Curated by Malancha Chakrabarty and Stelin Paul
2025 proved another landmark year for ORF's think tank excellence, with our diverse experts captivating readers across students, policymakers, academia, and industry through penetrating research and analysis. They delivered nearly 200 Issue Briefs and Occasional Papers over the year.
In this annual retrospective on our long forms, 10 stand out prominently, reflecting the breadth of critical topics tackled by ORF's centres and programmes.
Regional flashpoints dominated: the Saudi-Pakistan defence pact's shadow over India and the Middle East, post-Operation Sindoor recalibrations in India-Pakistan deterrence, China's eight-year northern border surge since Doklam, and US aid fueling Bangladesh's seismic shifts.
Neighbourhood dynamics and influence got a hard reassessment too—a decade of Neighbourhood First through South Asian realities, the China-India thaw as rhetoric or reality, the origins of India's game-changing Special Frontier Force, and a full snapshot of India's soft power evolution from 2014-2024.
Future-proofing took center stage with data protection rules offering MeitY a 2025 roadmap and universal health blueprints tailored for India's ageing silver dividend.
Explore the Editor’s Pick Long Reports that defined the year's sharpest conversations:
