afghanistan airport Courtesy: Haroon Sabawoon
13 August 2021

Afghanistan: Limited options for regional powers

The Taliban’s rapid advance towards Kabul shows clear signs of learning from previous failures. The chances of a revival of the old Northern Alliance are minimal. Regional powers are left with the option of maintaining diplomatic contact with the Taliban whilst not taking any assurances on trust.

2019-06-14T000000Z_1951021920_RC-2 Courtesy: SCO, Russia (2020)
22 July 2021

China’s quad?

A potential anti-Quad formation of China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan is in the making, and can pose risks to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. However, a close analysis of China's bilateral relationship with each country shows that this is a flawed grouping, formed on limited common interests and rivalries.

sanctions and counter-sanctions Courtesy: Shutterstock
15 July 2021

Sanctions and counter-sanctions

For years, Western countries have used sanctions as a means of economic warfare against their adversaries. Now, China and Russia are utilising the same tactic against the West. The United Nations Security Council is paralysed by differences between the five permanent members, leaving the tools of unilateral sanctions and counter-sanctions to proliferate at the cost of UN-approved multilateral sanctions.

First,Space,Shuttle,Launch,On,April,12,,1981.,Astronauts,John Courtesy: Shutterstock
8 July 2021

Economic goals will drive space exploration

With the U.S.-led Artemis Accords gathering momentum, and China and Russia joining hands, space exploration is becoming economically important. Countries increasingly want to participate in the space exploration economy and are partnering with space superpowers that have aligned geopolitical and geoeconomic interests. India, too, must do the same, says Dr. Chaitanya Giri, Fellow, Space and Ocean Studies Programme.

cyber attacks on critical infrastructure: is india ready? Courtesy: Twitter | @ColPipe
27 May 2021

Cyber attacks on critical infrastructure: Is India ready?

The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in the U.S. has underlined the importance of cyber security in critical infrastructure. India has not escaped the brunt of a recent global surge in cyber attacks. Though New Delhi has taken steps to protect critical infrastructure, problems in information sharing of threat vulnerabilities impede an effective response.

shutterstock_404535040 Courtesy: Shutterstock
11 June 2020

Devising an Indian policy on Sanctions for Pakistan

The shifting geopolitics of the COVID-19 crisis might be an opportune time for India to consider new strategies for managing and curtailing Pakistan’s military aggression for the future. One policy tool used effectively by other countries is the imposition of economic sanctions. This podcast discusses the possibility of India imposing sanctions on Pakistan.

Capture d’écran 2020-02-04 à 16.00.17 Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
4 February 2020

The Unwanted Wars

Countries in the Middle East, such as Iran, Israel or Saudi Arabia, do not want a military confrontation. Yet, current circumstances conduce to the breaking out of just such a war

1234 Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
23 January 2020

Javad Zarif’s India outreach

Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif was in Mumbai on 16-17 January 2020, just days after the Iran-U.S. showdown in Iraq and the assassination of Iran’s top general. Zarif explained Iran’s dilemma to audiences in India and was hoping for public support. But the fact is that the January tensions are not Iran’s problem alone; it’s a global game-changer that has propelled the formation of new alliances