Search: For - agenda

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Sino-Pak alliance: Naval and nuclear cooperation
May 18, 2013

Sino-Pak alliance: Naval and nuclear cooperation

The unrealistic expectations in India from Li Keqiang's visit to Delhi and Mumbai next week are likely to be tempered when weighed against the Chinese premier's agenda in Pakistan.

Sino-Pak nuke deal and US
Jul 27, 2010

Sino-Pak nuke deal and US

It is ironic that the Obama administration, which has been persistently dogmatic about nuclear proliferation issues, has decided to turn a blind eye to China's attempts to fuel Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme.

Situating South Asia in the US response to transnational threats and Islamic militancy
Aug 26, 2015

Situating South Asia in the US response to transnational threats and Islamic militancy

The rise of Islamic State does pose a strategic threat to South Asia, although the influence might not be direct, according to Prof. Stephen Tankel of American University. He says since the decline of the Al Qaeda senior leadership in Pakistan, the IS has emerged a source of new leadership.

Situation in Afghanistan in the Context of Insurgency and Changing Nature of War
Apr 18, 2008

Situation in Afghanistan in the Context of Insurgency and Changing Nature of War

Lt Gen (retd.) David Barno, Director, Center for North-East and South Asia (NESA) at the National Defense University, Washington, D.C. along with Col (retd.) Jack Gill, also of the same center, visited ORF on 18 April 2008. LTG Barno made a presentation on "Situation in Afghanistan in the Context of Insurgency and Changing Nature of War".

Six months of Modi Government
Dec 12, 2014

Six months of Modi Government

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading a majority government after a gap of 25 years, took charge of the country on May 26 this year at an impressive swearing-in ceremony.

Six things that go against  ...
Sep 13, 2012

Six things that go against<abbr title=

With every day inching closer to the penultimate battle of 2014, the lines ar e being drawn and rules of the game getting clear. Political leaders are maki ng their preferences clear about PM candidates. And with every announceme nt, any chances of Na-rendra Modi making it to 7RCR are receding.

Skybus Vs Metro: Mumbai Deserves The Best
Aug 11, 2006

Skybus Vs Metro: Mumbai Deserves The Best

The city of Mumbai is almost synonymous with its train network, the backbone of its bustling public life. Mumbai suburban trains are said to be the most efficient railway systems in the world. Its eminence & growing dependency has belittled the high price of human lives, the city is paying. In 2002, the Mumbai suburban railway system claimed 3773 lives, injuring 3,297 from the total 7070 accident cases.

Sleeping with terrorists
Oct 30, 2004

Sleeping with terrorists

A collusive relationship between politicians and Naxalites or the People's War (PW) and Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), which have merged on September 21, 2004, to form the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), is clearly visible in Bihar, as in several other parts of the country.

Sleeping with the enemy
May 29, 2015

Sleeping with the enemy

There are now three strands to Pakistan's strategy. One, to keep the pressure on Afghanistan through increased Taliban terrorist attacks; two, take over the dialogue process with the help of China, and; three, tie all this up with an ISI-NDS deal.

Sliding along on oil
Mar 04, 2010

Sliding along on oil

The shadow boxing being done by UPA's friends and foes for a rollback of "prices" actually lacks a killer punch because what they are demanding is one of taxes meant to collect revenues for the UPA's flagship social sector schemes

SM Krishna's visit to Dhaka: An assessment
Jul 13, 2011

SM Krishna's visit to Dhaka: An assessment

The visit of External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to Dhaka early July underlines the importance of Bangladesh in India's strategic thinking. The visit was also crucial as it laid out the agenda for the all-important visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh later this year.

Small Hydro Power Can Fill In Energy Deficit
Jan 07, 2011

Small Hydro Power Can Fill In Energy Deficit

Of all the non-conventional renewable energy sources, small hydro represents highest density resource and stands in the first place in generation of electricity from such sources world-wide. It is also the most cost-effective energy technology to be considered for rural electrification and under the climate change scenarios.

Small steps for big change
Apr 16, 2015

Small steps for big change

While the launch of the MUDRA Bank is a laudable effort on the part of the government, there still persists ambiguity in the nature of the Bank's undertakings. The most pressing concern is in regards to the Bank's role as both a regulator and refinancing agency which will lead to a conflict of interests.

Smart Cities: How serious is the Modi Govt?
Mar 21, 2015

Smart Cities: How serious is the Modi Govt?

Building one hundred smart cities, towns or townships will not change India's urban landscape much. India needs an overall smart, well-discussed, thought-out, and lastly effective and efficiently implemented urban development strategy in a holistic urban policy framework. Now is the time to shape it.

Smart cities: Where India can learn from Chinese experiences
Oct 03, 2015

Smart cities: Where India can learn from Chinese experiences

As India starts moving on its path of making its hundred odd cities 'smart', it could take a few cues from the experience of China, another developing country and India's immediate neighbour. Though in many parameters, the Chinese cities do quite well, they too have shortcomings, when looked from some indicators.

Smashing democracy's license permit raj
Oct 31, 2011

Smashing democracy's license permit raj

Fixers aka political managers abound because they thrive in an artificially scare economy where votes are a premium

Snowden effect
Jun 25, 2013

Snowden effect

It is not often that China defends the rights of whistleblowers against the state and America finds itself defensive about internet freedom. That precisely is what Edward Snowden, the young American who has exposed the expansive cyber espionage activities of the National Security Agency in the United States against its own citizens and the rest of the world, has achieved.

Snubbing Zardari
May 23, 2012

Snubbing Zardari

In treating Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari badly at the NATO summit in Chicago, US President Barack Obama was highlighting the US frustration at Pakistan's reluctance to open up over land access to the international forces in Afghanistan.

So, goodbye until the next blast
Aug 14, 2012

So, goodbye until the next blast

It's pointless to blame Pakistan for successful terrorist strikes. What about the CCTVs that didn't work? The strategy of the new generation of terrorists is to keep the country forever in the terror warp, and they seem to be winning.

Social Evolution & Militancy: Past and Prospects
May 12, 2004

Social Evolution & Militancy: Past and Prospects

The recent US decision to blackball People¿s War (PW) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) may have revived interest in the naxalite movements, nearer home in India. While there can be no two ways about the State and the society fighting militancy, insurgency or terrorism, there is need to study the social causes and implications of such a trend. That way, we can reduce such incidents and instances, if not totally eliminate them.

Social management in the era of coalition politics
Jan 12, 2008

Social management in the era of coalition politics

Dr. V Krishna Ananth, political scientist and author, initiated an interaction on the 'Emerging scenario of coalition politics in India' at the ORF Chennai Chapter of the Observer Research Foundation, on 12 January 2008.

Social marginalisation in urban India and role of the State
Jun 05, 2015

Social marginalisation in urban India and role of the State

Social marginalisation in urban India can be overcome by identifying committed non-State individuals/institutions, and supporting them so that they are able to successfully contribute to the government's reform process.

Social Media and Politics
Apr 08, 2014

Social Media and Politics

ORF hosted a panel discussion on "Social Media and Politics", based on Shaili Chopra's book, The Big Connect: Politics in the Age of Social Media.

Social media becomes the scapegoat in India
Oct 08, 2013

Social media becomes the scapegoat in India

Hate speech, law and order, and mass panic are realities India's states have been living with for years. It would appear that, in dealing with free expression on the internet, India's politicians seem to err on the side of control. Perhaps the next election is not just about the economy, but equally about the Indian citizens freedom of expression and freedom from control.

Social media finally has its campaign in the sun
Jan 07, 2014

Social media finally has its campaign in the sun

Irrespective of whether AAP delivers on all its promises or is somehow muscled out of office in a few months, it has proven something to all Indian media watchers. Social media buzz has helped in shaping the agenda for India's largest and most important city, making a newly formed political party into a serious player in just over a year.

Some Hope in Aceh
Sep 26, 2005

Some Hope in Aceh

Aceh is a little known Northwest province of Indonesia that shot into world fame on December 26, 2004. It was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that triggered a tsunami. The western coastal areas of Aceh, including Banda Aceh, the capital, were among the areas hardest-hit by the tsunami. Approximately 230,000 people were killed and 400,000 left homeless out of its total population of 4.01 milli

Some things are best left secret
Jun 23, 2015

Some things are best left secret

As signaled by the Myanmar operations against militants, the policy shift in New Delhi must be taken seriously. One can hope that it does have a salutary effect on the extremist elements within the Pakistani establishment and the jihadi organisations located in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also.

Some tips from Santa on good governance
Dec 26, 2018

Some tips from Santa on good governance

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi waived agricultural loans and provided cash transfers. It won the Assembly election earlier this month by a landslide.

Something fishy about m.v Eugenia containers
Jan 10, 2006

Something fishy about m.v Eugenia containers

A consignment of over 100 tonnes of explosives, carried in six shipping containers. The ship was bound for Bander Abbas in Iran where the consignment was to be unlaoded and moved overland from Iran to Jaranz in Afghanistan since Pakistan does not permit such cargo to be sent from India over its territory. The consigment was of commercial grade explosives meant for use by Border Road Organization (BRO) for road construction.

Sour notes at the nuclear high table
Apr 18, 2013

Sour notes at the nuclear high table

India appears to have successfully climbed into the category of a nuclear "have," overcoming the divisions enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and enforced fervently by its adherents. However, as India prepares to argue its case for entering the export control regimes, it will find that the new "status" will bring contentious new issues, which will demand careful consideration.

South Asia faces crises of governance
Dec 16, 2011

South Asia faces crises of governance

South Asia as a whole was struggling with crises of governance, said Professor Sumit Ganguly while broadly outlining some key political, social and economic trends in the region during a presentation at ORF on December 16, 2011.

South Asia on land and sea: Old networks, new Links
Jul 19, 2014

South Asia on land and sea: Old networks, new Links

China uses history in imaginative fashion. This aspect is evident in Chinese expansionism over land and sea. Therefore, the challenge is often to locate South Asia within the broader configurations of land and sea, says Prof. Rila Mukherjee, Head of History of the Hyderabad University.

South Asia policy after Modi's China visit
May 22, 2015

South Asia policy after Modi's China visit

Indian concerns over a 'rising China' is more about China's 'increasing influence' in the South Asian neighbourhood than over the possibility of a revived border episode or a return to war between the two Asian giants.

South Asia region needs to be integrated as Europe
May 06, 2015

South Asia region needs to be integrated as Europe

Like Europe interlinked themselves and how it has benefitted their economy as a whole, Dr. Muhammad Hasan Mahmud, a former Minister in Sheikh Hasina Cabinet, thinks the same kind of integration could be done between India and Bangladesh and the whole of South Asia.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 10
Mar 16, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 10

LTTE supremo V. Prabhakaran is 'hale and hearty' and busy conferring honours to those who died fighting for Tamil 'Eelam'. Known for his crafty ability to dodge the Sri Lankan armed forces time and again, Prabhakaran made his first public appearance in many months putting at rest the rumours of his failing health.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 11
Mar 23, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 11

With the government declaring May 10 as the polling date for Provincial Council elections in the east, LTTE is worried about the outcome of the possibly "rigged" elections. The group has asked its parliamentary proxy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to boycott the elections fearing a total rout in the predominantly Tamil majority area. On the other hand, the group has softened its stand on talking to the Rajapaksa government.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 12
Mar 30, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 12

On the domestic front, Sri Lanka remained engaged in the forthcoming Provincial Council elections. On the eastern front, various electoral alignments are being worked out. Bargaining is taking place among political parties to woo winnable contenders to their side.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 13
Apr 06, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 13

Two politically significant events took place this week. First was the filing of the nomination papers by People¿s Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT), the political wing of LTTE set up in 1998. Second was the split in the only Muslim party,

South Asia South Asia Weekly 14
Apr 13, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 14

The much anticipated Constituent Assembly (CA) elections were held on April 10, 2008. Despite wide-spread apprehensions, the elections were peaceful, with people turning out in huge numbers to cast their votes.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 15
Apr 20, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 15

Though belatedly, Norway, which brokered a Ceasefire Agreement between Colombo and LTTE in 2002, clarified that it never supported the creation of a separate Tamil Eelam contrary to popular belief. Majority of Sri Lankans, including President Rajapaksa, accused Norway of being pro-LTTE.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 16
Apr 27, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 16

Both internal as well as external skepticism about the Rajapaksa government's warmth towards 'hard-line' countries like Pakistan, China and Iran is bound to grow with the impending visit of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmedinejad.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 17
May 04, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 17

The US State Department, in its latest report on terrorism, came down heavily on LTTE for its extortionist activities. The terrorist group, despite world-wide ban on its various activities, has been raising funds by forcing business houses to pay tax in areas they dominate.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 18
May 11, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 18

Amidst, growing concern and apprehension over the failure of political parties to reach an understanding on power-sharing, the first Seven Party Alliance meeting was held last week to evolve consensus and find a way out to the present crisis.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 19
May 18, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 19

The CPN-Maoists are clear about their economic agenda: they want an economic miracle in Nepal within 10 years. To achieve this objective, they have promised to adopt a liberal economic policy to boost the country's economic development and revive the dormant industrial sector.

South Asia South Asia Weekly 2
Jan 20, 2008

South Asia South Asia Weekly 2

An unlikely crisis is causing headache to already besieged President Pervez Musharraf and his caretaker government. It is not Osama's men or the Taliban which is troubling Islamabad the most but the scarcity of wheat flour across the country.