factor in the run-up to 2016.

Acquisition of air assets by the most successful guerilla outfit and a declared Terrorist organization, LTTE, has alarmed observers around the world.

The economic cooperation between Baosteel of China and China Steel of Taiwan for joint investment in overseas mining, and these kinds of economic engagements, need to be viewed more from the lenses of the liberal paradigm of international relations rather than focusing on the conflict or the political aspects of the engagement.

This report is the text of a presentation made at a seminar on ’Military-technical Cooperation between Russia and India: Status and Perspectives for Cooperation’, organised jointly by Observer Research Foundation and Unity for Russia Foundation, on October 5-7, 2007 in Moscow.