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Delhi must indeed prepare for the inevitable emergence of China as a full-fledged naval power in the Indian Ocean in the longer term. In the interim, as India seeks to consolidate its natural advantages in the Indian Ocean, France is a compelling naval partner.

If we accept the US to do something for us, we too have to be able to offer a quid pro quo, remembering that in international relations, national interests are supreme, sovereignty is (sometimes) equal but power and reach are not equal.

The Indian model of federalism may be one of the most interesting typologies in the world, characterised as it is by a paradox, to begin with: that of being a “centralised federalism.” This paper provides a temporal framework in the discourse on Indian federalism by outlining the history of the country’s federal structure in four different time periods, from the birth of the Indian republic to these contemporary times. It shows how the prev

The big paradox that the US confronts is the need to confront China and Russia at the same time. Clearly, even the mighty US does not have the energy and resources to do that. Beijing is, of course, quite self-confident because it is locked into the western economies and is, in that sense, sanctions proof.

Education in India is compulsory and free for primary and middle school, yet about 20 percent of children aged 6-14 remain absent. Analysts offer various explanations for India’s continued challenges in ensuring universal basic education, including lack of access to schools and poor educational environment. In this context, an index measuring the health of the early education system can be a valuable tool. This paper devises a Performance, Infr

Ahead of polls, he will seek to leverage the trip for political ends. India should stay focused on the wider agenda

India is growing in some states, declining in others – but rapidly ageing all over.

Australia is back for the second year in a row, underscoring the Quad’s deepening commitment to cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The biggest concern of India with RCEP at this juncture is not merely the economic reasons, but more geopolitical: the existence of China.

It is well known that Xi Jinping is an avid reader because his speeches have often used quotes from Dickens, Victor Hugo and Paul Coelho. The very choice of the books has a meaning.

As the global debate on the Chinese model, and especially its domestic political system intensifies, there is a tendency to regard the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a monolith. This paper corrects such a view and argues that any attempt to comprehend elite politics in China requires an understanding of the factional dynamics within the party. The paper outlines the evolution of factional politics in China, and shows how two factions – the Sh

An elitist college system seems to have deepened divisions in the US and this may hold lessons for India too

With its higher speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity capabilities, 5G technology represents a new era in telecommunications that promises to redefine industries and everyday life. Chinese telecom companies have taken the lead in developing and commercialising 5G technology, threatening the commercial prospects of Western telecom firms and giving rise to fears of surveillance and espionage. The open radio access network (O-RAN) is a

This brief evaluates the capabilities of the Chinese-origin frigates acquired by Pakistan, and explores the potential implications of their induction on the operational approach of the Pakistan Navy. The brief argues that the Pakistan Navy’s acquisition of Chinese-origin frigates must be viewed as part of its attempted transformation from a force adopting an offensive sea-denial strategy to one gearing towards enhanced regional

Amit Krishankant Paul, The Siachen Story: The Inadvertent Role of Two German Explorers in Starting the Race to the World’s Highest Battlefield, April 2024, Observer Research Foundation.

Sustainable development goals (SDG) can be a major enabler of business competitiveness, creating conducive business conditions.

The announcement by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lama, and the sharp reactions from China that followed, have reignited global attention on the Tibetan people’s decades-long struggle for independence. Owing to British self-interest during the Second World War and the US rapprochement with Communist China during the Cold War to counter the USSR—alongside China's economic rise—much of the wor

Given that Pakistan has close ties with North Korea, it may not be difficult to visualise that the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile technology may well find its way into Pakistan. Such an introduction would seriously affect the delicate strategic balance of South Asia and start another round of arms/ missile race.

Afghanistan has eroded US power and credibility. A transactional America will now encounter transactional friends

On the surface, the two-day summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama seems to be yet another step signalling that the world is headed towards a bipolar polity dominated by the US and China. But a deeper analysis will show that it is part of a more subtle effort by the US to protect its global dominance, which from the Indian point of view may not be such a bad thing.

As global climate adaptation finance continues to fall short of the requirement, the current diversity of interpretations and fragmented markets are further disincentivising investors. A localised adaptation finance taxonomy would establish clear standards, enabling investors to compare opportunities and better assess environmental impacts. This brief argues for a sector-specific framework for adaptation finance. It examines key challenges in dev

Trusted connectivity, diversified sources of materials, and resilient financial and trading arrangements have become a strategic imperative for India

The ‘crown jewel’ of the World Trade Organization (WTO) — the dispute resolution mechanism — is facing a crisis. The US obstruction to new appointments in the WTO’s Appellate Body (AB) has frozen the appeals process and brought the mechanism to a halt. Until such crisis is resolved, New Delhi will need to explore other means for resolving its current and future trade disputes. This paper outlines interim solutions that India can emplo

Established in 1995, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement System (DSS) is used to resolve trade-related disputes between WTO member states. It has received over 500 complaints since its inception, and utilises both political negotiation and adjudication for dispute resolution. Today the DSS faces an unprecedented crisis due to US obstruction, which may render the system effectively dysfunctional by late 2019. It is likely tha

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to promote a political model with centralisation and one-party rule at the core to achieve economic growth and stability. This brief assesses the extent to which the CCP’s policymaking mechanisms and internal politics have influenced China’s strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi seems to have overplayed his hand, leading to a significant realignment, resulting in a pushback at a time when his governance style has come under scrutiny

The narrative of the world being divided into power blocs like those during the Cold War era has been punctured

India's former National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan thinks that challenges posed by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were far greater, as it directly impinged on India's sovereignty and security. He feels that this is a far graver issue than the India-China border dispute.

A new exercise has reinforced the trend of deepening defense collaboration between the two sides.

In his third term, He should take a proactive approach to peacemaking, like Norway & Switzerland. This will help India better mangae its external environment.

While the domestic economic situation needs various corrective steps to bring back an increase in private investment, the external situation needs to be addressed with right export-boosting policies. Raising export growth seems to be the only alternative.

Unless mainland China somehow manages a swift recovery, historians of globalisation will view this moment as a watershed

There is widespread hope that the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow will deliver decisive action on the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. This report gathers different perspectives from analysts in South Asia, Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and the UK on regional priorities and positions on key issues related to the global fight against climate change. Certain threads bind these analyses regarding what the

Democracy costs a lot of money. To fight elections and run their routine activities, political parties in India seek donations from all possible sources including ‘illegal’ and ‘interested’ money. This has serious ramifications in preserving the integrity of Indian democracy. An increasing number of countries, meanwhile, have taken the path of public subsidies and direct funding of parties and political activities — aiming to reduce dep

With the attack on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters, some of whom wore QAnon shirts and brandished confederate flags, the far-Right’s threat to American liberal democracy is more visible than ever.

Defence cooperation has acquired a stable momentum, but there are still major challenges that Washington and New Delhi need to address

The exact nature of what these events lead to is shrouded in uncertainty. Trump though has unambiguously exacerbated the crises by pushing a region, thus far teetering on the edge, off the cliff.

Under President Trump, the United States seems to adopting an unprecedented antagonistic stance against the institutions, commitments, and unpronounced precedents alike, of the liberal world order that the US itself put in place in the aftermath of the Second World War.