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Attention has to be focussed on Saudi Arabia as it enters a period of transition and uncertainty in the wake of reports about a deterioration in the health of King Fahd, who has been admitted in hospital. In the absence of authentic reports on his health, rumours are rife that his end may be near.

As Rwanda commemorates 1994 genocide, now it has become a global example of successful post-conflict reconstruction. A talk at ORF by Rwandan High Commissioner Ernest Rwamucyo focussed on post-genocide Rwanda's unique story where ownership and innovative "home-grown solutions" helped re-construct the nation.

What are India's options to make Space Based Solar Power a real viable option given the cost factor and technology? Can the governments and the private sectors of both India and the US make serious commitments to take the first step towards R&D investment on SBSP?

It is high time that enlightened Pakistanis realize that the real threat to the existence of the Pakistani state comes from their own army which has usurped authority due to debilitated political institutions and geo-political concerns of western powers.

Given its unique position, the politics and governance of J&K have always depended on the good relations between the governments in New Delhi and Srinagar. When they have been disrupted, as happened in the 1983-87 period, it was disastrous for the state and the country.

The historic election verdict offers Narendra Modi an unprecedented opportunity. A truly transformative election that was fought on the issues of leadership, economy and governance has raised unprecedented hope and expectations among ordinary Indians. This is a verdict for change and Modi represents the face of that change.

Two years after the conclusion of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka, the nation is still confused over reactions from across the Palk Strait to the current developments - or, lack of them - on the prospects of power devolution and a political solution, also encompassing rehabilitation and reconstruction issues.

South Asia comprises of eight countries-Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Except for India and to an extent, Pakistan given our obsession with it, we know very little about other countries of South Asia.

Military strikes on Syria are no longer about Syria alone but, more importantly, about the US and its declared objectives on issues of conflict globally. The possibility of the situation flaring up into a wider regional conflict also looks very plausible with serious implications for India.

As ASEAN, China and India already share a high volume of trade and have common borders, an integrated ACI (Asean, China, India) region might be able to contribute to a more balanced and resolute Asia, argues an expert.

The next round of bilateral summit entails a US presidential visit to India. Should Modi become Prime Minister, then he and his Govt would expect the visiting President to lend greater clarity than Ambassador Powell's meeting now would entail.

An unrelenting power crisis is adding to Pakistan's woes. Power shortage has hit Punjab the hardest, shutting down industrial units and market places for days together and bringing people out on to the streets.

The Congress-led United Progessive Alliance government in its just released CMP has done the unexpected vis a vis power sector reforms. The Manmohan-Chidambram combine which was expected to resolve the nitty-gritty¿s of the Electricity Act 2003 has instead decided to review the entire Act itself.

The process of reforms in the power sector has undergone a full circle with the outcome of this general election and the people's verdict in at least two key reform oriented states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, necessitating a rethink of the issue.

Many people think Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity with his famous kite flying experiments in 1752, but electricity was not discovered all at once. After various developments world over, Italian scientist Alesandro Volta made a great discovery in 1800.

The significance of the agreement brought out between rival Afghan presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, should not be overlooked. It has ensured that Afghanistan's democratic transition does not come to a premature halt. A timely resolution of the immediate predicaments could guarantee that it remains a durable one.

Sri Lanka is considering a power-sharing mechanism at the Centre, said Prof. G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister, while delivering the second R.K. Mishra Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.

Does our political and administrative structure perceive future energy plans without the sense of sight? Here lies the biggest differentiation between 'vision and delusion'. The lessons learnt from reviewing past year have the potential to reveal the gaps in our planning, implementation and governance.

As a new government led by Maithripala Sirisena takes charge in Colombo, New Delhi has a valuable opportunity to arrest the drift in bilateral relations over the last few years. The Modi government, less constrained internally than the UPA government, is in a good position to rebuild the partnership with Sri Lanka that occupies a vital position on India's maritime frontiers to the south.

India, China and the US share a similar perspective on balancing economic interests with climate-action, seeking a pragmatic approach to combat climate change through plausible self-determined contributions that are cognizant of national interests, says former Union Environment Secretary N R Krishnan.

In the past few days there has been a spate of attacks by the People¿s War Group (PWG) Naxalites on leaders belonging to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh.

As the curtains come down of one of the best Republic Day ceremonials in 65 years, focus shifts to the way forwards. Modi's promises of large scale reforms to make 'doing business' in India simple have been welcomed by Obama and the America Inc.

Jammu & Kashmir will emerge as one of the key areas of conflict and is likely to witness an increased US interest during the second term of President George W Bush. The reasons are not far to seek. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been Mr Bush's strong ally in the war against terror and will continue to be so. President Bush's return to the White House,

The Chinese say that their interests in the East China Sea are what bother them the most because of their proximity to the Chinese heartland. The South China Sea, they insist, is not a problem area of the same dimension. Beijing's unambiguous goal is to isolate Japan, divide the ASEAN and befuddle the United States.

With clearly increasing patterns of inequity, social strife and marginalisation, India's policymakers must understand that they cannot continue to articulate its pro poor agenda shamelessly at the global high table, without first enabling visible socio-economic transformation at home.

The presence of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan has been counter-productive and has only led to increase in terrorism, according to Dr. Saeed Jalili, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

Pakistan seems ready to expand its counter-terrorism strategy. But such a break from the past needs time, and a sense of ownership. Patience, therefore, will yield greater long-term returns. So, repeated public admonishment by the US will serve to be only counter-productive.

Asif Ali Zardari, 53, the 12th President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is not new to politics, nor is he to the Machiavellian twists and turns necessary to survive in the intensely fratricidal politics of Pakistan where the final shots are called by the Chief of Army Staff.

The Indian President's presence at the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II in Russia on May 9 is in part about extending New Delhi's solidarity with Moscow at a time when many Western leaders have decided not to show up in protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin's policy in Ukraine.

President Medvedev's recent visit to India (December 21-22) has contributed to retrieving some of the ground being lost in India-Russia ties. A perception has been growing that the relevance of Russia to India has declined in the context of the changed international situation,

Politics is no more news in Maldives. Even media commentaries these days focus on culture and other aspects even as the news columns take time off to report more on crimes like abuse of foreigners by resort employees and the like.

A few days before President Obama's Indian visit, the US will witness midterm elections. If the opinion polls are anything to go by, the Democratic Party appears to be in trouble. However, Obama can utilize the polls to retool his strategy and win back the voters as Bill Clinton did in 1994.

During the meeting with visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Modi has indicated he would like to visit Sri Lanka in March. During the tour, the Indian PM may also visit Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. The visit has the great potential for these nations to emerge as a collective Indian Ocean Rim voice.

Independent of the Presidential poll results, which seem to be a foregone conclusion at the moment, the run-up to the poll has exposed chinks in the rival alliances, existing and prospective.

After the Boston bombings, the big counter terrorism question for the US will be how to prevent such attacks in the future. The possibility of 'copy cat' attacks cannot be ruled out. It will be difficult to prevent or monitor the sale of pressure cookers or other utensils. Tracking the locally available incendiary materials could be a better and more effective counter action.

Advances in technology, the shifting sands of the global nuclear energy market, and the extant standards and practices surrounding the monitoring of radioactive materials raise important questions about the future of nuclear security. Technological advancements have enabled the retrieval of radioactive materials from unconventional sources and made fuel fabrication easier. The emergence of new players in the nuclear energy market also flags conce

Iraq's Prime Minister designate, Haider al-Abadi, a member of the Shia-led Islamic Dawa Party, must build an inclusive national government and unite Iraq's fragmented ethno-religious communities against the rise of the Islamic State (IS).

The US has placed India in the category of 'closest partners' for defence cooperation. The official spin was that New Delhi would now be on the same footing as the closest allies of the US such as Britain. That may be the endpoint that New Delhi and Washington have decided upon, but it is far from the current reality. Both sides would need to do an enormous amount of work to attain that goal.

On 1 January 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs announced the establishment under its wing of the New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies (NEST) division. This marked a welcome addition to the government’s organisational capacities in an era increasingly being characterised by the interplay of technology, trade, security and geopolitics. This brief outlines the global and domestic context that will surround the operations of the NEST divis

One of the critical issues that seem to have missed the Indian-Pakistan peace process is terrorism. Pakistan has quietly managed to keep the issue on the backburner by raising the issues of Baglihar dam and Kashmir.

Long before Snowden, it was suggested that the best way forward was to abandon 'the Internet' and embrace multiple internets, essentially privatising networks. The splintering of the Internet is one possible consequence of viewing Internet rights through the prism of private property.

CyberSpace is a free-wheeling mind- Space at the cutting edge of innovation precisely because of the absence of sovereignty and artificial barriers. Declaring sovereignty here is as absurd as extending one's jurisdiction deep into the minds of others.