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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.

A new US aid package for Kyiv can’t mask the fact that its American support has been wearing out

President of Germany's Green Party affiliated Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Ralf Fuecks, thinks that Ukraine has to "return to sovereignty within certain safeguards" and that "an agreement with Russia is possible". He hinted this could be in the form of a free trade zone and a more comprehensive economic cooperation.

Regime change policies are the staple of Anglo-American interventions in various parts of the world, including Ukraine.

It may be the strategy of Russia to bleed Ukraine dry, says Dr Andrew Kuchins, an expert on Russia. Ukraine has had 5-6 per cent negative economic growth this year. He says even a 30 plus billion dollar package from the IMF and others may not be enough to put Ukraine back on its feet again.

The past 18 months of the crisis in Ukraine has brought back memories of the Yugoslavian crisis, says Mr. Césare Onestini, the Deputy Head of delegation of the European Union in India.

There have been fears expressed that if the situation in Ukraine worsens, it could spread across the border to Russia. While that appears highly unlikely at present, an escalation of the confrontation raises the spectre of a civil war in Ukraine.

Pakistan's record in fulfilling its international commitments to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination came under strong criticism when its periodic report on implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination came up for examination

In September 2024, the Second UN High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) marked a critical juncture in global health governance. This report examines the key commitments and implementation challenges emerging from the meeting’s Political Declaration. While the declaration sets ambitious targets—such as reducing AMR-related deaths by 10 percent by 2030 and establishing US$100 million in sustainable funding—massive gaps remain. T

On September 19, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed received a UN award for the country's extraordinary performance in reducing child mortality rate, a millennium developmental goal (MDG).

India has reversed its previous neglect of infrastructure near the border, but it has a long way to go to close the gap with China.

A wave of pre-election violence, intimidation and destruction unleashed by Naxalites of the People¿s War Group (PWG) has been continuing in the post election phase in the central Indian State of Chhattisgarh. Legislative Assembly polls were held there on December 1, 2003. Polling could not be held in parts of Konta constituency, Dantewada district,

Decentralisation, with all its limitations, is the way to go for India to make the state effective in fulfillment of its sovereign functions.

Ahead of the Paris climate summit, India announced on October 2 its INDCs for climate change mitigation and adaptation. While this commitment has drawn fulsome praise from many, the green ayatollahs have predictably ignored its herculean clean energy ambitions and focused on Indian dependence on coal. It is time to lay bare the 'coal hypocrisy' of these privileged 'western greens'.

India-Bangladesh relations face a challenging period following Sheikh Hasina's ouster. Anti-India rhetoric, violence against minorities, and the arrest of a Hindu monk have strained ties. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit aimed to refocus on economic cooperation and address concerns. The interim government must reciprocate to rebuild the partnership crucial for South Asia's future.

With barely two weeks left, there is still no clarity on the details of the forthcoming elections in Nigeria. Will Nigeria hold Presidential elections on February 14 and the Governors of the States poll on February 28 as scheduled?

As Yemen's two-year transitional period comes to an end, there is increased anticipation regarding Yemen's future. Main points of contention in the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) were pertaining to the solutions to the southern issue.

Through most of the Cold War and for over a decade after it ended, the phrase that best described Indo-US relations was ¿estranged democracies¿, coined by Dennis Kux, a former US diplomat. The two democracies, the world¿s largest and the world¿s most populous, regarded each other with wary suspicion.

Japan-Thailand relations are understated, yet dynamic and continuing to evolve. The two have worked towards fortifying their ties across various sectors, including defence, investments, and energy, undergirded by a mutual commitment to regional stability and economic prosperity. A paramount interest is navigating the geopolitical complexities of the times, amid growing external threats that necessitate deeper security cooperation comprising bilat

Undersea cables must be understood as critical infrastructure, and their vulnerability – to intentional tampering and accidental damage – acknowledged.

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

Last month, the security forces of Bangladesh unearthed the existence of a new terrorist group called Ansar Ullah Bangla. The discovery of this group surprised many since the country for a few years has been having an active counter-terror operation in place.

Given their frequent recurrence in Indian cities, the problem of urban flooding is gaining focus in policy discussions. Indeed, urban floods can cause massive loss of infrastructure, property, and lives, and have a substantial economic impact. To ensure they remain functional and secure, Indian cities must tackle the issue of floods by examining the urban over-densification problem and adopting innovative mitigation measures with the technical an

In recent years, China has been expanding its diplomatic and economic profile in Afghanistan, with its policy evolving from being premised on ‘calculated indifference’, to strategic engagement. Although China’s actions may be predicated on domestic compulsions, Afghanistan could also benefit in the process, especially in relation to China’s transcontinental connectivity ventures. Other considerations like China’s geographical proximity

After Doklam, China seems to want to ‘expose’ once again how India’s Quad allies are concerned only about the shared waters of the Indo-Pacific

In recent years, China has been playing a proactive and assertive role in neighbouring Myanmar’s internal conflicts, most of them driven by tensions between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups. Current scholarly studies examine the factors responsible for China’s increased role, identifying, amongst them, Beijing’s concerns on border stability and nationalist pressure from within. These analyses, however, neglect to delve into the

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.

A pandemic of the viral disease COVID-19 has reached millions of people around the world with significant rates of mortality. With no specific treatments or vaccines in the immediate horizon, limiting contact with infected persons, the use of masks, and hand hygiene offer the only mitigation for now. This has led most countries to adopt severe isolation measures, which have in turn caused disruption of economic activity and increased unemployment

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.

To understand the different perspectives of the UK and India on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the implications of the Arab Spring, Observer Research Foundation organised an interaction with experts from the Foreign Commonwealth Office on March 21, 2013.

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

This paper bridges the gap in Indian public discourse on the aims of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State) and where it stands today as the most formidable terrorist organisation of the 21st century. It explores ISIS from the perspective of the Middle East, rather than coming from an Indian foreign policy and security point of view, of which there is no dearth in literature. Such an approach is crucial in understanding the terr

Pakistan is often accused of being a state sponsor of terrorism. This article bases itself in the belief that though the problem of ?Jihadism? may well have originated from some of Pakistan?s security paranoias, it is now assuming proportions far larger than Pakistan itself. At this stage, Jihadism will be a problem for Pakistan itself as much as for the rest of the world. At the same time, the ability of the Pakistani state to counter this pheno

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor (EC) has been receiving increased public attention in the last few months because of a strong push by China. When implemented, the project promises mega cites, infrastructure, jobs and better living standards for people living in its fold. Is the BCIM EC really a gamechanger? Or will this project, like others proposed by China under its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, result in

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

India is currently facing a massive exports slowdown, one of its worst in recent years. Exports slumped for the 13th consecutive month in December 2015 by 15 percent and major exported goods from India have shown negative growth. Half the story relates to external forces: as global growth slows down, India's export markets contract, too. The other half, however, is a story of supply: for many reasons-lack of infrastructure, amongst them-India has

The state of Pakistan, dominated by Punjabis, has responded to Baloch nationalism with brutal methods of suppression

Sri Lanka, which in the 1970s was being hailed as a development success story for a low-income nation, is now mired in a financial and economic disaster, its worst yet since independence in 1948. Despite notable investments in infrastructure projects, and a largely stable growth rate from 2013 to 2019, the Sri Lankan story was marred by a series of untimely and mismanaged economic measures that led to the current meltdown. External factors have c

Observer Research Foundation and the Experimental Creativity Centre (ECC), Moscow, completed the second leg of their collaborative research project on the theme "Understanding the Emerging Contours of Power and Hegemony - Contemporary Geo-political Narratives" in New Delhi on March 15-16, 2010.

Among the estimated 1.3 billion people across the world who have no access to electricity, 70 percent are women. This brief discusses the impact of energy poverty on India’s rural women. As women are primarily responsible for securing food and energy for their family, they are the ones who are worst affected by the lack of access to clean and modern energy. The brief calls for a more holistic approach in research and policymaking on energ

This paper analyses the contentious idea of a nexus between public opinion and foreign policy agendas, focusing on the Indian context. The paper examines the history of the discourse and outlines the key ideological divergences and events that have shaped the inquiry. It then traces the public opinion-foreign policy linkage in the Indian context, and frames the analysis against other representative democracies, specifically the United States. Usi

Food insecurity and mental health issues are linked in a syndemic relationship, where their interplay exacerbates negative outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations. Chronic food insecurity contributes to psychological distress and depression, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that hinders access to adequate nutrition and undermines mental well-being. This bidirectional dynamic is further influenced by socio-economic disparities, gende

Various explanations have been proffered for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s renewed emphasis on ideology. The popular narratives attribute it to either Xi’s power ambitions, or a reaction rooted in his personal trauma during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. Meanwhile, an alternative discourse projects the rise of ideology politics as a response to a possible legitimacy crisis facing the Communist Party of China (CPC). This paper weighs i

In the last five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has undergone a massive transformation and is today the country’s most formidable political force. The party won the 2014 general election with a convincing majority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who assumed power in May 2014. It is in power in 20 states, either on its own or with its allies. This rise can be attributed to various factors, including the party leader

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