Quantum technologies have vast implications for military, scientific and commercial domains. So much so that in the 2020 finance budget, the Indian government allocated INR 8,000 crores for investment in quantum technologies to be devoted over the next five years under the National Mission of Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA) project. Moreover, Quantum-Enabled Science & …
Young Voices
Suspense over Kim Jong Un may Soon End
During the just-concluded parliamentary elections in one of the world’s most dynamic economies, South Korea, the opposition parties sought to characterise the idealistic President Moon Jae-Inn as a puppet of the Supreme Commander of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. Their calculation was that South Korean voters would turn away from President Moon because of his …
Taiwan’s COVID-19 Fight: A Battle for Recognition
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought to the forefront debates surrounding Taiwan and its position in the international system. China regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of itself and has always been against Taipei asserting its individual identity. The China-Taiwan relations have become increasingly hostile after the election of Tsai Ing-wen as the President of Taiwan …
To Test or not to Test: COVID-19, India, and the Controversy about Testing (In)adequacy
Jim O’Neill, a British economist, made a controversial and callous remark about India’s potential to handle a pandemic, “Thank God this didn’t start in somewhere like India, because there’s absolutely no way that the quality of Indian governance could move to react in the way that the Chinese have done.” That was on 11 March …
China’s Pandemic Narrative and the Geopolitics of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be an unprecedented global challenge, as countries struggle to protect the lives of their citizens and keep their economies afloat. For the past one decade, the global economy has seen a gradual recovery from the disastrous impact of the global financial crisis (2007-08). The current pandemic has undermined this …
Xi Jinping has a Plan. Does Donald Trump?
Xi will work to ensure that China emerges as the centrepoint of the global economy, the way the US has been since 1943. After US President Donald J. Trump, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping is the most discussed world leader these days. The two others who qualify in the top four …
Putin’s Covid-19 Oil Shock Designed to Topple US Dollar
Both MBS and Putin have initiated measures that will have the eventual effect of ending the 1971 link between petroleum and the US dollar. Unlike in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has diplomatically adopted a cautious approach in practice towards the Lutyens Zone, US President Donald John Trump sought from the very …
India’s Solar Energy Strategy at the International Level: Solar Alliance as a Case in Point
The 21st century is witnessing a considerableincrease in the efforts by countries to shift towards renewable sources of energy for their development needs.In recent times, by virtue of emphasising the importance of solar energy, India too has been playing a pioneering role in these transition efforts.Major strides in its own domestic policies and its founding …
Narrowing Agenda for the Trump-Modi Summit
Ever since the visit of President Donald Trump to India was announced, the goal posts have been shifting from minute to minute. Initially it appeared as if the primary purpose of the visit was to reach an agreement on a trade deal even if it was a preliminary agreement. Both sides felt that such an …
Russia’s Star City: Enduring Legacy of the ‘Vyomanaut’s Gurukul’
India is aiming to become the fourth country to send humans to outer space by 2022, joining an elite club of nations (Russia, the US and China) with this capability. India’s Gaganyaan mission to sendits own crew to space has entered a crucial phase, with the selection and training process of “vyomanauts” for the mission …