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In light of the advances in Chinese defence capabilities, India must prioritise the development of the second phase of India’s BMD capability as wel

Aero India 2011 raises a few issues for future debates. Should aerospace modernisation be a national priority as India enhances its hard power? An affirmative answer validates the significance of Aero India. But, such fundamental issues need to be debated beyond the confines of the government.

Affirmative action, especially in the form of reservation policies, to address the issues of inclusion and equity has been in place in India for a long time. The available evidence suggests that the policies of reservation have not been an unqualified success. Indeed, implementation of the reservation policies has faced a variety of issues ranging from problems of identifying the beneficiary groups and the creamy layer to legal interpretation of

More than six months into his tenure, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is possibly as far from achieving a breakthrough with the Taliban. There is no unanimity in the Taliban for peace talks. And Pakistan's failure to bring the Taliban to the table could possibly be a reflection of its limited influence over the group and a bigger obstacle to the talks may be the Taliban itself.

The voluminous participation by the Afghans in the elections, in which all major candidates asserted their desire to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement with the US, does not bode well for the Taliban, which describes signing of the BSA as "a huge crime".

Cautioning that the security situation in Afghanistan may become complicated in future, Chinese scholars said since both India and China have interests in that country, it could provide an opportunity for both to play a bigger role, setting aside the disagreements regarding Pakistan.

Delhi must not forget that the tyranny of geography limits India's role in Afghanistan. Delhi is in no position to compete with Rawalpindi in Afghanistan. Nor can it dream of replacing US military power across the Durand Line. For now, Delhi must welcome the current dialogue between Kabul and Rawalpindi.

India and Iran can revamp their worldview by using common identities and interests to carve a space for themselves in Afghanistan.

The role that water can play in the direction that the Taliban takes, be it towards Iran, Pakistan or China, cannot and must not be discounted

Comparing Afghanistan and the rest of the world, Farkhunda Zarah Naderi, Member of the Afghan National Assembly, said that while the world is looking forward to achieve the status quo, Afghans are still fighting for their primary rights, be it women's, cultural or ethical.

Looking beyond the SCO’s inability to come to a consensus on Afghanistan to the normalising of Beijing’s influence in Eurasia

The tragedy of 9/11 ended international negligence of Afghanistan’s need to stabilise and develop on a sustainable basis.

Saeed Naqvi, Distinguished Fellow at ORF, recently journeyed across Afghanistan where he met scores of political leaders, Taleban, US officials, filmmakers, journalists, NGOs, religious leaders and ordinary Afghans. The result is an insightful document on Afghanistan at the crossroads. Do Americans have an Endgame planned? Or, more important, can a superpower in a theatre of strategic importance, have a linear exit plan when multiple strategic op

The deal with the Taliban is full of contradictions, but it is the best the US could come up with. Rather than criticise it, India should think about what its own options are in securing its flanks

After months of painstaking deliberations, Afghanistan's draft Constitution was finally made public on November 3, 2003. However, the road to the final document would in all probability prove to be a daunting process as the formation of the draft was, and might end up being an inconclusive battle for supremacy between the liberals in charge of the country at present and the radicals who once called the shots.

Nearly ten years in Afghanistan and not a solution is sight makes for sad commentary for the ability of the US to solve its security problems or to force a solution on other regions. The year of reckoning may have been postponed from 2011 to 2014.

Given his limited choices in stabilising Afghanistan, which include supporting a national election, US President-elect Donald Trump will find India to be a reliable and trusted partner in this process

लंबे समय तक अमेरिका और पाकिस्तान (US and Pakistan) के लिए एक-दूसरे क�

The historical Durand line continues to be a thorn on the side as both Pakistan and Afghanistan are unable to come to a mutually beneficial conclusion

The US is unlikely to withdraw from Afghanistan, and the unstated reason for its prolonged stay in the area is to ensure the stability of nuclear Pakistan.

The visit of Mr. S Jaishankar, India's Foreign Secretary, to Kabul this week came at the fag end of his trip to all the other South Asian neighbouring countries. During this brief visit, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and reaffirmed India's commitment to stay the course in Afghanistan.

What the US leadership must consider as it has beat a hasty and embarrasing retreat from Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, there are concerns among Abdullah Abdullah's supporters that he may be reduced to a mere figurehead or that Ashraf Ghani, as President, could still seek to extend his powers.

Nawaz Sharief's election for an unprecedented third time as Pakistan's prime minister has been welcomed by the Afghan government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulating Sharief called upon the new Pakistani government to enhance cooperation in order to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan.

Though small at the moment, the ISKP has the potential to gain momentum from the rebuilding of Afghanistan post US withdrawal

The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and there is an overall sense of anxiety about a possible economic collapse and a Taliban takeover. The role of Pakistan and China will add to India's challenging task to ensure stability in Afghanistan in the next few years.

The year 2014 is, in many ways, the year of reckoning for Afghanistan which is undergoing three simultaneous transitions - security, political and economic. Unlike the first two, the economic transition has not had the advantage of clear deadlines and roadmaps and has suffered from lack of long term planning.

Amidst claims by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) that the auditing process is in its final stages, there was hope that the presidential elections will be concluded sooner rather than later.

Before engaging with the Taliban on counterterrorism, the global community needs to realise that this move will have both political limitations and re

The attacks have rendered true government apprehensions about the ability of the Taliban to control the violence — their own, and that engineered by

In the midst of growing political instability, emerging complexities in the peace process, and significant aid cuts, the coronavirus outbreak is intensifying the struggle on all fronts in Afghanistan.

The presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan presents a serious challenge in securing counterterrorism gains of the past, while ensuring that the Taliban delivers on the promise of ensuring non-use of Afghan soil to plan attacks against the US or its allies.  

The registration process for the Afghan presidential elections came to a close last week. As many as 27 candidates have filed nomination and the vetting process, by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC),

Even with the knowledge that Afghanistan has suffered terrorist violence for almost two decades now, the brutal attacks on the maternity ward and the funeral in the holy month of Ramadan, have unleashed a wave of horror and disgust that is unlikely to die down anytime soon.

The Indian Consulate in Jalalabad was the target of a suicide attack on August 3. The attack, though did not harm the consulate or any Indian personnel, resulted in the death of 9 bystanders.

New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fulfilled his promise of signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the U.S. and Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the NATO within 24 hours of taking office.

The American endgame in Afghanistan is driven by the need to save face after suffering a military defeat at the hands of insurgents, with or without a

A decade after the 'Twin Towers' came crashing down in New York, the US has given its blessings for the Taliban to open its political office in the distant West Asian State of Qatar.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is desperately seeking external support in order to secure the nation's future. The impending December 2014 deadline for the drawdown of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the consequent reduction of western military and developmental

The confirmations about the death of Mullah Omar, who is said to have died in 2013, may not have taken many by surprise. His absence from the public domain for years led to various theories about his possible whereabouts.

Though there is a need for a neutral Afghanistan, the prevailing geopolitics of South Asia and the domestic politics of Afghanistan make the 'Congress of Vienna' model and a neutral Afghanistan too utopian a dream to be achieved anytime soon.

The situation in Afghanistan is grim. There is a tendency to confuse random acts of violence with the instability caused by the the Taliban or the neo-Taliban. An analysis of the violent incidents in Afghanistan in the past few years has revealed that more than two-thirds of the violence has been related to land, resources or power-politics, pointing towards unequal sharing of power at the sub-national level. A round-table discussion on Afghanis

The killing of a former Taliban minister, Mullah Abdul Raqeeb, has raised questions about the involvement of the Pakistan establishment in the peace process and a possible rift within the ranks of the militant movement.