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King of the industrial jungle
Jun 06, 2015

King of the industrial jungle

Is the Asiatic Lion as the symbol of "Make in India" best suits today's "muscular" India's image? Perhaps, it does if we consider India's size and diversities.

Kishida’s India Trip: A Reiteration of Strong India-Japan Ties
Mar 27, 2023

Kishida’s India Trip: A Reiteration of Strong India-Japan Ties

India and Japan’s shared concerns about China are a key driver of their growing relationship.

Kshitij Betjewargi

Kshitij Betjewargi is a Sub-Editor at the Observer Research Foundation.

Previously, he worked as a Sub-Editor at Deccan Herald, where he translated complex economic and political developments into clear, compelling news analyses. His coverage spanned elections, domestic politics, and major international affairs. He authored in-depth explainers, including A Deep Dive Into the History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Money and Irony: China Is Now the Lender of Last Resort for Countries with Massive BRI Debts. He managed live blogs on key events such as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, and landmark Supreme Court rulings on marriage equality and electoral bonds. He also created interactive explainers using data visualisation tools to make complex economic and political trends accessible to readers. His multimedia work integrated infographics, video snippets, and social-first narratives to broaden audience engagement.

His primary research interest lies in examining the economic undercurrents of democratic backsliding. He is interested in studying how the dislocations and grievances engendered by the neoliberal economic order - including rising inequality, job insecurity, and the erosion of the welfare state - have created fertile ground for the global rise of right-wing populism. This line of inquiry focuses on how economic disenchantment translates into political volatility, illiberal governance, and the weakening of democratic institutions. He also maintains a strong interest in traditional security studies, particularly the dynamics of major power competition in an increasingly multipolar world.

Kshitij holds an MSc in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh. His postgraduate dissertation, “An Untamed Dragon? Explaining China’s ‘Uneconomic’ Belt and Road Push,” examined the financial sustainability of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Using econometric modelling and statistical analysis, he found that China’s overseas lending has shifted from infrastructure financing to bailout loans. His thesis argued that China is leveraging the BRI to challenge Western economic, political, and military hegemony, capitalising on the West’s retreat from development aid.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Christ University, Bengaluru, with a BA (Triple Majors) in Media, Economics, and Political Science. His undergraduate dissertation, “Structural Causes Behind State Failure in the Middle East,” explored the region’s persistent instability through the lens of country-specific structural political and economic factors.

Launching New Delhi-Jakarta bilateral ties anew
Dec 16, 2016

Launching New Delhi-Jakarta bilateral ties anew

New Delhi and Jakarta are now joining hands with a strategic vision to back their bilateral ties after largely ignoring each other even as their strategic interests have been converging rapidly

Leapfrog? Just a chimera chase
Apr 16, 2018

Leapfrog? Just a chimera chase

A reworked bid gifts India the prospect of owning 110 medium-role combat aircraft. Nevertheless, the IAF may be down to 15 squadrons by 2032.

Lessons from Joshimath: The Need for a Himalayan Development Model
Feb 15, 2023

Lessons from Joshimath: The Need for a Himalayan Development Model

The fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem was recently highlighted by incidents of land sinking in Joshimath, a small hill town in India’s Uttarakhand. This crisis has generated intense debate on aspects of development and environmental sustainability in the region, including the exploitation of Himalayan natural wealth and the strain placed on the vulnerable area by the tourism industry. This brief argues that the Himalayan region needs

Lessons from transboundary waste trade: Why India should focus on the judicious use of its own waste
Aug 23, 2018

Lessons from transboundary waste trade: Why India should focus on the judicious use of its own waste

This paper examines two types of waste on which India can explore transboundary waste-trade opportunities and challenges: farm-produce waste and municipal solid waste. Using lessons learnt from trade between other countries, the paper argues that while India can augment its economy through increased waste exports or imports, certain conditions must be met for India to benefit from sustained international waste trade practices. The paper recommend

Linkages between Jihadis of Singapore and India
Jun 13, 2006

Linkages between Jihadis of Singapore and India

According to the Delhi Police, Haroon Rashid, an Indian mechanical engineer, who is alleged to be a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was arrested by them at the Delhi airport on May 16, 2005, on his arrival from Singapore where he had reportedly gone to do a training course.

Locating India and Taiwan in the EU’s Geostrategic Adjustment
Jul 20, 2023

Locating India and Taiwan in the EU’s Geostrategic Adjustment

China’s failure to condemn the Ukraine war raised concerns on the future of the rules-based international order not only in the European Union (EU), but also in India and Taiwan. While their respective relationships with China and Russia are characterised by different complexities, the EU, India, and Taiwan are all vulnerable to authoritarian threats. All three recognise that China’s continued rise will have strategic implications for

Locating Xinjiang in China’s Eurasian ambitions
Sep 25, 2018

Locating Xinjiang in China’s Eurasian ambitions

The importance of Xinjiang Province in China’s Eurasian connectivity initiative—the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB)—has received some coverage in the media. However, these news articles offer only a cursory view of China’s primary motive in pursuing the initiative, that is the ethnic unrest in Xinjiang. This paper argues that the conflict in Xinjiang is a main driving force to pursue SREB and that the initiative is congruent with a broader

Lokpal logjam: Is there a meeting ground?
Dec 14, 2011

Lokpal logjam: Is there a meeting ground?

With the Parliament Standing Committee omitting a number of key demands of Team Anna, the Lokpal Bill is likely to plunge the nation into yet another round of agitations and street protests. But is there a possible wayforward?

Macron’s visit to India takes place at an important juncture in regional geopolitics
Mar 12, 2018

Macron’s visit to India takes place at an important juncture in regional geopolitics

France has begun to pay serious attention to the Indo-Pacific region after a long time.

Mainstreaming sustainability outcomes in big infrastructure projects
May 13, 2020

Mainstreaming sustainability outcomes in big infrastructure projects

Urban infrastructure projects using brownfield or greenfield development can cause damage to natural habitats. To achieve the Agenda 2030 goal of “leaving no one behind” while mitigating the destruction of habitats, an integrated approach towards infrastructure development must be adopted. This paper outlines the current paradigms of sustainable infrastructure provision, highlighting how and why sustainability outcomes are overlooked at diffe

Major powers in Asia Pacific strengthening militaries
Jun 30, 2014

Major powers in Asia Pacific strengthening militaries

All the major powers in the Asia Pacific region are ramping up their defence budgets and modernising their militaries. They are also building coalitions with each other through defence partnerships agreements and ports calls.

Major Sop for a Non-ally
Mar 31, 2004

Major Sop for a Non-ally

After a groundbreaking visit to India, which focused on strengthening the Indo-US ¿strategic partnership¿, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was supposed to take a tough message to Pakistan¿s Gen. Musharraf. Nuclear proliferation and Pakkistan¿s reluctance to clean up its tribal areas were slated to be on the cards in

Majority of Americans disapprove of Obama's foreign policy
Apr 01, 2014

Majority of Americans disapprove of Obama's foreign policy

Talking about Americans' perceptions about the Obama administration's foreign policy, Mr Bruce Stokes, Director for Global Economic Attitudes at Pew Research Center, US, said 53% of Americans disapproved of his handling of foreign policy.

Making agriculture attractive, a major challenge for Modi Govt
Apr 24, 2015

Making agriculture attractive, a major challenge for Modi Govt

The Modi government is encouraging less dependence on agriculture and the creation of smart cities. To make agriculture more remunerative and attractive, especially for the youth, a lot has to be done - farm credit, access to farm machinery and use of IT. So many villages even today are without power and many more do not have internet connectivity.

Maldives: Judiciary in 'crisis' or 'transition'?
Jun 06, 2013

Maldives: Judiciary in 'crisis' or 'transition'?

In Maldives, legal and judicial process may be in for another season of controversies, ahead of the presidential polls in September. It is also in transition, from a not-so-democratic past to a democratised future. It is too early to say which way it would go.

Maldives: SC sacks polls chief, deputy ahead of Majlis' vote
Jul 03, 2014

Maldives: SC sacks polls chief, deputy ahead of Majlis' vote

In a not-so-unexpected development, the Maldivian Supreme Court stripped Elections Commission President Fuwad Thowfeek and Vice-President Ahmed Fayaz Hassan of their membership, for the contempt of the court.

Maldives: Seeking to put judiciary in a spot
Mar 29, 2013

Maldives: Seeking to put judiciary in a spot

On specifics they may differ, but a common view seems to be slowly emerging on the imminent need for effecting reforms to the nation's judiciary among the divided polity in Maldives.