Introduction India and France have maintained close and friendly relations till date. Apart from the traditional fields of cooperation such as defence, India and France are increasingly engaged in newer areas of cooperation such as counterterrorism, climate change, sustainable development, nuclear energy, and now COVID-19 response, among others. With both the countries supporting a …
India and Global Governance: Lessons from the International COVID-19 Response
For a world order firmly founded on sovereignty of individual states, big and small, the term “global governance” is an idealistic dream at best or simply a misnomer. It is a shadow global government, which seeks to be an international process of consensus building without any erosion of sovereignty of the individual states. The surrender …
Intimidating Moves by China on the Red River
Water—one of the most vital natural resources on earth—has taken centre-stage in the enchanted frontiers and is progressively becoming a weapon of geopolitics. It all began as a mass movement engineered by the legislator-elect (2 May 2021) and leader of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Akhil Gogoi and his formation’s demand to halt all …
The Adoption of AI Technology: Need for Calculated Risks
History has seen the evolution of society from individual hunters, groups, communities, and to the ‘God’ oriented religions. At last, the modern era witnessed societies oriented to humanist philosophy. Every node at which a significant change took place has a technological advancement. Stone made tools, fire, the wheel, agriculture, and metals led to the formation …
Xi Jinping Banks on US-India’s Systemic Issues to Ensure PRC Success
The Covid-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for China to overtake the US in comprehensive global power, given that Xi Jinping has managed the aftermath of the pandemic much better than the leaders of the major countries of North America, Europe and Asia. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken very quickly echoed Henry Kissinger’s recent lament …
Dialogue with ULFA: Need for Circumspection
Formal dialogue with the ULFA (Pro-Talk)—which began in 2011 (but had stalled)—is reportedly going to kick start after the elections of 2021. By all accounts, the last round of talks ended on a positive note with the organisation expressing its satisfaction about the initiatives, which New Delhi had taken. According to an earlier press statement …
Bridging the Digital Divide: Promoting Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable Development
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on every aspect of life, including education, in an unexpected and long-lasting way. To keep our economies from coming to a halt, governments are maximizing online employment practices and improving e-health and e-learning capabilities. Academic institutions all over the globe have embraced online education as a way to make …
India should learn from Rodrigo Duterte’s Unrequited Love
Around 200 PRC ‘fishing boats’ have entered Philippines waters and despite love calls from Duterte to his counterpart in Beijing, refuse to leave. President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte may have his faults, but a lack of confidence is not among them. So convinced was he of the persuasive impact of his charm that …
Resetting Japan-Russia Relations: Opportunities and Challenges
Owing to a longstanding territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands (also known as northern territories) Russia and Japan, haven't established a peace treaty 75 years after WWII. The return of the islands had been historically important to Japanese leaders. The new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga acknowledged the dispute in his first speech in the Parliament. …
Revisiting Operation Neptune Spear: Lessons for India
Almost a decade ago, on 10 June 2011, a Tier One United States’ Naval Special Warfare Development Group, namely DEVGRU or Seal Team Six assassinated Osama Bin Laden in the heart of Pakistan. At the time, counter terrorism apparatus around the world had geared up for what most analysts had prophesised would be Islamist reprisals …