shutterstock_1091235845 Courtesy: Shutterstock
15 October 2020

UN: Necessary but reformed

BY

The UN turned 75 this year but instead of grand celebrations, the world witnessed an empty UNGA with world leaders addressing it via video screening because of the pandemic. The UN is under unprecedented stress and being shown up for its inability to tackle the challenges of today like the pandemics, climate change, terrorism or global peace and security. The institution's key governing structures, especially the UN Security Council, are inadequate and demand reform. India must now use gritty resolve to ensure its place in these governing structures.

skynews-kamala-harris-mike-pence_5120284 Courtesy: Sky News
8 October 2020

The Harris-Pence face off

BY

Ambassador Neelam Deo, Director and co-founder of Gateway House in the weekly series of podcasts on the U.S Elections analyses the foreign policy agenda of the Democratic government, why COVID-19 will impact voters choice and if Kamala Harris’ connection to India will influence the Indian-American votes

shutterstock_634271282 Courtesy: Shutterstock
8 October 2020

A compelling case for Digital Service Tax

BY

The current notions of physical ‘permanent establishment’ or tangible locational nexus are not well-suited for the taxation of modern digital economy, especially for taxation of business income, rents or revenue creating activities. In a Covid-19 wrecked global economy, where government revenues are under severe stress, there is a compelling case for a market country or the value-creating jurisdiction to tax the income or rents attributable to the concerned market or location.

WhatsApp Image 2020-10-01 at 1.19.17 PM Courtesy: Shutterstock
1 October 2020

The first Trump-Biden contest

BY

As part of our weekly series of podcasts in the run-up to the U.S. elections, in this episode on the first 2020 presidential debate, Ambassador Neelam Deo, Director and Co-founder of Gateway House, on President Trump’s federal tax, how the ongoing pandemic will have an impact on voter’s choice and the potential of such political debates in India

INS_Viraat_front_view Courtesy: Wikipedia
1 October 2020

INS Viraat sails away

BY

Five days before World Maritime Day last week, the former Flag Ship of India’s Western Fleet headquartered in Mumbai – the Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat or R 22 – was towed away to the ship-breaking yard in Alang, Gujarat. This brought down the curtains on Viraat’s glorious career of 58 years at sea. The Indian Navy is awaiting the commissioning of a new aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’, named after the Indian Navy’s first carrier. Just as it will one day induct another new carrier and name it after the Viraat.

Interviews
48802186226_1f26a4d79f_c Courtesy: Shutterstock
6 August 2020

QUAD or SQUAD?

BY

The Quad, a grouping of Indo-Pacific democracies, is more relevant than ever. It must now operationalise not just the military exchanges but also formalise economic and technology partnerships that will undergird a meaningful new multilateral, provide it with resilience and appeal in the Indo-Pacific region. In this Webcast, co-hosted by Gateway House and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the panelists discuss the need to reform Quad, which hosts the four leading global voices, in order for it to become the magnet that attracts like-minded nations, small and big cutting across continents and oceans to converge on the new world order realities.

CG Courtesy: USGS/Wikimedia
6 August 2020

Geospatial shutter control for India

BY

The recent use of geospatial analyses by Indian social and mainstream media for near real-time defence and military intelligence in Ladakh has been made possible because of the lower cost of earth-observation satellite construction, and thereby, easy access to satellite imagery on the internet. While independent analysis is useful, the same intelligence can be also used against the interests of a sovereign nation by an adversary, especially border imagery. India must find innovative methods to reduce this vulnerability of commercial satellite imagery.

RB_1 Courtesy: B20 Saudi Arabia/Twitter
23 July 2020

The B20: Riyadh and beyond

BY

The COVID crisis compelled a change in the Business20 (B20) focus areas to reviving health, health facilities and business activity in 2020. India must start work now to give the B20 even greater responsiveness and relevance as the prospective G20 chair in 2022.