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Nobel Peace laureate and pro-democratic champion of Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to visit India in mid November. The dates are yet to be finalised. This would be Suu Kyi's first visit to India since her political carrier took a downward turn after the elections of 1990.

The country has already seen three years of Thein Sein government, a critical phase in the history of Myanmar, which back then was on the throes of transition to democracy.

Myanmar's bilateral engagement with India in trade has gained momentum since 2008 when political and economic reforms were launched in the former 'pariah' state. India-Myanmar trade has more than doubled in the last seven years and has crossed $2 billion in 2013-14,

In Myanmar, the present scenario presents the best opportunity to find resolution to its ethnic issue. Myanmar needs another Panglong agreement if the deep-seated wounds of the decades-long conflicts were to heal and so that the country can move on.

According to a recent report by a US Government commission, Myanmar is among the worst countries when it comes to religious freedom. However, there seems to be no debate on the issue and even the international community is treating it as an internal matter,

There is more to good governance than just Economic Freedom. Gujarat has not done too badly, but to claim that it is the "best governed state" is to be somewhat economical with the truth.

The Observer Research Foundation organized a round table discussion on Climate Change on August 26, 2009 at its New Delhi campus. The theme speaker was Mr. Owen Jenkins, Counsellor for Climate Change and Energy, British High Commission and the DFID.

Recently, the Special Economic Zones Bill 2005 has been passed by both Houses of Parliament and is awaiting the approval of the President. The purpose of having a separate Bill on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is to clarify all policy initiatives relating to such special zones so that many more foreign and domestic investors can establish their units in these areas. There are 11 functioning SEZs in the country already and they are producing 5 per

It is a cliché to say that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is complex and that Kashmir is burning. But this is true also. The situation today is the result of political mismanagement, indifference and lessons not learnt over past few years after the security forces had brought the situation under control.

No one knows what an Open Standard is. If we don't define it explicitly in time, India's ambitious digital governance plans will surely derail.

Maldives Dhivehi Rayyethunge Party (DRP) chief, Mr. Thasmeen Ali, has said that the first government under the new Constitution, the government of President Nasheed, did not display courage and patience to follow the path of democratic governance.

Do all states with Muslim majority have to be Islamic? Not necessarily, if you go by the examples of Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. This points to one simple conclusion: if a country has a democratic polity, it is less likely to be Islamic.

The reluctance of, and inordinate delay by, the Union Government, to evolve a national approach and policy to tackle Naxalites of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) is, indeed, baffling. Meanwhile, the Maoists¿ daring attacks, lethality, presence and influence have rapidly been rising; also, there is marked shift in their method of attack.

Under the Interim Budget, the Financial Minister has outlined a few schemes for urban development, but a more comprehensive budget would be required f

There are no free lunches in international politics. LEMOA is thus a 'fair' exchange for the US backing India on civil nuclear deal.

Only a small trickle of INDCs has been submitted by other countries. So there isn't much by way of international examples for India to consider. The EU has said it will reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. Mexico has submitted both conditional and unconditional INDCs.

Pakistan has for long been grappling with several fundamental problems without any visible signs of overcoming them. Its economic, social and political indicators are amongst the lowest in the world. In its conflicts with India, which it perceives as its sworn enemy, all its tactics have proven to be of insignificant success, as has its intrusive attempts to control Kabul so as to gain strategic depth in Afghanistan. The successive governments' m

NATO and India share common values of freedom and democracy and an interest in a stable and secure Indo-Pacific

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) announced over the weekend a major airlift of relief supplies for Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

For NATO to ensure its continued strength and relevance for years to come, it must get to the heart of the issues plaguing its own internal cohesion.

NATO's pivot to the Indo-Pacific will involve a strategic partnership with Japan and South Korea to bolster deterrence and uphold the rules-based inte

If India intends to meet its climate pledges, well-planned nature-based interventions need to be employed by the ULBs for a sustainable future.

In the light of the economic climate and the government's spending capabilities, the Indian Navy needs to comprehensively review the performance of the systems it wants to acquire and its potential trade-offs, rather than accessing each technical requirement or performance need in isolation.

To sequence Indian priorities on the FDI question is fairly simple. Consumer-centrism is paramount. Competitive SME sector growth, which will lead to job creation as well as value addition, is a strategic economic priority, which in turn can be aided by a strong e-commerce industry as has been witnessed in China.

One of the collaterals of the 2G verdict of the Supreme Court, which saw the revocation of 21 of Sistema Shyam Telecom?s 22 licenses, could be the flickering and faint Russian Interest in Indian business opportunity.

Debates around internet policy have taken centre stage in domestic politics and international relations alike thus the stage is set for Digital Debate

Although anthropomorphisation in AI can improve user interaction and trust in systems, it can lead to unrealistic expectations, ethical dilemmas, and

The Arakan Army's hold on vital areas along the Kaladan project route requires India to balance the Junta and other factions to safeguard its strategi

With the building of Scorpene submarine getting delayed to early 2016 and the possibility of the futuristic P 75I project unlikely to fructify, the country must be ready to face serious compromises on the underwater maritime security front.

Nawaz Sharif's return as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in early June this year marks a signpost from where a more meaningful relationship between India and Pakistan could be forged. The bilateral relationship had of late been mired in mistrust and often meaningless rhetoric. The previous civilian government in Pakistan was paralysed by its own ineptitude. An equally incoherent position in New Delhi has allowed the crucial relationship to drift.

Travelling by horse back is the fastest mode of communication in the tribal-inhabited remote and interior forest areas of this (East Godavari) district,¿ said my guide during a visit to the Naxalite-Maoist-affected parts of the Andhra-Orissa Border Special Guerrilla Zone (AOBSZ).

On December 5, 2003, following the November 17- Bollattu encounter, this author wrote in this newspaper (Deccan Herald), Procrastination on the part of the Karnataka Government in dealing with the Naxalite menace will only help the latter to expand and grow in the state.

Confusion and vacillation have been the marked features of the Andhra Pradesh government¿s policy towards the Naxalites of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), which it proscribed on August 17, along with seven of its front organisations in the wake of the killing of nine persons,

The happy news must have reached — like Maneka (of Vishwamitra fame) — to interrupt a meditating Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Kedarnath cave.

The NDA II government seems to be displaying a controlling streak rather early in its tenure. Across the land, the word 'ban' seems to have become the leitmotif of its governance style and its personnel seem determined to tell the citizen what he must eat and when, what he can watch, hear or study.

In a fast-changing world, it is incumbent on the leaders of India and Nepal to start a new era of understanding and cooperation that take cognisance of the changing dynamics of economic and power relations in the region.

There is a need for a new regional arrangement in South Asia to tap water as it is a regional common issue that should be handled collectively rather than dividing it.

There is a need for a new regional security architecture that reflects the changed geopolitical realities of the region. This suggestion was made during an interaction between senior Japanese and South Korean journalists and Indian scholars at ORF.

India needs to restructure the administrative set-up at the Centre and in the States. There is a need for separate Fisheries ministry with an independent minister. In Tamil Nadu, fisheries is a separate ministry with an independent minister, but there is no separate secretary.

All over Europe, the new mantra is austerity. Though India's exports have been doing well since last month, this may not be sustained in the future if our big trade partners are busy tightening their belts and trade credits dry up.

The Republic of Korea will be carefully scrutinising the up-coming Abe's August statement commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Koreans expect Abe to come out with a clear statement that expresses Japan's contrition and proposes a new framework for reconciliation.