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The US's plan of reducing troop strengths abroad would be counter balanced by the new kinds of deployments. The trend now is towards intelligence weapons systems with precise missions that are network centric, capable of swift decision and superior performance in all echelons with fewer casualties.

In September 2024, the Second UN High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) marked a critical juncture in global health governance. This report examines the key commitments and implementation challenges emerging from the meeting’s Political Declaration. While the declaration sets ambitious targets—such as reducing AMR-related deaths by 10 percent by 2030 and establishing US$100 million in sustainable funding—massive gaps remain. T

Dr. Sergey Kurginyan noted that the world at present faces the threat of descending into a vortex of chaos and whoever succeeds in managing this chaos effectively will be able to take control of the future of the international system as the new hegemon.

The United States (US) has revoked India’s benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and imposed Section 232 tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium. In response, India announced retaliatory tariffs. This brief probes the ongoing trade tensions between India and the US, despite a reduction in the trade deficit. It discusses the heightened influence of the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and outlines its apprehensions

The United States (US) has revoked India’s benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and imposed Section 232 tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium. In response, India announced retaliatory tariffs. This brief probes the ongoing trade tensions between India and the US, despite a reduction in the trade deficit. It discusses the heightened influence of the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and outlines its apprehensions

This brief analyses the impacts of the withdrawal of the United States’ Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme on India’s exports, domestic production and employment.[1]  Until 5 June 2019, when the GSP withdrawal came into effect, India was the largest beneficiary of the GSP of which it had been part since 1974. A decline in exports to the US was anticipated as items under zero-tariff rate were subjected to a higher rate after wi

Food insecurity and mental health issues are linked in a syndemic relationship, where their interplay exacerbates negative outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations. Chronic food insecurity contributes to psychological distress and depression, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that hinders access to adequate nutrition and undermines mental well-being. This bidirectional dynamic is further influenced by socio-economic disparities, gende

Sustainable finance emerged as a key issue to tackle climate change at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and is spurring a global transition to net zero. A peculiar feature of the race to net zero is that it cannot be achieved unless all countries can meet their targets, and any positive step towards it will benefit all countries. The drive to achieve carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions needs to be targeted through a range of

Natural gas is an efficient bridge fuel between high-emission fuels and renewable energy systems. Due to limited conventional natural gas reserves, India imports more than half of its natural gas requirements. Increased production of natural gas from domestically available resources could help India reduce gas imports, achieve national emission intensity targets, and honour international climate commitments. Marine gas hydrates ar

As the strategic environment in Asia turns increasingly fraught, regional navies have been focusing on the development of autonomous and unmanned systems — not only to improve situational awareness, but also as a means to undertake intrusive missions in forward locations. A transformative and potentially disruptive capability, autonomous platforms with artificial intelligence (AI) systems are pushing the boundaries of maritime interdiction to p

High-density urban agglomerations may be sustainable in terms of the economies of scale their populations provide. Yet, as proven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these same urban spaces are nearly defenceless in times of unprecedented disease outbreaks. A pandemic poses many risks to the millions who live in dense megacities, whether in wealthy countries or developing ones. The sheer density of the population of these cities provides an ideal e

India’s development trajectory is closely tied to urbanisation. This brief critiques the existing urban planning framework in the country, examining the gaps and unique challenges posed by urbanisation and the impacts of climate change in hilly cities. The brief focuses on India’s ecologically sensitive Himalayan ecosystem, which have historically received little attention in urbanisation discourse. The region’s hilly urban areas have uniqu

Do we need the IAS? This was the subject of an interaction organized by Observer Research Foundation Chennai Chapter on Saturday, 4 September, 2010, in the light of 'IT czar' N R Narayana Murthy's call for abolishing the system of generalised administrators under the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

The negotiations leading to the compromise legislation in the US Congress revealed two interesting trends. One, the increasing influence of the Tea Party Caucus in Republican politics and by extension in the American political system. Second, the absence of effective Presidential leadership in the debt-ceiling debate.

The benefits that India enjoyed for many years under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme of the United States was withdrawn, effective 5 June 2018. India was the largest beneficiary of the programme, of which it has been part since its inception in 1974. This paper evaluates the impact of the withdrawal on specific sectors of Indian exports. For comparison, the paper uses the Harmonized System Code (HS Code) Commodity Classifica

A proposal by Nobel economists to resolve the trade war ignores the whole point of having a global trading system.

Cross-border payment is one part of the banking sector that has yet to benefit from recent progress in digitalisation. Most international transactions are still processed using a 600-year-old correspondent banking system devised by the Medici.[1] However, this system of manual entry of transactions is not a scalable solution for the burgeoning digital payments space. While this may seem like an issue for institutions, a huge segment of the popul

Cyber security threats have amplified significantly in the last decade, creating security concerns across the globe. Media reports during this period have highlighted how information network systems have been exploited by cyber criminals-as well as States-on numerous occasions for espionage and intelligence gathering. In this backdrop, this Paper focuses on cyber security concerns related to Social Engineering.

The expansion of access to affordable drugs will play a central role in addressing present and future global health challenges. Given the vast social implications of increased access to medicines, the Indian patent system has historically maintained a pro-public health stand. However, the international political community is increasingly advocating for stricter patent regimes and India can no longer continue to ignore the pressure exerted by deve

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is essential for maintaining good health and well-being. However, empirical studies undertaken in several Indian cities reveal deficiencies in the quality of water and sanitation services provided by city governments. This brief focuses on the state of water and sewage systems in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which contains India’s capital city, New Delhi. The brief highlights that many qu

This paper highlights the importance of water valuation and pricing for sustainable and efficient water allocation and management in India. An efficient water-pricing mechanism could be a tool to address the impending crisis of water scarcity, which necessitates a robust, objective, and holistic valuation technique. Every unit of water consumed for economic purposes has an ecological footprint, and this opportunity cost or externality factor need

Information and knowledge gaps are largely responsible for creating an environment of mistrust among riparians and the various stakeholders in the river systems.

The Indian military desperately needs to enhance its defence preparedness. However, given the country's fiscal constraints, this must be done by modernising weapons systems, instead of adding more boots on the ground.

Granted that the US normally goes for the overkill and in comparison our systems are in kindergarten stuff, there is no denying that we need upgrades. Intelligence and intercepts post-event, as in the recent Uri case, are of academic interest.

The international system may not revert to Cold War era blocs. But some tough choices lie ahead for countries

The agenda for change is a large one. This list or any other can be multiplied several times and still come up short. But the compulsions of reform are urgent. With a bulging profile of young people, India is said to be on the cusp of a demographic dividend. But that dividend could well become a nightmare unless we are able to fix our politics, our governance system, economy, national security machinery.

With tectonic and technological challenges causing disruptions, the neat correlation of a big economy with big power that bears big responsibilities is under scrutiny.

The Russian president, who will be in New Delhi on December 6, is not just coming to maintain the ‘special, privileged strategic partnership’, but to also deepen bilateral relations

The US cannot be seen to be losing the war in a re-election year, and so the US withdrawal needs repackaging as a peace process for Afghanistan. The problem is that nobody really knows what the Taliban wants and reconciling an emirate — and Shariat-based system with the existing constitution — is not easy.

Against the contemporary background of strong systemic shocks to the global economy, the Group of Twenty (G20) must address the stagnation in developmental priorities and spur economic growth. As the current steward of the rotating presidency within the G20, India has acquired a unique podium to spearhead discussions on pivotal global challenges.

Countries in South Asia, before COVID-19, were already battling critical socioeconomic vulnerabilities and a deluge of extreme weather events brought about by a changing climate. The pandemic has demonstrated how disasters can cascade and converge to threaten lives, livelihoods, and economic and social systems. Yet, governments in the region have been slow to incorporate a multi-hazard, multi-sectoral perspective into their preparedness managemen

Amidst the fissures in the Transatlantic partnership, heightened United States-China rivalry, and global trade frictions, commentaries of doom and gloom abound. This analysis offers a different perspective. While recognising the risks, it focuses on new opportunities that are emerging for the Global South. The brief first identifies the existential problems that the world faces today, and further highlights the North-South divide in how various c

While it is legitimate to question the ethics and rules surrounding autonomous weapons, the idea that their development will necessarily usher in an apocalyptic future may not be accurate

Western nations continue to use Huawei as it does not have a coherent strategy to manage Beijing even after acknowledging the problems its rise has engendered.

In terms of technology, Japan is way ahead of us and China in many areas. It may be some time before we can expect Japan to export complete weapons systems, but Japanese technologies, be they the fly-by-light aircraft control systems, sonar equipment, or those that go into its own BMD systems, can be very useful.

Rivers are the world’s most important ecosystems, not simply a source of water and energy

Observer Research Foundation on August 21 organised a day-long workshop on ¿ Access to Justice in India¿ particularly for the poor and vulnerable sections of the society. Drawing the attention of the participants, ORF Chairman R.K.Mishra, in his welcome address said there was no dearth of studies and recommendations on improving the justice delivery system in the country but the will to implement them was what was missing

His failures on multiple fronts, including the zero-Covid policy, show for all the pretence, China’s is a system not quite in control

‘प्रतिजैविकांच्या प्रतिकारा’चा वाढता जागतिक धोका कमी करण्यासाठी धोरणे आणि अनुकूल हस्तक्षेपांचा अवलंब करणे आवश्यक आहे

महिलांना भेडसावणाऱ्या समस्या दूर करण्यास आणि चांगल्या आहारास प्रोत्साहन न दिल्यास, कोविड-१९ सारख्या महामारीसह, जगाला उपासमारीचाही सामना करावा लागेल.

जगातील सर्वात प्रगत देश असल्याचा दावा करणाऱ्या आणि अनेकांच्या स्वप्नातील देश असणाऱ्या अमेरिकेतील आरोग्यव्यवस्थेचे पितळ कोरोनाच्या आकडेवारीने उघडे पाडले.

अमेरिकेतील न्याय पद्धती ही गुन्हेगारांना सुधारणारी व्यवस्था नसून, ती कृष्णवर्णियांना वेचून तुरुंगात टाकणारी व्यवस्था आहे, असे तेथील लोकांचे मत झाले आहे.

कोरोनासारख्या रोगांच्या साथीला तोंड देताना, इतर विकसनशील देशांसाठी केस स्टडी म्हणून धारावीचे प्रारूप अतिशय महत्त्वाचे ठरले आहे.

खोऱ्याचा आर्थिक आणि वैचारिक बदल घडवून आणण्यासाठी घसरत चाललेल्या शिक्षण व्यवस्थेला लक्ष्यित उपाययोजनांसह हाताळण्याची गरज आहे.

भारतीय संघराज्यासाठी केंद्र-राज्य सहकार्य महत्त्वाचे असले तरी त्यांच्यातील स्पर्धा कमी करता येणार नाही.

फ़िलहाल दुनिया में अल्प-पोषण में बढ़ोतरी के साथ-साथ ज़्यादा वज़न, मोटापे और ग़ैर-संक्रामक बीमारियों के प्रसार में इज़ाफ़ा दिखाई दे रहा है. खाद्य प्रणाली का दृष्टिकोण (खेत-ख

खासगी डिजिटल चलनांचा उदय झाल्याने केंद्रीय बँकांच्या नियंत्रणाला आव्हान निर्माण झाले आहे. प्रस्थापित व्यवस्था मोडून काढण्याचे नवे वातावरण व शक्यता निर्माण झाली आहे.