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As Myanmar attempts to build a new identity for itself, this will not only redefine its domestic future but will also allow realignment of its ties with external powers. The international community's support is important to further encourage the changes.

More than the thumping victories of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party candidates, the recent by-elections are yet another sign that Myanmar is forging ahead towards being a democratic nation. The pace of the reforms of President Thein Sein has surpised one and all.

The naming of Navy chief Vice-Admiral Nyan Tun, 58, as the Vice-President of Mya nmar has come as a rude surprise as well as a pleasant shock. Given the nature of this development, the nation itself would be examined under many lenses.

The imposition of sanctions was intended to effect political change inside Myanmar, albeit unsuccessful, in the first place. And because the issue is how best to encourage change, perhaps, it is the right time to lift sanctions as incentive for change.

The reforms in Myanmar took yet another symbolic step in the past few weeks with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the nation's crusader for democracy, set foot for the first time outside the country in over 24 years.

Nobel Peace laureate and pro-democratic champion of Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to visit India in mid November. The dates are yet to be finalised. This would be Suu Kyi's first visit to India since her political carrier took a downward turn after the elections of 1990.

The country has already seen three years of Thein Sein government, a critical phase in the history of Myanmar, which back then was on the throes of transition to democracy.

Myanmar's bilateral engagement with India in trade has gained momentum since 2008 when political and economic reforms were launched in the former 'pariah' state. India-Myanmar trade has more than doubled in the last seven years and has crossed $2 billion in 2013-14,

In Myanmar, the present scenario presents the best opportunity to find resolution to its ethnic issue. Myanmar needs another Panglong agreement if the deep-seated wounds of the decades-long conflicts were to heal and so that the country can move on.

According to a recent report by a US Government commission, Myanmar is among the worst countries when it comes to religious freedom. However, there seems to be no debate on the issue and even the international community is treating it as an internal matter,

The Observer Research Foundation organized a round table discussion on Climate Change on August 26, 2009 at its New Delhi campus. The theme speaker was Mr. Owen Jenkins, Counsellor for Climate Change and Energy, British High Commission and the DFID.

Recently, the Special Economic Zones Bill 2005 has been passed by both Houses of Parliament and is awaiting the approval of the President. The purpose of having a separate Bill on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is to clarify all policy initiatives relating to such special zones so that many more foreign and domestic investors can establish their units in these areas. There are 11 functioning SEZs in the country already and they are producing 5 per

This report examines the financial challenges of the Nagpur Metro in the state of Maharashtra, focusing on the gap between projected and actual ridership figures and its implications for revenue generation. It identifies gaps in the revenue streams, evaluates alternative funding mechanisms, and recommends a shift towards diversified, context-specific financial strategies. The findings underscore the need for institutional reforms—in particular,

It is a cliché to say that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is complex and that Kashmir is burning. But this is true also. The situation today is the result of political mismanagement, indifference and lessons not learnt over past few years after the security forces had brought the situation under control.

No one knows what an Open Standard is. If we don't define it explicitly in time, India's ambitious digital governance plans will surely derail.

There appears to be a near perfect alignment of the stars for the Indian and U.S. space agencies to collaborate under.

Maldives Dhivehi Rayyethunge Party (DRP) chief, Mr. Thasmeen Ali, has said that the first government under the new Constitution, the government of President Nasheed, did not display courage and patience to follow the path of democratic governance.

Do all states with Muslim majority have to be Islamic? Not necessarily, if you go by the examples of Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. This points to one simple conclusion: if a country has a democratic polity, it is less likely to be Islamic.

The reluctance of, and inordinate delay by, the Union Government, to evolve a national approach and policy to tackle Naxalites of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) is, indeed, baffling. Meanwhile, the Maoists¿ daring attacks, lethality, presence and influence have rapidly been rising; also, there is marked shift in their method of attack.

You would say that Trudeau was ‘playing politics’ and that his remarks are really addressed to the Sikh community of Canada. So what’s the problem? After all, did not our Prime Minister undertake major political rallies in the US? In the Houston ‘Howdy Modi’ rally last year, US President Donald Trump himself participated, uncharacteristically playing second fiddle, all because he, like all democratic politicians, likes votes.

Only a small trickle of INDCs has been submitted by other countries. So there isn't much by way of international examples for India to consider. The EU has said it will reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. Mexico has submitted both conditional and unconditional INDCs.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) announced over the weekend a major airlift of relief supplies for Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

In the light of the economic climate and the government's spending capabilities, the Indian Navy needs to comprehensively review the performance of the systems it wants to acquire and its potential trade-offs, rather than accessing each technical requirement or performance need in isolation.

To sequence Indian priorities on the FDI question is fairly simple. Consumer-centrism is paramount. Competitive SME sector growth, which will lead to job creation as well as value addition, is a strategic economic priority, which in turn can be aided by a strong e-commerce industry as has been witnessed in China.

One of the collaterals of the 2G verdict of the Supreme Court, which saw the revocation of 21 of Sistema Shyam Telecom?s 22 licenses, could be the flickering and faint Russian Interest in Indian business opportunity.

With the building of Scorpene submarine getting delayed to early 2016 and the possibility of the futuristic P 75I project unlikely to fructify, the country must be ready to face serious compromises on the underwater maritime security front.

Nawaz Sharif's return as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in early June this year marks a signpost from where a more meaningful relationship between India and Pakistan could be forged. The bilateral relationship had of late been mired in mistrust and often meaningless rhetoric. The previous civilian government in Pakistan was paralysed by its own ineptitude. An equally incoherent position in New Delhi has allowed the crucial relationship to drift.

Travelling by horse back is the fastest mode of communication in the tribal-inhabited remote and interior forest areas of this (East Godavari) district,¿ said my guide during a visit to the Naxalite-Maoist-affected parts of the Andhra-Orissa Border Special Guerrilla Zone (AOBSZ).

On December 5, 2003, following the November 17- Bollattu encounter, this author wrote in this newspaper (Deccan Herald), Procrastination on the part of the Karnataka Government in dealing with the Naxalite menace will only help the latter to expand and grow in the state.

Confusion and vacillation have been the marked features of the Andhra Pradesh government¿s policy towards the Naxalites of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), which it proscribed on August 17, along with seven of its front organisations in the wake of the killing of nine persons,

The NDA II government seems to be displaying a controlling streak rather early in its tenure. Across the land, the word 'ban' seems to have become the leitmotif of its governance style and its personnel seem determined to tell the citizen what he must eat and when, what he can watch, hear or study.

Victory in war requires not just sacrifice but also courage on our part and more importantly on the part of those occupying the highest levels of our political establishment

A neutral, international framework is needed to manage cross-border requests related to the cyber sphere, says Bertrand de la Chapelle, director of the Internet & Jurisdiction Project.

In a fast-changing world, it is incumbent on the leaders of India and Nepal to start a new era of understanding and cooperation that take cognisance of the changing dynamics of economic and power relations in the region.

There is a need for a new regional arrangement in South Asia to tap water as it is a regional common issue that should be handled collectively rather than dividing it.

India needs to restructure the administrative set-up at the Centre and in the States. There is a need for separate Fisheries ministry with an independent minister. In Tamil Nadu, fisheries is a separate ministry with an independent minister, but there is no separate secretary.

All over Europe, the new mantra is austerity. Though India's exports have been doing well since last month, this may not be sustained in the future if our big trade partners are busy tightening their belts and trade credits dry up.

Saying ecological knowledge is the demand of the 21st century, Prof. Jayanta Bandyopadhyay of the Jawaharlal Nehru University has called for better ecological knowledge to be put in practice as he felt that ecological economics is facing a dampener due to the weakness in ecological knowledge application.

There is a lot of disturbing news regarding the Indian economy today which is likely to spoil the outlook for 2012. One of them is regarding the rise in inequality.