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With its higher speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity capabilities, 5G technology represents a new era in telecommunications that promises to redefine industries and everyday life. Chinese telecom companies have taken the lead in developing and commercialising 5G technology, threatening the commercial prospects of Western telecom firms and giving rise to fears of surveillance and espionage. The open radio access network (O-RAN) is a

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder has triggered a power struggle and the future of the ailing Saudi king and his overambitious son could be at stake.

There is a shift in rhetoric from former Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel's statement that the US has been "clear and consistent" on not taking positions on "competing territorial claims" to Ashton Carter's clear insistence on American action in the event of assertive activities of one country.

The Indian government launched the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in 2015 to drive economic growth and improve people’s quality of life in 100 cities across the country. Over the past four years, various smart projects have been implemented in the selected cities. This report documents the status, progress and experience of implementing the SCM in Delhi. It presents the findings of an empirical investigation of five of the projects undertaken in th

The world is undergoing a process that some have called “covidisation”, or the unravelling of the manifold, far-reaching medical, economic, and social impacts of a global health emergency.[1] There is no dearth of analyses of the many health and economic dimensions of this first massive global civil emergency of the 21st century.[2] This brief examines the social aspect of the pandemic through two perspectives:  one is that of a repr

The verdict delivered in July by an international tribunal on the South China Sea case in The Hague is a stunning defeat for China. The Tribunal has upended the maritime claims of a number of nations in the South China Sea, but China is most affected, as its claims were also most extensive. As China had already rejected the verdict even before it was pronounced, the world sits at a juncture of two possible paths — China could become more assert

India’s large defence industrial base has historically been dominated by public sector entities, although they have failed in meeting the growing requirements of the armed forces. The public sector suffers from inefficiency in productivity, innovation and international sales, rendering New Delhi highly dependent on arms imports. The government is taking steps to reform the public sector, even as it accords greater importance to the private sect

India has wider stakes in South China Sea as nearly 55% of India’s trade with the Indo-Pacific region passes through these waters.

This paper takes a look into the life and work of Abu Mus’ab al-Suri, jihadist theorist, and argues that he should be considered the architect of the extant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This is done by way of an examination of his own writings, as well as secondary literature on al-Suri, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. A key point that emerges out of this analysis is that ISIS is likely to continue its two-pronged strategy: of individual attacks

With newer forms of identities taking over the older ones and parochialism and regional chauvinism becoming the new lingo of identity in the age of Twitter and Facebook, time is now ripe for a serious debate on reorganisation of States in India. The country can no longer afford to postpone this serious public policy issue.

Trump phenomenon will play out in the world with uncertaintyonly going to grow in years to come as democracies take recourse to rising tides of nationalism

China has been making massive investments to create a huge pool of AI experts. The Chinese government wants to overtake the United States and be the global leader in the field by 2030.

Iranians take their soccer seriously. Iran's victory over Bahrain last week in the World Cup qualifier resulted in an outburst of rejoicing rarely seen in Teheran. Men and women (some without head scarves) danced on the streets and tore up posters of candidates in the June 17 presidential elections. The police did not interfere. Credible foreign observers have not confirmed reports of police brutality carried by some opposition news channels in t

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

This essay considers the implications of the new cyber-security agreement betweenChina and the United States in terms of the evolution of an international legal regime governingthe use of cyberspace. This agreement lays down the foundations for norm emergence in thearena, which could also carry implications for India by shaping the country's response andcarving its path towards becoming a crucial international stakeholder in the cyberspace regime

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.

Time is running out for the Joe Biden administration, but there is an opportunity for Brussels to take a lead role

The recent Wuhan summit between India and China has been called many things: from a “game changer” to a much needed “reset” in Indian-China relations. It has generated expectations in the two countries that they will avoid any clash due to miscalculation and error. This has strengthened the tradition that India and China have maintained since the Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement of 1993, of resolving problems bilaterally through dia

Far too many times, states make the mistake of not recognising that they are confronted with insurgencies. Fearing the supposed legitimising effect of affording 'miscreants' the title of insurgents, they prefer to describe violent movements as law and order problems, situation, the troubles, and of course, terrorism.

The Indo-Pacific region is confronting emerging challenges that go beyond the traditional definition of “security.” Among the most crucial are threats to the environment, including natural hazards such as cyclones and tsunamis; illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and overfishing; and marine pollution. This report underlines the strategic implications of these environmental issues in the Indo-Pacific. It outlines the measures tha

In his third term, He should take a proactive approach to peacemaking, like Norway & Switzerland. This will help India better mangae its external environment.

If the rest of India was ¿shocked¿ over the Tamil Nadu police arresting the Kanchi Sankaracharya in a murder case, it was equally surprised over the passivity of the people in the State, whom they expected would have taken to the streets in protest.

Irrespective of how the 'Afghan Endgame' unravels in the coming months, it is safe to argue that stabilizing the war torn country will take decades, and much international help.

Given the massive breach of faith by Facebook, it's unclear how long it will take to re-establish trust in their motives even if companies pledge to improve their data security systems and guidelines.

The Kashmiri insurgency is now nearly three decades old, having taken the lives of some 45,000 people, roughly half of them militants, 14,000 civilians and some 6,000 security personnel.

Pakistan has shown inadequate political will to act against the Mumbai conspirators and has found tactical refuge in legal niceties to take minimum action

Amidst increasing global connectivity and accelerating global change, the global security framework has become insufficient, contributing to a crippling dysfunctionality in international cooperation. The current security framework, focused almost exclusively on a narrow notion of military security, is insufficient to address escalating ‘threats without enemy,’ such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, which increasingly endang

India’s hill cities are unique poles of development. While they have managed to record some degree of economic growth, increasing urban population and unfavourable topography have also made such growth haphazard and unsustainable. In turn, this has threatened the quality of the built environment and of urban life in these cities. This report studies the case of the hill city of Aizawl, the administrative capital of Mizoram, which is part of the

Grasslands that provide a variety of ecosystem services for humans—including carbon storage, which is important to mitigating climate change—are among the world’s most threatened habitats. In India, grassy ecosystems are not accorded any legal protection. Vast acres of these grasslands are converted for revenue-generating use, altering their ecological dynamics and threatening the livelihoods and cultures of pastoral and agrarian communitie

The management of fish stocks along the Bengal coast has traditionally relied on the formula of dictating where, when, and how much to catch of one particular kind of fish to mitigate the risk of stock depletion. This paper argues that this conventional approach is inadequate in dealing with the multitude of threats, both local and global, posed by anthropogenic interventions in the natural systems and processes. It builds a case for an Ecosystem

Democracy costs a lot of money. To fight elections and run their routine activities, political parties in India seek donations from all possible sources including ‘illegal’ and ‘interested’ money. This has serious ramifications in preserving the integrity of Indian democracy. An increasing number of countries, meanwhile, have taken the path of public subsidies and direct funding of parties and political activities — aiming to reduce dep

This report explores the role of water credits to incentivise conservation, optimise allocation, and integrate sustainability into corporate and agricultural water use. Modelled after carbon credits, water credits incentivise stakeholders—including agriculture, industry, services, and households—to offset consumption by investing in water conservation and efficiency measures. The study examines economic and ecological valuation models and pri

After the United States and its allies left Afghanistan in 2021, analysts expected Russia to fill the vacuum caused by the withdrawal. As far as Moscow itself is concerned, it would like to establish full diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime while it urges Western countries to take accountability and fulfil their responsibilities towards the Afghan people. Indeed, Russia’s desire for security and regional hegemony compels it to selectively e

There is more at stake than geopolitical gamesmanship in the South China Sea

As the reality of the U.S. withdrawal takes hold, the future will depend on Taliban-Kabul dynamics and Pakistan’s role

Despite Trump's curious attempt to take credit where none is due, New Delhi remains in the driving seat when it comes to it making choices pertaining to Pakistan and its malevolent actions.

US President Donald Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy for America’s longest war has potential to drastically alter existing regional relations. The policy, announced after an exhaustive eight-month-long review process, attempts to give a new direction for future US involvement in Afghanistan. Becoming president at a time when old alignments are undergoing transition, Trump’s task has not been easy. Given the constraints, however, Trump’s A

Once-promising bilateral relations have taken a cynical turn.

Both sides are aware that bringing an end to the hostilities will take place in a piecemeal fashion, with long-drawn negotiations and the prospects of further escalation

Turkey, which played a role in raising the stakes in Syria and now lowering it, deserves a close look. A mildly Islamised democratic Turkey ruled by its most charismatic Prime Minister ever, Tayyep Erdogan, was incorporated in the management of what had at one stage acquired the label of Arab Spring.

The Syrian crisis has become a test case for Turkey's foreign and domestic policy. Determined to find a balance between its global expectations and regional objectives, Turkey aimed towards the downfall of the Assad regime, relying on its strength in the Arab streets and support to rebels to ensure a rapid outcome. This tolerance for the radical opposition in Syria, along with the failure in finding a resolution to the Kurdish issue, has contribu

It was not a big surprise that the Bill that came into force as the 'The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013' on April 3 retained the age of consent at 18, taking away from the teenagers the right to make their sexual choices; a right that they had actually possessed for the last three decades.

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

There are three major takeaways for India from the Ufa BRICS Declaration. First, the focus on increasing trade-ties amongst BRICS nations, second, strengthening cooperation amongst BRICS in areas of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICTs) and third, India's role at the United Nations.

Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr Goran Persson, feels that India should take an active role in negotiating between the European Union and Russia, who are fighting over Ukraine. He believes that new developments will mean that China-Russia relations will prosper at the cost of Russia-Europe relations.

Amidst the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, the continuing attention being given by the United States (US) to the Indo-Pacific region has been remarkable, belying widespread expectations that it would refocus its resources. This brief posits that the US interest in its Indo-Pacific strategy has not diminished as the region continues to represent an important pillar of overall US geostrategy. Its involvement in the region is not simply being

This brief examines the response of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to the prolonged Ukraine war. ASEAN’s approach is viewed from two perspectives: how individual member states have responded, and the stance that the grouping itself has taken. In the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion in February this year, the ASEAN statement was insipid; it underlined the importance of the principles of ‘mutual respect fo

For India to become a part of the global value chains, a better intellectual property regime is needed. Further, India needs to take measures to be a part of the mega regionals which are going to shape the future of global trade architecture such as TPP and RCEP.

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 popular uprising against the Assad regime in 2011, which gradually evolved into a civil conflict, has been one of contemporary history’s greatest tragedies. The conflict has claimed more than 400,000 lives; over six million Syrians have been internally displaced. India has not joined the call for an end to the Assad-led Baath Party rule over Syria. While this position may not hold much weight on its own, it strengthens with the consolidated