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Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s bold peace offer to the Taliban has aroused hopes of peace in the country torn by war for many years now. In a sweeping proposal made at the Kabul Process conference in February, President Ghani offered a ceasefire, the removal of sanctions, release of prisoners, the recognition of the Taliban as a political party, the conduct of fresh elections, and a review of the constitution. He repeated his offer in Mar

Four months since the outbreak of COVID-19, some vital unknowns about the pandemic remain, including IFR (Infection Fatality Rate) and immunity from reinfection. A clearer understanding of the risks posed by COVID-19, informed by science and data in the Indian context, will help the country in mustering an effective strategy to hurdle the crisis. The government must undertake mass antibody testing and scale up healthcare capacity across the count

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

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

India's nuclear doctrine and strategy still continues to harp on the mantra of "minimum credible deterrent", even though Pakistan has now overtaken India in the number of nuclear warheads it possesses. Some analysts say that there are no signs that the Pakistani buildup is slowing down.

ORF and GIZ, Germany, have jointly initiated an Urban Workshop Series 2013 to facilitate interaction among key national and international stakeholders and offer and discuss critical inputs that are urgently needed for effective policy-making in India and other emerging economies.

Urbanisation in China is taking place at an unprecedented level and is set to continue over the next decade. This is likely to present many challenges not just for policy makers but for the economy and society as well. This Paper tries and understands the ongoing process of urbanization, the impacts produced and the way that lies ahead.

The US is in a dilemma over the funding of the Diamer-Bhasha dam in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. While China and Saudi Arabia have made big inroads in public perception by taking up developmental projects, the US, despite lots of assistance, is perceived not to be doing enough in this area.

As of now, the Quad’s formal agenda is modest. It remains a platform for leaders of the four countries to meet each other collectively and bilaterally. Meetings have so far taken up the issue of providing vaccines, building supply chains, mitigating climate change and providing humanitarian relief. An unstated aspect of the Quad grouping is supply-chain resilience and the need to have a chain which is not linked to China.

Saying that the rise of China and the declining power of the US hint to a new vacuum, Dr. Arvind Subramanian argues that the US should empower the rise of China rather than contain it. By giving China the necessarily positions in existing multilateral institutions, it would force it to behave as a responsible stakeholder, he says.

Cyber security has taken a front seat in the U.S.-China relations, as seen in the last two high level bilateral meetings. The California summit in June 2013 and the recently held U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) V in July 2013 were dominated by cyber issues.

The US has done some serious weight-lifting to break down its own barriers to closer defence ties with India, and has taken away the plank that it isn't sincere. Can India do the same? Dr. Carter and his team have left a legacy which can be built upon. It is just the end of the beginning.

US-Pak relations are like high risk aerobatics. The plane nosedives, loops up, cruises at varying altitudes, takes a few spins and steadies.

Trilateral Security Cooperation (TSC) is a unique framework for the United States (US), South Korea, and Japan to jointly address the common security challenge of North Korea, particularly concerning its nuclear weapons programme. Acknowledging that a unified approach would be more effective in tackling North Korea, the three countries forged a partnership in the early 1990s which has continued to the present day. Over the years, the domestic pol

Statements made by public officials in certain G20 member states as well commentaries by financial analysts suggest that emerging market economies stand on a different footing from developed counterparts in their regulation of virtual digital assets. They attribute these differences to the distinct institutional, demographic, and economic vulnerabilities of developing countries. This paper examines this notion by presenting a quantitative

This paper aims to analyse the reasons for the rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, its characteristics, the primary drivers for the growing menace and international responses; it also compares the differences in modus operandi between Gulf of Guinea and Somalian piracy. Till the early 1980s, piracy was often dismissed as being “archaic Tand folklore of the past”, rarely entering the main maritime discourse. But true to its nature, ‘moder

Lack of dietary diversity--adequate intake of food from all the food groups -- can be more harmful to health than infectious diseases

Most analysts agree that a dangerous mix of demand, supply and currency is responsible for Punjab’s drug menace. Punjab is both a transit point and a market for the drugs smuggled from the so-called Golden Crescent that is Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. While the heroin produced in Afghanistan is smuggled through the 553-km-long, porous India-Pakistan border, the opium, poppy husk, charas and hashish, among other drugs, come from the neighbour

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

The demand for basic infrastructure and services in Indian cities has increased phenomenally due to rapidly growing populations. Such unmet demands often adversely affect the quality of urban life, the economic productivity, as well as the process of sustainable development. The main purpose of this brief is to highlight the problems involved in improving access to water supply in Indian cities faced with a severe water shortage crisis. A case st

This paper examines current water management ideologies and practices and the impact they create on strategies for pan-Asian connectivity. It suggests that 'business-as-usual' management principles and the harnessing of transboundary rivers tend to undermine efforts at achieving economic and ecological sustainability goals, as well as meeting long-term development challenges. The Mekong and Ganga basin regions, in particular, suffer from inadequa

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

Water futures trading can be an important tool for water-scarce economies. This paper argues that it can help reduce the scarcity value of water (defined here as the value that can be generated if the limit on water availability is relaxed by one unit), even without a physical market. ‘Scarcity value’ measures the degree of deprivation and creates the basis for disputes. The paper argues that water futures trading reduces the scarcity

Noted film personality and now Member of Parliament Javed Akhtar says that one of the reasons for violence against women in India is that we are living in an industrial society with a feudal mindset. He says concrete steps should be taken to effect a real change in the mindset of the people.

At a time when India is struggling to establish itself as a global power, the position taken by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee on the sharing of waters with Bangladesh will only help strengthen the anti-India rhetoric in the neighbouring country.

Recent public mobilisations in certain Western countries of separatists demanding that a homeland for Sikhs be created in Punjab (or Khalistan) are raising concerns about the threats that these groups pose to India’s security. Tamil Eelam nationalists are also continuing to mobilise themselves in activities hostile to Sri Lanka that openly display militant iconography and messages. What motivates host countries, such as Canada and the United Ki

The exit of the UN mission has created a security gap in Nepal which may not augur well with the prevalent disunity among different political parties. People want the original stakeholders should undertake the responsibility of completing the tasks left over by the external agencies.

In January 2019 employees of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) in Mumbai held an eight-day strike to demand, among others, higher wages. The strike affected nearly three million daily commuters in India’s financial capital. It also highlighted the crises that have crippled Mumbai’s municipal public transport service for years: after the cross-subsidies from the electric supply division of BEST to its public transport ar

Although India has confirmed it will sign the FTA with EEU, it now needs to take forward the negotiations quickly. The FTA is not just significant from the economic viewpoint but also to counter the growing influence of China in the central Asian region.

Indian presence is already being felt across the South Asian region, more than in the past. The situation is still evolving. The question is: Should India allow things to continue taking the evolutionary route or jack-boot its way, which is neither des irable, nor workable - and hence unthinkable for New Delhi too!

While Indian officials have participated in events where the Taliban have been present, India has been content to let others take the lead. We have, therefore, been unable to plan options for ensuring security of both the Indian nationals working in Afghanistan as well the diplomats at our embassy in Kabul, and this remains the primary responsibility at the moment.

Modi has been ambivalent about the Lokpal, believing, presumably, that a revitalised administration will make this institution redundant. If so, he is wrong. At some point, he will have to take up the fight directly. This is the lesson we can learn from Xi Jinping. From the outset, Xi has been involved in a struggle against corruption.

India has yet to decide how to frame its national interests in outer space in a way that promotes both its own national requirements and global needs — it has an opportunity to take the lead.

Will the globalization of the economic relationship trump the geo-politics that is being played out in East and South East Asia? For the US, the dilemma is acute, for it cannot ignore the pleas of its allies in the region nor allow an incremental drift to take place in the relationship.

Laying down the rules of the road is a task that should not be left until Space is highly weaponised. Aside from the political and strategic value, India has a huge financial stake given its investments and reliance in this regard.

As an aspiring global power, what India should take note of is that the TTIP will potentially contribute greatly to the evolution of rules of global trade, particularly in areas where multilateral-level consensus is still elusive. It is in India's interests to keep a close watch of the situation and make necessary interventions.

As India is all set to take over the G20 presidency from Indonesia on 1 December 2022 till 30 November 2023, it should step up its game and distinguish itself as Africa’s partner with a difference

Karachi is burning, once again. There has been a sudden spurt of violence in the city. Killings, bomb attacks and riots have taken a heavy toll during the past month. Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Maher has been forced to resign. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali faces criticism for failing to impose law and order.

The West, often used to a pontificating India of the past, today hears an Indian voice that is capable of articulating a narrative of a responsible stakeholder that is firmly steeped in its own ethos

Unlike believed and propagated, for any Indian attempt at influencing the Sri Lankan Government on the ethnic issue to fructify, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should attend CHOGM-2013, and also take up the issues involved with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the Summit sidelines.

Three months from now, President Pervez Musharraf will have to take a decision. He could decide to quit the post of the Chief of Army Staff-a position he has been holding for the past five years, the longest ever for a Pakistani General, perhaps longest ever for a General anywhere in the world during peace time. Or he could decide to stay put.

US President Barack Obama is trying to reconcile the irreconcilables - the requirements of his domestic audience and the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. It will take a while before we know whether he has fallen between stools.

The 9th India-Japan bilateral is taking place in New Delhi this week-end. PM Abe is reaching Delhi on December 11. Two of the main issues that need to be resolved to take the partnership to new heights are the civil nuclear agreement and the supply of Japan's indigenously made US2 amphibious aircraft to India. Will Abe and Modi be able to achieve this?

The Chinese premier's speech on Friday in Beijing, with its promises of transparency, open markets and a focus on quality, indicates that China has taken on board the various critiques of the BRI.

There is a serious terror threat posed by ISIS fighters returning to their home countries after losing the Syria expedition. While it was important to trace the routes taken by these foreign fighters — both in and out of Syria — one needn’t go to Syria to become radicalised through the ISIS ideology.

Feminisation of agriculture is taking place in a number of developing countries, including India, and women are forced to play multiple roles as entrepreneurs, labourers and cultivators. They have to compete with men in getting access to resources which is difficult.

The Constitutional Court took almost 111 days to deliberate Yoon Suk Yeol’s case as it was tested from the standpoint of preserving the Constitution.

नवी दिल्ली आज जागतिक मंचावर एक नवा आवाज व्यक्त करत आहे आणि आपल्या दृष्टिकोनातील काही स्पष्ट विरोधाभासांना पार पाडण्यात आत्मविश्वासाने सक्षम आहे.

नोव्हेंबर २०२० मध्ये होणाऱ्या अमेरिकेतील निवडणुकांकडे खूपच सावधपणे पाहावे लागणार आहे. भारतासाठी या निवडणुका खूपच महत्त्वाच्या आणि निर्णायक ठरणार आहेत.