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Despite earlier reports that India would actually participate in the Australia-U.S. led military exercise, New Delhi remained an observer of the latest iteration.

Why was there no Big Bang change in the Budget? After all, the Modi government had the full mandate to do so. Why was the FM playing with Lego like blocks instead of huge building blocks? It could be because the time was short and the Budget was put together in a hurry.

One of the key reasons for TTP's survival has been Pakistan's policy of using terrorist groups as instruments of state policy. Pakistan Army's protection of the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban as ' strategic assets' helped TTP to retain its sanctuary and its attack capabilities.

One of the key Chinese objectives in initiating the Doklam standoff seems to be testing India’s resolve to stand by Bhutan. Leaving Bhutan to its devices at this juncture cannot be good for India’s elusive pursuit of regional primacy.

The strengthening of relations in the geopolitical sphere has also given a push to the India-Asean economic ties, with Asean now India's fourth-largest trading partner engaging in bilateral trade in 2019-20 worth $86.9 billion.

Trying to influence elections using tools like targeted messaging, fake news and negative campaigning have for long been part and parcel of politics.

India has pulled ahead of China and United States as the most favoured destination for foreign direct investment. But is being number one good enough to make the Modi government's 'Make in India' productivity reform a success story and achieve its desired 8-8.5 per cent growth?

If Hillary Clinton runs for office in 2016, it seems that she will be campaigning for herself as herself - an exceptional professional, a controversial former secretary of state, and a woman.

While superficial similarities between the recent Gurdaspur attack and the Mumbai attack may be apparent, there are major differences in the manner both planned and executed. The scale of the attack itself suggests that it certainly doesn't seem to have had the support of the highest echelons of power as in the Mumbai attack.

Any attempt by India to haul up Pakistan before the international community, including the UN, could prove counter productive. It could start with India itself 'internationalising' the issue, and formally allowing the rest of the world to tell us what we should do to Pakistan, and on the vexatious Kashmir issue.

The strategic advantage accruing to India in Siachen should not be given up for apparent short-term political gains. Giving up Siachen as a gesture of friendship would also mean that its recapture would be extremely expensive to India in men and material.

Giving huge amounts of cash subsidies in the developed countries also distorts market. Lowering the actual cost of production artificially, these countries have produced mountains and lakes of agricultural products which are then dumped in international markets which lower the prices.

The problem is less to do with ideology, and more about the clumsiness and coarseness with which the ideology is being spread.

India's objections to Pakistan's plan of holding an election in Gilgit-Baltistan region and New Delhi's protests to Chinese activity there need to seen in the wider context of Sino-Pak nexus.

The G20 — with its mix of developing and developed countries — offers the perfect platform for India to infuse partner nations with foundational ideas

New Delhi just commissioned its first indigenously built major warship. It will need more to challenge Beijing on the high seas.

Like it or not, the term ‘Indo Pacific’ seems to be a means of including India in the military calculations of US strategy in the Pacific.

If it wants to be a source of regional stability, it must act like one.

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.

India is located at such a prime position that it can't miss out the opportunity to be part of the MSR. Both the Marine Silk Road and the continental Silk Road --which is going to connect China with the central Asia -- are going to pass from India's periphery. India could gain a lot from being an active partner to the MSR. And, not joining it may isolate India.

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.

The US merely followed the lead of Britain in pushing the UN resolutions of 1948 making a dispute out of India’s complaint of Pakistani aggression in Kashmir.

A country that spends 15 per cent of its Central expenditure on national defence (armed forces and DRDO) and 23 per cent on national security (armed forces and all other security forces like para-military, police) must explain to its citizens as to whether its spending on security is justifiably utilised or not.

The Russian attack on Ukraine’s agricultural industry has largely destroyed the agricultural supply chain. The impact has been felt on the Indian economy as well.

New Delhi's labyrinthine procurement organization is an obstacle to the country's national security. And the external security threats that India confronts, especially that from Beijing, will not miraculously disappear.

With Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa linking the officially-blessed second round of fishers' talks in Colombo, scheduled for 13 March, to the release of all fishers arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, questions have arisen about the future course.

China invested more than USD 100 billion overseas last year alone. Its cumulative investments in Myanmar total USD 14.2 billion. The real question is why Chinese investment in India has lagged so far behind. Political mistrust is certainly a large part of the answer.

Indian decision-makers appear to live in splendid isolation and do not recognise the importance of meetings like the Pacific Army Chiefs Conference. These meetings have become more institutionalised and are likely to gain greater momentum.

Does Indian Foreign Policy towards West Asia have to be as fragmented as the region? Probably not. One could start by enunciating a few guidelines that are minimalist; that we are against religious extremism, toppling established states and condemning disproportionate use of force by Israel.

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 rhetoric and the justifications that Radical Islam employs to create willing suicide bombers must be properly understood if this menace is to be tackled effectively

The Indian tendency to muddle through is likely to continue when it comes to counter-insurgency. The distance between the Army and its civilian masters is so gaping that advice, however enriched by experience and reflection, is likely to fall on deaf ears.

A proactive Europe is welcomed by many in the Indo-Pacific, a reality highlighted by a recent ministerial forum focused on cooperation in the region.

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

India needs to be aware of the potentially disastrous consequences for its national security.

Opening of gas fields offers scope for reducing conflict in the region and has the potential to reduce Europe's energy dependence on Russia

The opening of Iran will alter the geopolitics of south-western Asia. Even so, India needs to tread with care. But this should not in any way constrain our initiatives with Iran. We need to move beyond the phase of dithering that has characterised our ties with Tehran for the last decade.

The strength of Jordan has been its acute awareness of its geographical vulnerabilities

Malala's achievement need not be measured in terms of the Nobel Peace Prize she did not get but in the awakening she can continue to create. For this, she and her kind, all over, need more than just periodic rewards.

Liberalism has given us this modern world which gives primacy to the individual over his community, caste or gender.

Since Putin and Modi last took stock of ties, a new energy and economic relationship has emerged, driven by Russia’s war