Search

To understand the different aspects of the Iranian nuclear programme and its impact on the region, especially India, Observer Research Foundation, in collaboration with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), organised a workshop on March 4, 2013.

Unlike the crowded and competitive Republican presidential nomination field, the Democratic field, for a long time, looked empty with only Hillary Clinton. The strong entry of Sanders in the Democratic nomination has given the American voters a fair choice between Clinton and Sanders' respective brands of politics.

In yet another bizarre turn to the Sankararaman murder case, the Tamil Nadu police have arrested Mutt manager Sundaresa Iyer and junior pontiffs brother Raghu under the anti-drugs law. They have now been charged with conspiring to murder construction contractor Ravi Subramaniam, who has turned approver in the Sankararaman murder case,

Showing images of attacks on US soldiers in Iraq is a crime? In what category do we then place the complete destruction of what was once Mesopotamia, one of the world's earliest civilizations?

Over the last few years, Delhi has found Riyadh more forthcoming in tracking down terrorists of concern to India. As the Kingdom enters a more decisive phase in their war against terror, the prospects for security cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia are likely to improve.

¿Unlike in Egypt, Algeria and Yemen, no well¿defined group engaged in sustained terrorism has emerged in Saudi Arabia¿i. A lot has been said and written about Saudi Arabia¿s role in the largely defunct ¿war on terror¿. The ruling family of the House of Saud has been an unabashed US ally in the campaign to hunt out terrorists.

The NDA government has not devoted sufficient attention to the Middle East in 2014. As New Delhi turns to the Gulf in 2015 and tends to its high stakes in the region, an intensive engagement with Saudi Arabia must be at the top of PM Narendra Modi's diplomatic priorities.

Fierce Iranian-Saudi rivalry ensures more conflict for the Middle East with the rest of the world left to choosing sides

Amidst the growing distrust of the US and the absence of domestic capabilities to confront a rising Iran, the Saudis are determined to strengthen their regional alliances, especially the historic partnership with Pakistan.

In seeking 'Scheduled Castes' identity, fishers across India, including those in southern Tamil Nadu coast, need to acknowledge the double-edged weapon that court orders have been in conferring 'tribal rights' on land-based SC communities.

The Supreme Court did award NCR's elected government due authority. But, by leaving reserve subjects with the LG, it contradicted a global governance trend.

As the frequency and impacts of climate events increase, demand for adaptation at the local level becomes urgent. The adaptation finance received from developing and least- developed countries is estimated to be less than USD 25 billion per year, which is exponentially less than the required amount of USD 215 billion per year. Further, the evidence indicates that less than 10% of global climate finance reaches the local level. Local communities l

Recongnising the pivotal role of technology in ensuring India?s emergence as a global player, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, has launched a ?Technology Initiative?. As the first event, a one-day workshop on ?Science & Technology Challenges for India? is being hosted on May 7, 2005. The workshop brings together renowned professionals to evolve collective, cohesive thinking on issues of significance to India?s S&T performance and as

This issue brief examines the complex interplay between science fiction and technology development in the age of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and brain-computer interfaces. As the line between science and fiction continues to blur, this brief argues for strategically using science fiction narratives to inform and guide technology development and policymaking. Drawing upon historical precedents of scien

हाल के सम्मेलन से जो सकारात्मक संकेत मिले हैं, उन्हें वास्तविकता के धरातल पर उतारने के लिए चीन को सुनिश्चित करना होगा कि उसकी कथनी एवं करनी में कोई भेद नहीं. तभी एससीओ प्रती�

For Indian Foreign Policy radicals, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, whose leaders are meeting this week in Beijing, is about an undying dream from the past - building an eastern bloc against the West.

SCO बैठकीत भारत-चीन संबंधांचं नाजूक संतुलन स्पष्ट दिसलं. जिथे शक्य आहे तिथं सहकार्य, आणि जिथं गरज आहे तिथं सावधगिरी.

शांततापूर्ण, सुरक्षित आणि समृद्ध युरेशिया साध्य करण्यासाठी SCO सदस्य राष्ट्रांनी त्यांच्या मधील मतभेद दूर करून विश्वास निर्माण करणे आवश्यक आहे.

Normal relations and peace with Pakistan are not possible unless Pakistan stops supporting terrorism and there is verifiable evidence. Even then, what the Shiv Sena goons did to Sudheendra Kulkarni preceding Kasuri's book launch was a national shame. This action does no credit to any Indian.

We have decided to resume the so-called composite dialogue with Pakistan, without admitting as much. Why not be frank about the change in our position? Why resort to word play to obfuscate?

A recent report of the 2017-2018 Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence (PSCOD) has revealed that India’s defence services are facing a severe resource crunch. Given the enormous amount of money that the country is already spending on defence, the chances are slim that the government will come up with the significantly higher amounts of funds needed for modernisation. Meanwhile, the armed forces are facing obsolescence in equipment. The wa

This paper studies the case of the countries of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) to investigate if progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) plays an instrumental role in addressing structural vulnerabilities. It finds that it does. Despite improvements in certain SDGs such as increasing per-capita income levels, improving healthcare, and providing universal

Goal 11 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” Its targets include the promotion of resilience to disasters such as earthquakes. Many of India’s cities that lie in high-intensity zones—determined by ‘seismic microzonation’—are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. Such cities, therefore, must move towards developing and adopting policies that pro

While Australia-Indonesia ties are in limbo, it would make sense to deepen the Australia-India side of the triangle. Here the potential areas for action are maritime domain awareness, naval intelligence sharing, providing access to each other's naval facilities, and working together to improve the capacity of smaller states in the Indian Ocean.

The United States and India acknowledge the need for a shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous Indo⎯Pacific region. Even as they look for effective ways to further coordinate their naval activity, both partners recognise the need to sustain the progress that has already been achieved.

Shoba Suri and Subhasree Ray, Seas of Sustenance: Navigating ‘Blue Food’ for Indo-Pacific Food Security, June 2024, Observer Research Foundation.

In line with his agenda of restoring America’s place in the world, Biden is banking on Obama-era liberal internationalists

After its successful maiden meeting last year, the Asian Forum on Global Governance will be organised again in New Delhi from October 14 - 24 this year. The nomination and application process is going on since March 15. The last date for submission of applications is June 1.

The Second Thomas Shoal is the new flashpoint in the South China Sea. Solving it is vital for the region. The ASEAN definitely has the potential to facilitate dialogue with China. It must seize this opportunity or risk living with the consequences of failing to do so.

Japan has enacted a controversial secrecy law, despite increasing opposition from the public. Under the new law, there are harsher sentences, including prison term of up to 10 years for public servants and others who have access to sensitive information.

Recently, the Dhaka High Court declared Bangladesh as a secular nation. The verdict brought respite to the feeling of guilt among the people for denouncing secularism from the Constitution, one of the core values for which they had fought for during the liberation struggle of 1971.

This paper looks at debates from the days of the British Raj until now that have shaped India's strategic thought on Afghanistan. It highlights the impact of India's territorial construct on its strategic imagination and argues that India's Afghan policy is determined by its political geography. Afghanistan has proved to be a security lynchpin in South and A Central Asia over the last two decades. Home to a variety of militant networks with regi

India cannot afford to be a mere bystander to developments in its immediate Neighbourhood. A failure to assist Afghanistan at this crucial juncture would not only undermine India's long term security interests but would reflect poorly on New Delhi's reliance as a friendly partner in troubled times.

The Sony hack is a textbook example of the fog of cyberwar. The whole incident is a telling manifestation of the many aspects of cybersecurity: the question of state behavior in cyberspace; the threat to business advancing public-private cooperation in combating such attacks; and the question of motive

The national food security legislation may be well-intentioned but it can turn out to be a logistical nightmare if its delivery system is not designed optimally. Optimal delivery mechanism is the core element which will make or break this ambitious programme with serious fiscal implications over the longer term.

The lack of agricultural biodiversity in farming systems threatens nutritional security for the nearly 3 billion people of India and Africa. Around 600 million smallholder farmers—most of them in these two regions and who produce more than a third of the world’s food—are key to maintaining biodiversity and ensuring food and nutrition security for all. However, the homogenising effects of globalisation threaten their economic viability and c

The Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) in the Indo-Pacific are a critical enabler of economic development and prosperity in the region but receive little policy attention. In an era of geopolitical contestation, with regional powers reluctant to exert military effort in preserving exclusive access in ‘contested’ spaces, joint military endeavours remain largely confined to non-traditional areas of security. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukr

Countries such as India and Australia are redefining their Indo-Pacific policies amidst the growing belligerence of China in the region. The two have a common interest in stability, while standing firmly against any militarisation. Their willingness to partner closely with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific lays the foundation for stronger defence and security cooperation between the two middle-power democracies and Indian Ocean li

Experts feel that securitising climate change would defeat democracy in developing parts of the world which already have an overwhelming presence of military. Therefore, a counter narrative for securitising climate change is imperative.

With NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan finally coming to an end this past week, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will now be responsible for security throughout the country.

In a talk jointly organized by ORF ORF Chennai and Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras on March 14, 2005, at the University of Madras, ORF Chennai,

A year after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy, the stalemate continues

The sanctity of "NPT-signatory" is laughable because that is a crude way of assessing a country's nuclear non-proliferation record. China has signed the NPT but has flouted every single idea behind the treaty. On the other hand, while India is not a signatory, it has upheld all the principles.

National interests are taking precedence over international issues such as terrorism

Pakistan¿s port city of Karachi has been buzzing with military activity beginning September 2004. There have been two important events: first the inauguration by President Musharraf of the third IDEAS-2004 defence exhibition at the Expo Centre, Karachi.