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This paper bridges the gap in Indian public discourse on the aims of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State) and where it stands today as the most formidable terrorist organisation of the 21st century. It explores ISIS from the perspective of the Middle East, rather than coming from an Indian foreign policy and security point of view, of which there is no dearth in literature. Such an approach is crucial in understanding the terr

Pakistan is often accused of being a state sponsor of terrorism. This article bases itself in the belief that though the problem of ?Jihadism? may well have originated from some of Pakistan?s security paranoias, it is now assuming proportions far larger than Pakistan itself. At this stage, Jihadism will be a problem for Pakistan itself as much as for the rest of the world. At the same time, the ability of the Pakistani state to counter this pheno

Reports of incursions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army along the Line-of-Actual Control (LAC) are rife in the Indian media. A commonly held opinion is that the Indian media tend to sensationalise their reportage of these incursions, or “China’s transgressions”, as the Indian government calls them. This paper analyses these incidents, as reported in select Indian newspapers, over a period of 12 years. It outlines the nature of these

To achieve any meaningful and lasting settlement to the conflict, the two warring generals need to agree on handing over power to civilians and integr

From being banned to holding a political rally in Dhaka, the return of the BJI has implications for Bangladeshi democracy

It is not possible to tell if, and how many, Indians from the Middle East have joined or shown an inclination towards the Islamic State.

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor (EC) has been receiving increased public attention in the last few months because of a strong push by China. When implemented, the project promises mega cites, infrastructure, jobs and better living standards for people living in its fold. Is the BCIM EC really a gamechanger? Or will this project, like others proposed by China under its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, result in

As Biden draws on the experience of the 2018 midterms to expand his appeal with women, Trump is prioritising mobilisation — and not persuasion, for

India should use the likely shortage of Chinese APIs to its advantage and become a dominant player in the world pharma market

India can further consolidate its stature as the “pharmacy of the world,” despite the jury still being out on HCQ’s effectiveness.

Despite a drop in popularity, Erdoğan managed to secure a lead over the Opposition during the recent elections

The 21st century sees the rise of populist politics. It should be investigated in its myriad manifestations taking root across the world.

India needs to address the impediments to financial inclusion to ensure the upliftment of the downtrodden

India is currently facing a massive exports slowdown, one of its worst in recent years. Exports slumped for the 13th consecutive month in December 2015 by 15 percent and major exported goods from India have shown negative growth. Half the story relates to external forces: as global growth slows down, India's export markets contract, too. The other half, however, is a story of supply: for many reasons-lack of infrastructure, amongst them-India has

The state of Pakistan, dominated by Punjabis, has responded to Baloch nationalism with brutal methods of suppression

Sri Lanka, which in the 1970s was being hailed as a development success story for a low-income nation, is now mired in a financial and economic disaster, its worst yet since independence in 1948. Despite notable investments in infrastructure projects, and a largely stable growth rate from 2013 to 2019, the Sri Lankan story was marred by a series of untimely and mismanaged economic measures that led to the current meltdown. External factors have c

Observer Research Foundation and the Experimental Creativity Centre (ECC), Moscow, completed the second leg of their collaborative research project on the theme "Understanding the Emerging Contours of Power and Hegemony - Contemporary Geo-political Narratives" in New Delhi on March 15-16, 2010.

The far-reaching implications of the policy changes brought by the Taliban and their unprecedented impact on the region warrant global attention

Among the estimated 1.3 billion people across the world who have no access to electricity, 70 percent are women. This brief discusses the impact of energy poverty on India’s rural women. As women are primarily responsible for securing food and energy for their family, they are the ones who are worst affected by the lack of access to clean and modern energy. The brief calls for a more holistic approach in research and policymaking on energ

This brief analyses the impacts of the withdrawal of the United States’ Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme on India’s exports, domestic production and employment.[1]  Until 5 June 2019, when the GSP withdrawal came into effect, India was the largest beneficiary of the GSP of which it had been part since 1974. A decline in exports to the US was anticipated as items under zero-tariff rate were subjected to a higher rate after wi

The current heat wave situation in India is a wake-up call for the need to address the impact of changing climate on public health

The lack of Indian Foreign Fighters is hetero-causal encompassing historic, community based, bureaucratic and government factors.

This paper analyses the contentious idea of a nexus between public opinion and foreign policy agendas, focusing on the Indian context. The paper examines the history of the discourse and outlines the key ideological divergences and events that have shaped the inquiry. It then traces the public opinion-foreign policy linkage in the Indian context, and frames the analysis against other representative democracies, specifically the United States. Usi

Radicalisation is a spectrum graph where the mass of non-violent extremists have accumulated at the bell curve on the horizontal axis. A smaller numbe

For Sri Lanka, big ticket foreign investment matters right now more than at any time in the post-Independence era.

Various explanations have been proffered for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s renewed emphasis on ideology. The popular narratives attribute it to either Xi’s power ambitions, or a reaction rooted in his personal trauma during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. Meanwhile, an alternative discourse projects the rise of ideology politics as a response to a possible legitimacy crisis facing the Communist Party of China (CPC). This paper weighs i

The two House Resolutions on Kashmir reflect moderate to extreme conceptions on the role of values in US foreign policy, but both emphasise the centra

Four months since the outbreak of COVID-19, some vital unknowns about the pandemic remain, including IFR (Infection Fatality Rate) and immunity from reinfection. A clearer understanding of the risks posed by COVID-19, informed by science and data in the Indian context, will help the country in mustering an effective strategy to hurdle the crisis. The government must undertake mass antibody testing and scale up healthcare capacity across the count

To influence the global health agenda, India not only needs to proactively engage within the WHO, but also outside the organisation at the regional an

The recognition of Community Conserved Areas will enable a process-oriented approach towards achieving the targets under the Global Biodiversity Frame

Most experts who attended the focus group discussion on the situation in Pakistan at ORF felt that South Punjab is going to be next stronghold of terrorism in Pakistan

The shortage of manpower in Russia, along with the allure of higher wages and citizenship, continue to serve as pull factors for migrants from South A