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Climate-Smart Agriculture holds promise in building a robust agri-food system amidst the intensifying effects of climate change, however, there is a p

Inclusion 2.0 can only be achieved when strands of access integrate an understanding of the history of oppression, feminist perspectives, and ethnic p

It appears that the Modi government is beginning to recognise the need for greater synchronisation between the different arms of the government and appreciate the need for better space utilisation in the realm of foreign policy and national security. This new approach needs to be strengthened and sustained for India to tap its full potential in outer space.

English dominates the Internet. But as the next billion swarm online from the developing world, access to relevant content in a language one comprehen

India is currently the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change. Easing environmental norms will not boost economic growth.

Democracy costs a lot of money. To fight elections and run their routine activities, political parties in India seek donations from all possible sources including ‘illegal’ and ‘interested’ money. This has serious ramifications in preserving the integrity of Indian democracy. An increasing number of countries, meanwhile, have taken the path of public subsidies and direct funding of parties and political activities — aiming to reduce dep

As transparency and sustainability become defining factors in consumer choices, luxury brands have an opportunity to drive responsible practices withi

The application of emerging technologies will play a key role in the performance of India’s armed forces. All three services understand the significance of these technological innovations in modern warfare, although their development has been uneven across the branches. This analysis provides an overview of how far the three services of the Indian armed forces have gone in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), cyber technology, and

Goal seven of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commits the international community to providing access to clean cooking fuels and technologies to all by 2030. Progress has been slow, however, and in about 40 of the UN’s 189 member countries for which data is available, more that 80 percent of the populations continue to lack such access. Using case studies, this brief analyses the role of a country’s policies, i

At least 4 billion people around the world are yet to be covered by any form of social security, and therefore vulnerable to economic, social, and environmental shocks. This paper examines the state of social security in the Group of Twenty (G20) economies—home to 63 percent of the global population. It finds gaps in social security financing in these countries: between universal coverage and actual coverage, and between countries of the Global

Peer pressure is the single most effective tool for building successful platforms that encourage women’s participation without fear.

A common thread that runs through TPP, TTIP and CETA deals is the Investor-state dispute settlement system (ISDS), an opaque supranational court that decides disputes, bypassing the domestic courts and national laws. Now, the fear is that these trade deals might just end up producing managed rather than free trade.

With the attack on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters, some of whom wore QAnon shirts and brandished confederate flags, the far-Right’s threat to American liberal democracy is more visible than ever.

India-Russia relations have gone through a number of phases since their formal establishment in April 1947. Despite repeated projections of its decline following the end of the Cold War, India and Russia’s strategic partnership has persisted, and indeed in some areas has deepened. This brief argues that this could only mean that there is plausible geopolitical logic for both countries to persevere in strengthening their ties. It gives a histori

Having realised that narrative flow is key to winning modern wars, China is improving its strategic capabilities in information warfare

The pace of Indian infrastructure building along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China has historically been slow due to financial and doctrinal constraints, but has accelerated in the past 20 years. Construction has become more efficient owing to bureaucratic changes and the infusion of greater financial resources. This paper attributes these changes to strategic compulsions brought about by Chinese actions—both diplomatic and on-th

This paper creates an index to track the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation) across India’s states. The SDG 6 index incorporates both supply-side indicators and demand management variables, as well as institutional interventions. In this paper, state-wise indices are constructed to identify their respective performances in the domains of access to clean water and provision of sanitation facilitie

The achievement of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) depends largely on India’s progress, given the country’s massive size and its moderate historical success in key health and nutrition outcomes over the last several years. This further increases the relevance and need for effective monitoring of India’s performance, through timely and disaggregated data, which ensures systematic assessments and course-correction. As India will b

The trail to get a diamond from stone is a “tale of pain and sadness.”

Speaking on India-China relations Dr Yiwei Wang gave a Chinese perception of this relationship. The basic theme was that there was need to look at three T's (Trade, Tibet and Territory) to improve the bilateral relations.

With both India and the US having differing domestic and national priorities, these countries are bound to compete and conflict on trade issues. But these must not be allowed to overshadow the larger gains that bilateral trade has brought to each country.

More worrying are Washington’s actions before the WTO, which can affect the efficiency and capacity of its robust Dispute Settlement Mechanism. This

India?s improved relations with Bangladesh have brought new opportunities for economic development in the North East region. To maximise the benefits, there is need for identifying the factors and the issues that might hinder the growth of economic ties.

For starters, trade talks between the two countries resumed after a hiatus of nearly three years. The talks were suspended following the Mumbai attacks. But the thaw emanating from the latest bout of 'cricket diplomacy' has paved the way for cooperation in the sphere of trade.

By using the markets, developed countries still have a lot to offer the international community, particularly the developing world. However, this would involve a fundamental recast of traditional aid into a wider framework.

TRAI has its work cut out in framing additional regulations — the regulator will have to enumerate on what constitutes reasonable traffic management practices and lay out supplementary disclosure requirements for service providers.

Covid is merely the latest in a narrative emerging from the US, which feels ‘cheated’

Cross-border migration poses security challenges for the modern nation-state, as the influx of populations exert massive pressures on a country’s resources and governance ecosystems. The undocumented migrants, for their part, not only struggle for their livelihood but often face fundamental crises of identity and belonging. Using the case of India’s eastern borders, this paper problematises the phenomenon of migration against the dich

Three main issues were discussed in the 40th Munich Conference on Security Policy held on 6-8 February 2004: prospects of transatlantic relations, future of NATO, and future developments in the Middle East. As usual, several Defence and Foreign Ministers, representatives of think tanks, academia, media and the defence industry attended the conference.

The most important reform that needs to be introduced is to permit the use of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) across the entire State and not ju

The 2014 general elections are all about the economy, jobs, good governance and rising aspirations. Survey after survey conclusively agree that for most voters what matters is stable employment, steady income, corruption free governance and a decisive leadership.

Information security has to move beyond its traditional concepts if it needs to cater to the special demands of governance. Knowledge is for cutting. For long, it has been in the hands of the bureaucrats. It?s time that we snatch it.

The successful implementation of the PLI scheme will be crucial in realising India's vision of becoming a leading manufacturing hub on the world stage

Overcoming mass mobility challenges post lockdown.

The run-up to the upcoming presidential polls in the Maldives will determine the shape of things to come in the future, with far-reaching implications for India, for bilateral relations between the two countries and the Indian Ocean region. This became evident at the end of a candid discussion that a high-level team of the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had with a section of Indian intellectuals at Observer Research Foundation (ORF),

Transition to a low carbon economy is path dependent as initial conditions such as resource availability and other geographic, climatic, economic, soc

Discussing Dr. C Raja Mohan's book 'Modi's World: Expanding India's Sphere of Influence' in Kolkata, former Foreign Secretary K. Srinivasan said foreign policy has to be a combination of aspirations and capabilities. He said translating aspirations into policy would be a key challenge for the government.

The flailing multilateral system has led global corporations to rethink just how connected they ought to be

A free and fair election is critical for Pakistan to face the mounting challenges the country is grappling with, according to Mr Saad S Khan, a bureaucrat and scholar from Pakistan.

After the United States and its allies left Afghanistan in 2021, analysts expected Russia to fill the vacuum caused by the withdrawal. As far as Moscow itself is concerned, it would like to establish full diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime while it urges Western countries to take accountability and fulfil their responsibilities towards the Afghan people. Indeed, Russia’s desire for security and regional hegemony compels it to selectively e

On January 22, 2021 the TPNW will enter into force. But will it matter?

The size of the Indian Diaspora is a force to reckon with. Though 'brain-drain' is the main problem flowing from migration, the migrant talent has been very successful in promoting the nation's image in the host countries.

Speaking at an interaction on 'Trends in Indian Foreign Policy', organized by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), ORF Mumbai Chapter, Prof. S D Muni of Jawaharlal Nehru University, ... more