Search: For - agenda

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Rio+20 final document at best a compromise
Jun 28, 2012

Rio+20 final document at best a compromise

The Rio+20 agreed text of the document can best be called a compromise in the backdrop of the global economic slowdown and the Eurozone crisis which prevented many European leaders to participate in the summit.

Rise of China has upped significance of Myanmar
Feb 21, 2015

Rise of China has upped significance of Myanmar

With the rise of China as an economic and military superpower, the significance of Myanmar in the geo-politics of the region has assumed new dimensions. India therefore cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the country where till recently Chinese influence was allowed to grow unchallenged.

Rise of China: Asian and European perspective
Nov 23, 2006

Rise of China: Asian and European perspective

The Observer Research Foundation and the ROSA Luxemburg Foundation, Germany organized a two day International Conference in Delhi on Nov 23-24, 2006. The Conference was on Rise of China: Asian and European Perspective.

Rise of new powers in Asia challenging for US, allies
Sep 18, 2014

Rise of new powers in Asia challenging for US, allies

The rise of new powers in Asia and the changing power distribution in the region is equally challenging for both the United States and its allies in the Asia Pacific region, according to Mr. Abraham M. Denmark, Vice President for Political and Security Affairs at The National Bureau of Asian Research.

Rise of the common man: The changing dynamics of Indian politics
Dec 30, 2013

Rise of the common man: The changing dynamics of Indian politics

It is now clear that Aam Aadmi Party will be the major contender in the Lok Sabha elections in the first quarter of 2014 and would give all other veteran parties like the Congress and the BJP a real challenge. The AAP could even halt the march of Narendra Modi towards Delhi.

Rise of the Eurosceptics could hurt Indian interests
Jun 21, 2014

Rise of the Eurosceptics could hurt Indian interests

The recent European Parliamentary election shows the rise of the extreme right wing parties. This is something that would hurt Indians living in Europe and UK. Some of these parties are strongly nationalist and anti immigration (racists), free trade and outsourcing.

Rising  India  Must  Tap  Full  Potential  Of  Ties  With  France
Dec 03, 2010

Rising India Must Tap Full Potential Of Ties With France

President Sarkozy's impending visit to India (December 4-6) should be seen in the larger perspective of India's rise and the external environment that has facilitated this.

Rising Ukraine IDPs: Need for urgent international help
Dec 29, 2014

Rising Ukraine IDPs: Need for urgent international help

While the world remains engrossed in the debates triggered by Western sanctions on Russia over Ukraine and the countersanctions, a serious humanitarian crisis is building up in Ukraine which needs international attention and help.

Robust India-Japan ties vital in Asian security architecture: Japanese scholar
Nov 19, 2015

Robust India-Japan ties vital in Asian security architecture: Japanese scholar

Reiterating that China should not be contained, Mr. Yukio Okamoto, adviser to former prime ministers, has underlined the need to foster cooperation between Japan and India, including in their efforts to be represented in the United Nation Security Council, with or without the veto powers.

Rocky road for Iran-India pipeline: Mani Shankar Aiyar
Mar 16, 2005

Rocky road for Iran-India pipeline: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar underlined the need to make the Iran-India pipeline through Pakistan a reality as early as possible to enhance India¿s energy security. He was speaking at the release function of an Observer Research Foundation book ¿India¿s Energy Security Prospects--which deals with the issue of India¿s energy security and the prospects for cooperation with its extended neighbourhood

Rohingyas Adrift in the Bay of Bengal: The region needs to response
May 21, 2015

Rohingyas Adrift in the Bay of Bengal: The region needs to response

The region need to response to the unfolding migrant crisis in the Andaman Sea. India and the Indian Navy must move quickly with other regional players to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in the Bay of Bengal.

Rolling the Dice: India and China in 2025
Jan 14, 2011

Rolling the Dice: India and China in 2025

A roundtable at the ORF Campus at New Delhi held on 14 January made an attempt to look at the future of India and China in 2025. The session was chaired by Ambassador MK Rasgotra, President, ORF and moderated by Jim Yardley, New Delhi Bureau Chief of the New York Times.

Roots of Extremism in Bangladesh
Jan 18, 2005

Roots of Extremism in Bangladesh

In many ways, Bangladesh seems an excellent place for al-Qaeda to find sanctuary in the decisive years ahead. It is an impoverished Islamic nation, politically weak and backward in its economic development. Its ports have been active hubs for transnational crime, including weapons running.

Rouhani and the Arab Gulf: Towards reconciliation?
Aug 09, 2013

Rouhani and the Arab Gulf: Towards reconciliation?

New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's emphasis on political moderation and ending Iran's isolation is drawing attention to the potential reconciliation between Tehran and some of its Arab Gulf neighbours. He has also raised hopes for a productive engagement between Tehran and the West.

Roundtable on Fragmentation in a Democracy: Role of Social Movements &  Media
Oct 16, 2013

Roundtable on Fragmentation in a Democracy: Role of Social Movements & Media

Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Berlin organised a conference on "Fragmentation in a Democracy: The Role of Social Movements and the Media". Here is a report.

Row over the sacking of Grameen Bank chief
Mar 25, 2011

Row over the sacking of Grameen Bank chief

The removal of Prof. Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh has left a dent on the image of the Awami League Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, both at home and overseas.

Royal coup and its implications
Feb 05, 2005

Royal coup and its implications

FOR all those following the developments in Nepal, the King¿s coup, has not come as a surprise. Notable, however, is the sweep and sting of the King¿s action.

Running Faster to Maintain Status Quo?
Oct 06, 2004

Running Faster to Maintain Status Quo?

By all accounts, the meeting between Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf and the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New York appears to have gone off quite well.

Running out of control
Jun 17, 2014

Running out of control

Instead of shutting down its jihadi factories ten years ago, Pakistan's leaders nurtured them selectively and today, their proteges have come to haunt them. They can still be shut down, but will need an honest Pakistani appreciation of its predicament.

Russia - the Bric that came apart
Feb 04, 2015

Russia - the Bric that came apart

Russia's troubles are unlikely to vanish soon. With the Central Bank forecasting a 4.5 per cent drop in GDP in 2015, a downgrade is a certainty. The budget deficit, forecast to be larger than 0.6 per cent of GDP in 2015, will prove to be another cause of misery.

Russia and Pakistan: Getting Closer
May 17, 2011

Russia and Pakistan: Getting Closer

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's official visit (May 11) to Russia is interesting especially as it occurred within a fortnight of the US raid in Abbottabad, killing Osama bin Laden.

Russia and the Iran nuclear deal
Jul 15, 2015

Russia and the Iran nuclear deal

What is interesting for Russia is how greater cooperation with Iran will affect its ties with other Middle Eastern nations, such as both Saudi Arabia and Israel, which has been a vocal opponent of a nuclear deal with Iran. Israel however does not occupy a special position in Russia's foreign relations as it does for the United States.

Russia hugs China
Oct 17, 2014

Russia hugs China

As Russia embraces China to relieve the pressures from the West, India's room for geopolitical manoeuvre in Asia and beyond is bound to shrink. Earlier, though both India and Russia had begun to normalise bilateral relations with China in the 1980s, they remained wary about Beijing.

Russia is back
Sep 24, 2013

Russia is back

The war in Syria, the alleged use of chemical weapons by its President, Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, has turned out to be a perfect opportunity for Putin to reassert the role of Russia, 21 years after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Russia not happy with India's efforts to diversify nuclear partners
Dec 21, 2012

Russia not happy with India's efforts to diversify nuclear partners

Despite efforts, Indo-Russian nuclear engagement has been limited, mainly because of two factors. One, there is an unstable status of legal framework for the transfer of nuclear technology and second, India's efforts to diversify nuclear partners have been a little upsetting for Russia.

Russia's ISIL challenge in the North Caucasus
Jul 09, 2015

Russia's ISIL challenge in the North Caucasus

Russia has been dealing with extremism within its borders for several years. So it is not exactly unprepared for whatever threat ISIL currently poses. However, there is a degree of complacency that has set in.

Russia-EU Relations: The End of a Strategic Partnership
Mar 11, 2021

Russia-EU Relations: The End of a Strategic Partnership

The end of the Cold War in 1991 presented Russia and the European Union (EU) with an opportunity to reorganise their bilateral relationship. For more than a decade, they did manage to nurture close ties. Beginning in the mid-2000s, however, the relationship steadily declined, reaching its lowest in 2014 in the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis. As mutual grievances have accumulated since then, there has been an absence of a forward-looking agenda

Russia-Pak relations: Beyond Putin's cancelled trip to Islamabad
Oct 03, 2012

Russia-Pak relations: Beyond Putin's cancelled trip to Islamabad

While Russia is aware of Islamabad's role in fomenting international terrorism, it realises that any successful resolution of the problems associated with Afghanistan must involve Pakistan. A cancelled presidential visit cannot change the relevance of this, or of Russia's goal, in enhancing ties with Pakistan.

Russia-Turkey deal and geo-politics of gas
Dec 30, 2014

Russia-Turkey deal and geo-politics of gas

At a time when it is facing Western sanctions and a proxy war on oil prices, Russia sprang a huge surprise early this month by signing a gas deal with Turkey. The deal will enable Russia to pump natural gas into a Turkish hub, near the Turkey-Greece border and from there into the southern EU market.

Russia-US deal puts Syrian rebels back to "minus one"
Sep 21, 2013

Russia-US deal puts Syrian rebels back to "minus one"

The Syrian rebels are not back to square one, but to minus one. They have been outsmarted by the Assad regime, just as the Russians outsmarted the Americans.

Russia-Vietnam cooperation in the Asia Pacific
Aug 02, 2013

Russia-Vietnam cooperation in the Asia Pacific

While Russia has been very careful of not antagonising China, which has emerged as Moscow's second largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific, Beijing is uncomfortable by the nature of Moscow's involvement in Hanoi.

Russian Boost To Kyoto Protocol
Jun 07, 2004

Russian Boost To Kyoto Protocol

Humanity depends heavily on the various benefits that nature provides us. It's impossible to truly estimate its value. However, economists and environmental scientists have estimated in dollars what it would cost us to accomplish the services nature provides. Using multiple databases, they estimate that nature provides $33 trillion dollars worth of services every year¿that's nearly twice the annual Gross National Product (GNP) of all the countri

Russian Far East & opportunities for India
Jan 31, 2014

Russian Far East & opportunities for India

If the Indian government appropriately leverages Russia's goodwill, Russian Far East could turn out to be a growth area for Indian business. Innovatively implemented, India's ties with the Russian Far East could help cement Indo-Russian relations as well as bolster its ties with Central Asia and East Asia.

Russian pipeline
Jul 16, 2014

Russian pipeline

Given its vast coastline, Delhi should devote its attention for now to importing hydrocarbons by sea, investing in equity oil in Russia and other energy-rich countries, and concluding swap arrangements rather than grandiose transregional pipelines.

SAARC 'A Non Starter
Dec 08, 2004

SAARC 'A Non Starter

SAARC conjures up an image of jamborees and no results. The South Asian Association of Regional cooperation with its seven members ( India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh) remains one of the most dysfunctional trade blocs and there is hardly any freedom of movement of goods, services and people. The next (13th) SAARC summit is going to be held in Dhaka in the beginning of January 2005.

SAARC countries need to do much more to fight terrorism
Mar 20, 2012

SAARC countries need to do much more to fight terrorism

India has said that the regional efforts to counter terrorism in South Asia continue to face significant challenges though there are various SAARC frameworks on suppression of terrorism since 1987.

SAARC energy agreement: What should be the next steps?
Dec 08, 2014

SAARC energy agreement: What should be the next steps?

The SAARC energy agreement signed may have given some hope for the realisation of energy cooperation in South Asia. But, it needs to be understood that an overarching agreement has little impact on project-based cooperation, owing to the centrality of India in the South Asian geography.

SAARC should focus on higher education
Jun 23, 2005

SAARC should focus on higher education

Amb M Rasgotra, International Affairs Adviser, Observer Research Foundation, and former Foreign Secretary of India, was invited as Chief Guest at the Convocation of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lnaka, held on June 23, 2005. The complete text of his Convocation Address is reproduced below:

SAARC Summit: Finally, some positive movements
Nov 18, 2011

SAARC Summit: Finally, some positive movements

The 17th SAARC Summit was held at Addu Atoll, Maldives on the 10th and 11th of November 2011. The venue, in the words of the Bhutanese Prime Minister, reflected the vastness of South Asia.

SAARC Summit: Long term opportunities and immediate threats
Nov 24, 2014

SAARC Summit: Long term opportunities and immediate threats

Despite SAARC's failures of the past, the repeated declarations by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the need to reinvigorate ties with neighbouring states have created a renewed interest in the possibilities of multilateral cooperation under SAARC.

SAARC: 'Challenge to do even better'
Nov 18, 2011

SAARC: 'Challenge to do even better'

The 17th SAARC Summit, held on 10-11 November at Addu City in Maldives, will be remembered for three things - for the inspiring speech of the outgoing Chair,

SAARC: Balancing regional realities, global modalities
Dec 06, 2014

SAARC: Balancing regional realities, global modalities

In context of SAARC, the reality of the situation demands that India handles Pakistan separately. India also has to approach the rest of SAARC neighbours with a more accommodative mind-set. Such mind-sets cannot be confined to sharing history and culture, economic prosperity and development-spending.

Sabarmati Summit
Sep 17, 2014

Sabarmati Summit

Hard-nosed realists around the world are impressed with Modi's diplomatic flair seen during his visits to Nepal and Japan. But they ask if Modi can go beyond the atmospherics and bring about a substantial change in the relationship with China. Here again, Modi has the opportunity to introduce change.

Saif Al-'Adl: New Interim al Qaeda chief
May 23, 2011

Saif Al-'Adl: New Interim al Qaeda chief

Within a fortnight of the death of Osama bin Laden, news came of the appointment of a senior al Qaeda leader, Saif Al-'Adl, as the interim chief, indicating clearly an internal tussle for the leadership of the global terrorist group, raising, in the process,