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

indiachina2 Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
8 November 2013

Women’s voices in India-China talks

At various meetings, Indian and Chinese women researchers are using a gendered lens to discuss the changes in their economies. Making these exchanges a part of bilateral dialogues and India-China summits can be a way to rethink economic policies and change the terms of trade

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

khurshid peiris mea Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
11 October 2013

India-Sri Lanka: Time to build new bonds

The recent elections in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province may not ensure the much-anticipated devolution of powers. Rajeshwari Krishnamurthy blogs about why the Indian government must ensure that domestic pressures do not adversely impact the New Delhi-Colombo equation or the internal politics of Sri Lanka

Favela @Doug88888 flickr Courtesy: @Doug88888
10 October 2013

Brazil: In the yellow zone

Gateway House’s Akshay Mathur recently visited Brazil to attend a BRICS-themed conference, organised by the National Association of Research and Graduate Programs in the Social Sciences. In this blog, he writes about his first impressions of the country and the similarities between India and Brazil that he observed.

maldives flag Paolo Rosa flickr Courtesy: Paolo Rosa/Flickr
4 October 2013

The Maldives: Awaiting another election

The September 28 run-off presidential election in the Maldives was postponed indefinitely by the country’s Supreme Court after allegations of ballot-rigging. However, national and international observers have said the elections were fair. Settling the political crisis in the Maldives may now require more than an election

UNSC Syria UNSC Courtesy: United Nations
4 October 2013

Decoding the UNSC Resolution on Syria

The recent UNSC Resolution, which mandates the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, demonstrates that after more than a year, a degree of international agreement on the Syrian issue has been possible. In the evolving situation, Russia will now emerge as a major player