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Recongnising the pivotal role of technology in ensuring India?s emergence as a global player, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, has launched a ?Technology Initiative?. As the first event, a one-day workshop on ?Science & Technology Challenges for India? is being hosted on May 7, 2005. The workshop brings together renowned professionals to evolve collective, cohesive thinking on issues of significance to India?s S&T performance and as

This issue brief examines the complex interplay between science fiction and technology development in the age of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and brain-computer interfaces. As the line between science and fiction continues to blur, this brief argues for strategically using science fiction narratives to inform and guide technology development and policymaking. Drawing upon historical precedents of scien

The SCO is critical for India to advance its priorities for peace and prosperity in its northern periphery and broader Eurasia.

A recent report of the 2017-2018 Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence (PSCOD) has revealed that India’s defence services are facing a severe resource crunch. Given the enormous amount of money that the country is already spending on defence, the chances are slim that the government will come up with the significantly higher amounts of funds needed for modernisation. Meanwhile, the armed forces are facing obsolescence in equipment. The wa

The European Union (EU) and India should be “natural allies”. Faced with an authoritarian advance on their borders and globally, “the world’s largest democracies” should be collaborating more closely than ever today. But the tango that the EU and India have been dancing is a rather clumsy one. This brief delves into the causes for the limitations of the partnership and identifies critical miscalculations that have been made on both side

Shoba Suri and Subhasree Ray, Seas of Sustenance: Navigating ‘Blue Food’ for Indo-Pacific Food Security, June 2024, Observer Research Foundation.

After its successful maiden meeting last year, the Asian Forum on Global Governance will be organised again in New Delhi from October 14 - 24 this year. The nomination and application process is going on since March 15. The last date for submission of applications is June 1.

This paper examines the role that national intelligence agencies may play in helping to secure critical technology supply chains. As the race for scientific advantage becomes increasingly characteristic of national security concerns amid growing multipolarity and interstate competition, national intelligence agencies are paying greater attention to the security of critical and emerging technologies. This paper analyses how intelligence agencies m

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its limitless application in naval operations has grabbed the imagination of strategic planners worldwide. The applicability of AI to naval operations surpasses its usage in any other military domain due to the hostility, unpredictability and sheer size of the ocean environment. While these systems and vehicles can never be equivalent replacements for human naval commanders and traditional naval vessels, evidence

Countries such as India and Australia are redefining their Indo-Pacific policies amidst the growing belligerence of China in the region. The two have a common interest in stability, while standing firmly against any militarisation. Their willingness to partner closely with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific lays the foundation for stronger defence and security cooperation between the two middle-power democracies and Indian Ocean li

As India’s power is rising, the country is becoming more self-aware, with more willingness to explicitly reclaim and “own” the civilisational roots of its strategic thought. From international quarters too, interest in understanding India’s grand strategy is growing. Especially in the context of a deepening transatlantic rift and further divisions within the “West”, many state and non-state actors are seeking to strengthen their partn

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar made two intelligent moves this month. The timing is perfect, but the move can go in any direction. It may either mark the decline of the NCP or contribute to spreading of his party beyond Maharashtra.

India and South Korea stand as important middle powers whose influence in the Indo-Pacific region is expanding in their own ways. At the same time, their bilateral partnership today has even bigger potential to serve as a stabilising factor amid shifting regional geopolitical equations. The current year—the 50th since the two countries established formal diplomatic ties—is an opportune moment for harnessing their converging interests. This br

Dr. Gary LaFree of the University of Maryland says in his studies of the data gathered by his department, he has noticed that in recent years, terrorist attacks have become deadlier with advances in technological knowhow. However, attacks using high technology, radiological, chemical and biological attacks, made up only a meager percentage of the total number of attacks.

Tensions are on the rise again on the Horn of Africa, as Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea discuss a potential collective security alliance against Ethiopia. This heightening of hostility could spawn proxy conflicts reminiscent of the Cold War

New Indian Ambassadors to a host of key countries have recently been appointed. Also a new Permanent Representative to the UN. These appointments reflected the stamp of the Foreign Secretary. Will the government do the same kind of tweaking in the case of domestic bureaucracy too?.

In recent years, the trend of online petitions has increased manifold, with websites like the US-based organisation Change.org having 56.5 million registered users worldwide and approximately 7-8 million registered users in India since 2011.

The report of a Chinese hypersonic missile vehicle test is yet another signal that the People's Republic of China intends to contest the hegemony of the United States across the spectrum.

China has considerably increased its investments in Pakistan. Given Pakistan's fragile IMF dependent economy, the idea of an economic rationale behind the substantial Chinese investments seems far-fetched.

The most important feature of the 17th SAARC Summit was the one pertaining to the promotion of maritime and rail connectivity among three of the region's eight countries.

India is developing appropriate capabilities to tackle the new and emerging space security challenges in outer space.

China¿s decision in the 1980's to supply to Pakistan nuclear weapons technology and missiles capable of delivering nukes over long distances was intended to bind India down in a south Asian strategic impasse and constrict India's larger role in Asia and the world. China achieved only partial success in that objective.

The national identity of Pakistan is rooted in the ‘two-nation theory’—the very basis of the creation of the country—which says that the Hindus and Muslims of the subcontinent were two different nations and therefore, the Muslims were entitled to a separate homeland where Islam would be practiced as state religion. Does Pakistan’s quest for identity, however, mean neglecting the non-Islamic culture present in the country? This brief cal

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.

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.

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".

Parrikar's off-the-cuff remarks have strengthened China's case against India on both counts.

In our topsy-turvy, anything-is-possible, adversarial, judicial system, the better argued case inevitably wins.

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.

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.

We should consider the effects of the Balakot strike

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

South Africa openly acknowledged that it had ‘learnt a lot’ from India’s experience hosting the F20. New Delhi provided best-practice guidance on managing working groups, digital coordination, logistics, sherpa processes, and public diplomacy

The African National Congress (ANC) lost three important cities in the municipal elections.

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.

As efforts to develop an ICoC accelerate, states need to come up with constructive ways of debating this issue. We cannot let this issue become a stumbling block that impedes progress on the code as a whole, particularly when the immediate impact of the offending language is arguably neutral.

With the U.S. having shut down one of its major Space situational awareness networks, major Spacefaring powers need to make it a priority to contemplate possible solutions to track satellites and orbital debris on a continued basis.