Topics Archive
GSP-Back in Good Books?
As the Presidential race in the US heats up, the ‘Howdy Modi’ event has thrown up an interesting perspective on India-US relations. Could the compulsions of US electoral politics influence India’s…
ICAP- Leading by Example
Global cooling needs are set to double in the next twenty years threatening the future of Earth. In this context, India’s Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) is a timely initiative. But will it nudge the…
Climate-A Race We Must Win
World leaders are congregating in New York to figure out how to address the depredation of Earth’s fragile environment, frame policies and make pledges. Will they be able to reconcile their…
Sykes- Picot & Future of Syria
The present-day borders of the Middle East are the legacy of a hasty agreement signed almost 100 years ago. This has become the cause celebre for the turmoil besetting the region ever since.
The Future of Conflict: Myanmar
The failure of the international community to enforce favourable conditions for the safe return home of the Rohingya refugees has once again highlighted its incompetence against state-sponsored…
Drones over Middle Eastern Skies
The precision drone attack by the Houthis targeting the economic heart of the Kingdom of Saud has finally given to the proverbial ‘David’ a weapon to measure up to his ‘Goliath’ like opponents. What…
NRC-Citizenship in Question
The National Register of Citizens (NRC), rendering 1.9 million stateless, has thrown up serious questions on how applicants can submit proof of citizenship in a region that is evolving and…
UAPA 2019: Striking a Balance
India’s 2019 Amendment to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, (UAPA) 1967 underscores the conflict between restrictions on basic human rights and security compulsions of the state.
US Taliban talks: A cul-de-sac
President Trump, in a surprise move, cancelled the scheduled peace talks with the Taliban. This has raised questions of whether the move is a negotiation strategy, or have the peace talks reached a…
An Antidote to Economic Slowdown
In the last quarter of FY 18-19, India logged 5.8% growth. Some economists expect the GDP for the first quarter of FY 19-20 to be lower than 5.8%, suggesting that there is a structural issue with the…
BREXIT -What Next?
The UK under Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to walk out from the European Union (EU) on 31st October 2019 without a definitive exit plan in place. What will this move entail for UK and Europe?
Russian Far East- India’s Act East Initiative
PM Modi’s visit to the Russian Far East, the first ever by an Indian PM, aims at economic inroads into this resource rich area in direct competition with China and other countries.
Damocles’ Sword Over Cash Starved Pakistan
Having failed twice to meet the milestones set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the prospects of blacklisting loom large over an economically stressed Pakistan.
Harbinger of Balkanisation
The rollout of Huawei’s 5G pilot in Russia appears to be the first salvo fired in the escalating conflict for cyberspace where competing technological poles will vie for domination of the digital…
Silence of Muslim World on Uyghurs
The vocal defence of China’s internal security apparatus in the restive Xinjiang province, by Muslim countries as opposed to the condemnation by 22 major western countries, raises the question of…
CDS- Integrating Indian Defence Forces
Will the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) kickstart the long due integration of Indian Defence Forces - creating a Joint Multidimensional Force that will be at par with the modern militaries of other…
G7: Artefact of a Bygone Era?
The 45th summit of the G7 has concluded in Biarritz, France. Can the G7 bloc retain its pre-eminent position in a globalised flat world with the widest dispersion of economic and political power ever…
Indian Boots on Ground in Afghanistan
By relegating regional countries including India as bystanders in the war against terror in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump has clearly shared his frustration at the slow progress in US-Afghan…
NATO and Turkey: An Imminent Divorce?
The increasing geopolitical divergence between NATO and Turkey has raised serious concerns on the longevity of Turkey’s future in the alliance. Do the two still need each other or is one holding the…
Recession: Speculation or Certainty?
Some experts predict a recession fed by ongoing political and economic upheavals between powerful nations. Are falling long term interest rates, the appearance of the dreaded inverted yield curve and…