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Data free flow with trust: Is there a solution in sight?
Jan 28, 2023

Data free flow with trust: Is there a solution in sight?

2023 could be a monumental year for facilitating DFFT as more and more countries are moving away from the concept of blanket data localisation

Filling the Blanks: Putting Gender into Military A.I.
Aug 21, 2023

Filling the Blanks: Putting Gender into Military A.I.

Defence structures around the world are seeing a technological upheaving as new and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are being added to military arsenals. However, military AI largely lacks precision and is often developed without any threat-modelling which takes gender into account, examples of which are already being seen in civilian applications of AI. Translated into a conflict environment, deploying such AI systems cou

Building the resilience of India’s internal security apparatus
Nov 26, 2018

Building the resilience of India’s internal security apparatus

26 November 2018 marked a decade since 10 Pakistan-based terrorists killed over 160 people in India’s financial capital of Mumbai. The city remained under siege for days, and security forces disjointedly struggled to improvise a response. The Mumbai tragedy was not the last terrorist attack India faced; there would be many others since. After every attack, the government makes lukewarm attempts to fit episodic responses into coherent frameworks

China’s military modernisation: Recent trends
Mar 26, 2019

China’s military modernisation: Recent trends

Since the assumption of Xi Jinping to the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2013, the People’s Liberation Army has undergone numerous changes, both in its modernisation and organisation, that are meant to ensure that the PLA forces will be battle-ready. The modernisation aims for the PLA to acquire the latest technology and logistics that can lead the military to quick and decisive victories in any theatre of ba

Conventional submarines move to centrestage
Sep 03, 2019

Conventional submarines move to centrestage

This brief traces the history of the development and deployment of conventional submarines. It analyses their shortcomings and examines how these have been progressively addressed over the years, particularly in the realm of battlefield transparency. Greater stealth, long-range weapons and large weapon loads, when coupled with accurate positional information of targets, have improved the combat capability of modern conventional submarines, narrow

From Kargil to Balakot: The continuing challenges to India’s modern air power
May 22, 2023

From Kargil to Balakot: The continuing challenges to India’s modern air power

Most leading air forces around the world were quick to learn from the experiences of the US Air Force between the Vietnam War in the 1960s and the Gulf War three decades later. This resulted in the widespread adoption by these forces of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) beginning in the mid-1990s. Only a few of these air arms, however, have matched the overall effectiveness of US air power, which combines aircraft survivability with weapon range,

Greece needs realistic policy solutions
May 02, 2011

Greece needs realistic policy solutions

European policymakers seem to be taking an awfully long time to realize the fact that there cannot be general blanket solutions to the problems in the euro-zone. Every time a member nation is in trouble, the same few steps seem to be repeated.

India and China: A gathering nuclear storm?
Aug 21, 2023

India and China: A gathering nuclear storm?

The Doklam crisis of 2017 illustrates the increasing tension in India and China’s nuclear relationship. There are elements of stability and instability in such relationship, and this brief examines them. Stability, on one hand, is derived from a history of military and political restraint, ongoing institutionalised negotiations, and growing economic relations. However, the continuing border dispute and disagreement on a non-demarcated Line of A

India and the global geoeconomics of climate change: Gains from cooperation?
May 01, 2019

India and the global geoeconomics of climate change: Gains from cooperation?

Worsening climate change will have impacts on global politics, creating new vulnerabilities as well as opportunities. India, given its emerging power status and high vulnerability to climate impacts, holds a key position in global climate action. This brief looks at the ways in which India has used climate policies to gain leverage. India has sought to incorporate the geostrategic uses of climate change into a wider shift in its foreign policy, i

India-Bangladesh Energy Non-Cooperation
Sep 29, 2003

India-Bangladesh Energy Non-Cooperation

Indian diplomacy seems to be drawing a blank when it comes to regional cooperation involving fine diplomacy and seasoned statecraft. The recent events relating to India's attempts towards getting natural gas from Bangladesh and Myanmar and the negative response from Bangladesh suggest that it is unlikely to obtain any gesture of

India-Bangladesh Trans-Boundary River Management: Understanding the Tipaimukh Dam Controversy
Jan 18, 2020

India-Bangladesh Trans-Boundary River Management: Understanding the Tipaimukh Dam Controversy

This brief offers a way to rethink the ongoing dispute between India and Bangladesh over the former’s plan to build a high dam on River Barak (known as Surma-Kushiyara and Meghna in Bangladesh) at Tipaimukh in the state of Manipur. It identifies the origins of different sources of water for Bangladesh’s Haor, the region that is widely feared to be under threat by India’s planned dam. The brief recommends the conduct of a comprehensive study

India’s challenges in extraditing fugitives from foreign countries
Aug 21, 2023

India’s challenges in extraditing fugitives from foreign countries

With the advent of globalisation and increased interconnectivity, it has become less difficult for offenders in India to escape to foreign jurisdictions and avoid prosecution in the country. The importance of extraditing fugitives and bringing them before Indian courts cannot be stressed enough. Apart from providing timely justice and grievance redressal, it also serves as a deterrent against potential fugitives. However, India’s success rate i

India’s peri-urban regions: The need for policy and the challenges of governance
Mar 26, 2019

India’s peri-urban regions: The need for policy and the challenges of governance

Population relocations driven by economic reasons or caused by land speculation have led to people settling in peri-urban areas (or areas in the periphery of the urban). The in-migration of population and emergence of new activities is transforming such areas, as seen in changes in land use and occupational patterns, reduced farm activities, and growth of built structures. Inadequate planning and governance of peri-urban areas by local government

Institutionalising India-US defence ties in American legislative precedents
Feb 26, 2019

Institutionalising India-US defence ties in American legislative precedents

This brief probes the role of the current 116th US Congress in strengthening India-US relations in the realm of defence trade and technology transfers. The analysis is done in the context of the Trump administration’s relaxation of arms export policies, as well as a rise in conservative nationalism which abhors arming partner nations that prolong US conflicts overseas. Furthermore, as the Democrat-majority House of Representatives appropriates

Leaks Legitimize Conspiracy Theories
Dec 11, 2010

Leaks Legitimize Conspiracy Theories

Wikileaks has not only knocked open the door on 250,000 secret diplomatic cables, it may also have inaugurated an era when audacious discourse will not be placed under the stifling blanket of that expression - "Conspiracy Theory".

Russia’s tilt towards Asia and its implications for India
Apr 09, 2019

Russia’s tilt towards Asia and its implications for India

Russia has always been actively involved with European politics. Its genesis in Kiev—close to the European borders—allowed it to participate in the affairs of the continent. Although Russia’s geographic expanse has been more in Asia, Russian political elites have traditionally identified the country as a European entity. However, following attempts at integrating with the transatlantic economic and political system during the first decade o

Social protection to mitigate poverty: Examining the neglect of India’s informal workers
Aug 21, 2023

Social protection to mitigate poverty: Examining the neglect of India’s informal workers

Social protection is crucial in tackling extreme poverty and ensuring equitable development, thus catalysing the transition to a more stable and robust economy. About 50 percent of India’s economy hinges on its informal workers, who comprise 90 percent of the country’s total workforce. Yet, these informal workers continue to be excluded from current social-protection schemes, leaving them with no social or financial safety net and trapping th

South Korea’s new approach to India
Oct 23, 2018

South Korea’s new approach to India

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in government has adopted what it calls a “New Southern Policy”, and by most accounts, the strategy is aimed at strengthening the country’s relations with India. What is the rationale for South Korea’s current inclination towards India? This brief argues that the ‘China factor’ is playing a key role in this new approach: South Korea wants to diversify its foreign relations as it faces a dilemma over its econom

Technology and Climate Change: Innovation and Partnerships for Transformational Change
Sep 13, 2023

Technology and Climate Change: Innovation and Partnerships for Transformational Change

The world is facing a climate-change challenge that requires nothing short of atechnological revolution to address. Yet the current patterns of technology development anddiffusions are not transformative enough; nor are they happening at a pace, rapid enough.Actions at multiple levels engaging different actors are needed to reduce emissions whilemeeting the developmental needs of the global south. This paper summarises the mostinnovative ideas s

Valuing water for a smart and sustainable city: Lessons from Kolkata
Aug 21, 2023

Valuing water for a smart and sustainable city: Lessons from Kolkata

The issue of valuing water is contentious because of its physical, political and economic dimensions. Yet, it is an important debate, as valuation is key in estimating the benefits and costs of different management options. An effective valuation supports better informed decision-making in the allocation and use of the resource, as well as in the implementation of SDG6, i.e. to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanita