election rally Courtesy: Al Jazeera English/Flickr
29 November 2013

Indian state elections: winds of change?

In India, there are some powerful forces now in play in the election-bound states – and the 2014 general elections. Manjeet Kripalani, who toured the states during the polls, blogs about the increasing focus on issues such as job creation, sanitation, nutritious food, and technological innovation, among the electorate

czech republic Courtesy: Bentley Smith/Flickr
25 November 2013

Landmark election for the Czech Republic

The recent elections in the Czech Republic resulted in no party winning a majority. However, two newly-formed parties have been elected to the lower house. As the parties try to form coalitions, Ambassador Jaromir Novotný blogs about the voting pattern and the significance of this election for the country

devcybersecurity Courtesy: danxoneil / Flickr
15 November 2013

Controlling cyberspace

Across the globe, governments trying to control the internet are violating the privacy and rights of internet users. China’s censorship model is limited to its borders, the U.S.’ surveillance affects everyone internationally. A multilaterally-acceptable mandate for cyber governance is now an imperative.

Maldives wikimediaCommons Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
15 November 2013

Testing times for the Maldives

The ongoing political crisis in the Maldives has deteriorated after a run-off election on November 10 was delayed. Now, the next election is scheduled to be held on November 16. However, despite four scheduled elections in the last two months, chances are slim that stability will return soon to the Maldives

neelam pirate party Courtesy: Delhiiterock/WikimediaCommons
13 November 2013

The rise of the anti-party party

The debut of the Aam Aadmi Party must not cloud the reality that even after a movement transitions into a party, it still has to play the game of hard politics. Anti-party parties such as the AAP make coalition-building more difficult, as was recently evident in Germany and Italy, and is now the scenario in Delhi

food sedurity Courtesy: Rigues/Flickr
8 November 2013

Food security and WTO

A recent UN report praises governments for promoting the right to food. At the same time, India’s Food Security Act will encounter resistance at the WTO meeting in Bali in December. Can India play an exemplary role in the global power struggle over food security?

Mars Lander Courtesy: NASA/Wikimedia Commons
6 November 2013

New Delhi: Myopic beyond Mars

At a time when China has invested substantially in its space projects and Russia is invigorating its space exploration, India too must develop a strategically-designed programme. The successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission should give New Delhi enough reason to increase India’s space footprint

flag meenakshi madhavan flickr Courtesy: meenakshi madhavan/Flickr
18 October 2013

The arrival of ‘outsiders’ in New Delhi

With the arrival of strong new political contenders for the next general elections, the discourse in New Delhi is changing. Anirudha Dutta blogs about these changes which, he says, can lead to a better and more transparent India with rule-based systems

dilma Courtesy: Ministério da Saúde/Flickr
17 October 2013

Brazil’s new global agenda for the internet

After revelations that the U.S.’s NSA spied on her, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has ordered a series of measures to ensure online independence and called for an equitable global internet infrastructure. India can follow Brazil’s lead and make its communication systems less vulnerable