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The recent developments in the Afghan reconciliation process have evoked a new sense of optimism regarding a peaceful solution to the conflict in the country. First, there was the release of 26 prisoners, in batches, by Pakistan and then the two-day talks in Paris,
The US position on Afghanistan has many weaknesses. Having announced prematurely that the US would withdraw in 2011, efforts at backtracking have only meant that the locals and their Pakistani masters believe that it is a matter of time before the US and NATO will leave.
The people of Afghanistan have not forgotten what the Taliban did to them and their country when they ruled Afghanistan with Pakistan's political and military support. The Taliban are not popular in Afghanistan.
The recent US decision to suspend training of Afghan local police has underlined the growing worries in Washington over the incidents of Afghan soldiers killing American troops in 2012.
The key is to achieve peace within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — a system that is defined by its core values related to human rights, women’s rights, democracy, rule of law and political inclusion.
The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years. Despite the bleak forecasts, however, African countries have managed to mount a concerted response to the pandemic. This paper examines the extent of the economic and health imp
In the context of the African Union-International Criminal Court confrontation, the court is no longer about finding justice for the victims as many wrongly assume and believe; rather the process is now about whether an ICC faced with prosecuting cases that don't belong there,
World's largest power-ships are helping to electrify Africa and other roundups from the dark continent
Vice President Hamid Ansari on October 1 returned to New Delhi after wrapping up a five-day visit to Nigeria and Mali and other roundups
Vision of a peaceful, united and prosperous Africa set out in Agenda 2063 could be achieved through sound planning and other roundups
EU has reaffirmed its commitment to a renewed co-operation with African nations beyond 2020, with focus on eradicating poverty & other roundups from Africa
Unless adequate measures are taken in Africa, the continent will remain caught in the deadly web of water stress, hunger, and poverty
Some of the best performing countries of Africa -- Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana -- have GDP growth rates comparable with the fastest developing countries of the world. Their GDPs are the least volatile in Africa. Rwanda was declared the best reformer by the World Bank for encouraging business in the country.
African leaders are no longer mincing their words. They are bluntly articulating and asserting their demands from bilateral partners and multilateral
Several factors aside from mismanagement, corruption, and poverty under democratic rule have led to the rise of military coups in the African continen
Even after the decolonisation of Africa, the continent was unable to formulate, let alone implement its own agenda because of its deep political and economic vulnerabilities. This situation has changed in the last two decades, and today, Africa is witnessing political and economic resurgence. Its leaders realise that the time has come for African development to be owned and driven by the African people themselves. There is a new enthusiasm for th
The operational success of the security forces is commendable, but their real test would be against the hard-core and well-trained JeM and LeT terrori
One runs the risk of stepping on many corns by attempting an objective assessment of the place of the late Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), in history.
The United States has, in its history, vacillated between global dominance and isolation. A phase of inwardness may be in the cards.
India will have to learn the fine art of staring down the dragon to preserve its political space, while embracing China for some important economic opportunities. At Doklam, it did the former; will a different India turn up at BRICS?
As the candidates of the 2022 Philippine presidential elections launch their campaigns, questions regarding democracy in the country and its sovereign
How Maldives controls its spiralling economic issues under the new leadership remains to be seen
What impact the capture of Saddam Hussein by the US troops on the night of December 13,2003, would have on the ground situation in Iraq? Would it lead to a petering out of the resistance movement and the acts of terrorism against the coalition troops, their Iraqi collaborators and foreign organisations? Would it weaken the Iraqi opposition to the occupation of Iraq by the US and allied troops? Would it mark the beginning of the return of normalcy
Cut this any which way you like, the US still holds all the aces and can influence different outcomes in AfPak region depending on how it defines its interests.
In the aftermath of the Easter serial-attacks in Sri Lanka, the security forces in Maldives conducted an emergency response exercise, and border secur
Hopes are high in Nepal that soon the country will have its first democratically elected left-front government.
The Vilnius Summit appears to be a transit point to more consequential future decisions even as it is unclear what security guarantees the G7 will pro
Bond issuers from any country can never have a credit rating higher than their country’s rating.
In the domain of water cooperation between India and Pakistan, maybe it is important to look at actors beyond the Ministry of Water Resources. Greater cooperation between the farming communities could be one more logical step towards building a substantial peace constituency in Pakistan.
It would be unwise to expect that Trump’s tweet represents a major policy shift. That Pakistan has been playing the US on the issue of support to the Taliban is no secret. If anything, Trump’s remarks are a manifestation of American frustration in getting Pakistan to behave.
ndia was facing a massive balance of payment crisis when the Observer Research Foundation released a document, ‘Agenda for Economic Reform’, on 1 July 1991. The Agenda outlined the reasons for the crisis and recommended a broad strategy to enable the country to overcome it. As India marks 30 years since the start of widespread reforms that opened up the economy, ORF revisits the recommendations outlined in the document.
Across Asia, there is a great demand for India to play a more active role, one befitting its size and interests. But, whenever push comes to shove, we run up against two problems-first, our economy that lacks heft and second, our military which unable to play a role outside our borders.
The short-term military enlistment scheme, Agnipath, announced in June this year, is a radical departure from India’s past recruitment policies. This brief examines the military recruitment practices of other militaries such as those of the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It finds that these Western militaries' adoption of short-term enlistment is driven by imperatives which may not apply in the Indian context. Ind
The Agnipath scheme has been formulated to ease the burden on the defence budget and to enhance the country’s preparedness in the face of emerging n
The recently announced Agnipath scheme merits a proper analysis, weighing both the positives and the negatives of this military programme.
From Agra to air-link, it has been one long U-turn for the Pakistani leadership of President Pervez Musharaff. Today, he readily agrees to address peripheral issues affecting relations with India, and has even ¿unilaterally¿ announced the restoration of over-flights for Indian craft. Going a step further, he has mooted the conferment of Nishan-e-Pakistan, the nation¿s highest civilian title on Prime Minister Vajpayee, if and when the latter ma
India and Bangladesh relations got a major boost following the signing of two agreements, an extradition treaty and a liberalised visa agreement between the two neighbouring countries.
Galvanising inclusivity, data mining, and exchange and innovation initiatives under the Agriculture Accelerator Fund can help unlock agri-tech’s ful
The viability and dynamism of the developing world's agriculture sector remains essential to secure success in the developing world's poverty alleviation strategies. The next ministerial at Bali in December must ensure pressure remains on developed nations to meet the aspirations of developing countries with regards to the global agriculture trade.
China has criticized the latest round of new rules by saying that it will “disrupt the international semiconductor market as well as cooperation among enterprises.”
Tech giants wield vast computational resources, fostering complexity and vendor reliance, underscoring the need for local capability development for s
The Observer Research Foundation’s first Tech Huddle was held on 23 November 2023 and focused on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in India, highlighting the rapid growth and adoption of AI as well as the complexities associated with developing regulatory frameworks for it. AI governance is in its infancy, both globally and in India, and grapples with issues such as the explainability of AI systems as well as the embedded biases, s
The GPAI and G20 can play a paramount role in the non-weaponisation of AI and related technologies, and in ensuring that developing countries get equa
Mirroring global trends, the Indian market for AI in healthcare is growing rapidly, but many pitfalls must be negotiated and opportunities tapped befo
Given the rapid pace of change in AI systems, the development of AI standards and certification programmes has become more urgent
