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China is using direct communications with India while also reaching out to India’s neighbours to push for stability at the border without conceding

Given that the Chinese submarines are likely to be found operating frequently in the IOR, the Indian defence establishment must develop some adequate responses, rather than just being alarmed repeatedly.

It is not often that Pakistan's leaders justify their outreach to India by citing its all-weather friend, China. That is precisely what Pakistan's premier Yousuf Raza Gilani did last Sunday when he welcomed the talks between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

With the World Bank punishing Bangladesh by withdrawing support to $3 billion multipurpose bridge over River Padma, Dhaka is hoping that China will step into the breach. Could India pit ch in too? Or Delhi and Beijing collaborate on a transformative economic venture in Banglade sh, setting a new basis for regional cooperation?

China has not engaged in a nuclear dialogue with India despite India being a full-fledged nuclear weapons state; this is unlikely to change in the nea

The benefits from Russia-China relations outweighs the benefits that each could receive from their relationship with the US, however, uncertainty loom

From Taiwan and South Korea to China and the US and EU, the race towards manufacturing semiconductor chips has only just begun

Apprehensions of China gaining an advantage in the tech rivalry through unfair means weigh heavily on US threat assessments.

Exercise of foreign criminal jurisdiction over state officials — as India attempted to do so — is successful in very few cases, and depends on the

I have been in receipt of some mail from my readers asking for my comments on the reports carried by the "Washington Post" and the CNN TV channel of the US during the week-end regarding the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the USA setting up a new intelligence collection unit called the Strategic Support Branch (SSB), which has been operating in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries since 2002.

The exasperation of Porter Goss, the Director of the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with Pakistan's role in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other remnants of the Al Qaeda, is evident from his remarks on bin Laden during an interview with the "Time" magazine which has been carried by it this week

To ride the next wave of innovation, India needs its own strategy. Its agenda for 2018 should be to leverage the hundreds of millions it brought onlin

Gender-sensitive planning will help mitigate adverse and unequal impacts — and build resilience.

All treatment facilities and protocols had a significant bias in favour of the ‘apartment-living citizen’, which is why the Dharavi model is so im

It is almost certain that cities will script the story of our future. If India is to capitalise on this megatrend, it becomes essential for the country to engage in widespread and deep reforms, which go beyond infrastructure and focus on reforming governance mechanisms and empowering local government.

Unlike the ‘area sabha’ of the Nagar Raj Bill, the decisions of the ‘jan sabha’ were to be binding on the wards committee in regard to local w

In generations to come, India will no doubt produce finer minds; but it is unlikely to give us a bigger heart. More than his achievements as a missile and defence technologist, beyond governmental accomplishments and far removed from the prizes and honours he received, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam touched human lives.

Privatised electricity distribution in Delhi completed ten years last June. Now an important question which we have to ask time and again is, why should the citizens pay for the inefficiency of the distribution companies? This is yet another public service that has become a score point for political parties, giving no relief to the ordinary citizen.

Uddhav Thackeray would need to show great maturity and statesmanship to keep the MVA partners glued together when the Centre unleashes NRC in Maharash

The heritage list needs to be curated keeping in mind the financial and administrative aspect of safeguarding such sites

Beginning March 26, 2015, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of countries, comprising nine other Arab countries, backed by the USA, France and UK, launched air strikes in Yemen against the Houthis and army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Given India’s history and ethos, India must forge its own unique structures to achieve jointness and integration and civil-military fusion in the br

The Beirut port blast protest turns bloody as gunfire erupts between Hezbollah and alleged Lebanese Forces.

Cost and time over-runs have reportedly led to losses of approximately Rs29,000 crore in the DRDO; some 10 projects have been delayed for over five years. The Armed Forces continue to be woefully short of modern weapon systems, ammunition and a vast range of critical equipment.

A research study by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has found that there is a clear danger to India from CBR (Chemical, Biological and Radiological Materials) terrorism due to the known intentions of terrorist groups active within India's borders.

Even today, renewable energy sources definitely cannot replace fossil fuel that is getting scarce over time. Given this theoretical underpinning, why do we have a negative price for crude oil?

The measures taken by SIDS are unable to keep up with the pace of increasing climate risks thus international cooperation plays a vital role in develo

Since climate change will impact cities worldwide, ULBs will play a crucial role in addressing the climate-related challenges

Climate change has become an even more pressing issue as it threatens public health, therefore, climate action needs to go beyond mere words

The Global South experiences a disproportionate impact of climate change which in turn leads to food insecurity

The climate narrative is beginning to exert itself in the development processes of poor countries. The impact of climate negotiations, and green capitalism that is rearing its head, are some elements that will define climate and security for India and other developing countries.

Global warming threatens lives and livelihoods across the Bay of Bengal region. With about nine million people living in low-lying coastal areas in these littoral countries, it is important to understand the changes in key climate variables in the region—primary of which is sea-level rise—and examine the states’ response measures. This brief describes the strategies being taken by countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral

A close study of how climate change influences the Maldivian economy will help analyse its adaptation needs and identify future opportunities

Adequate policies need to be adopted to mitigate the growing climate change-induced migrations

Climate change is impacting data centres that are vital for a country's digital development. It is critical, therefore, for data centre strategies to

If the energy needs of the future population are to be met, India must reduce its dependence on non-renewable resources and become self-reliant in the

In 2015, the Paris Agreement of UNFCCC emphasised the role of climate finance in strengthening the global response to climate change. Since then, developed countries have made various claims about climate finance flows. Some of the myths surrounding climate finance need to be demolished.

Developing countries are lagging behind in implementing decarbonisation policies as appropriate climate finance and green technology aren’t being ex

In the aftermath of the Brexit vote, the world has become wary of the unpredictable and is bracing for a neck and neck outcome of the Clinton-Trump ba

Clinton's visit to southern India clearly underscores the increasing clout the region has, both economically and politically. No longer is there a sense that foreign policy is framed exclusively through a north Indian way of thinking. And Clinton discussed Sri Lanka with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The MQM had been the flagbearer of Mohajir nationalism in Pakistan since the party’s founding in 1984 until 2016.

Maritime security — on which much else depends — is interconnected with events in landlocked countries. Afghanistan is a prime example: Over the p

The upcoming assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra will result in victory for the BJP — requiring opposition unity to balance power dynamics

As the world comes closer in the wake of information explosion and gobalisation, the idea of ¿Cooperative Federalism¿, which is seen as a tool to resolve conflicts, is gaining increasing relevance and acceptance. Inspired by this development, a two-day International Conference on ¿Co-operative Federalism and Management of Diversity¿, has been organized from November 2-3, 2004, under the auspices of Observer research Foundation (ORF) , New Del

Governance of the energy sector in general and the coal sector in particular has to radically change if India wants to take advantage of its vast coal resources. It must be understood that coal is the only fuel that India has in abundance and it must be exploited to the fullest.

The fundamental crisis in the coal sector is not only the lack of transparency but rather the need for efficient markets for fuel that can keep up wit

While the Indian coal sector is undergoing a crisis, it is also worth analysing the issues surrounding solar and other renewable energy sources.

As the two codes of conduct on space - European Union's (EU) Code of Conduct (COC) on Space and the Stimson Code - are gaining momentum in the international arena, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) organised a roundtable on Thursday, May 26, 2011 to discuss India's concerns with these codes.