Sameer Patil-Arc of Border Security-May 11 Courtesy: Gateway House
21 June 2018

Arc of India’s Border Security

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Border regions and communities, some of them far from the heartland, constitute India’s first line of defence, a critical link in its national security. India’s 15,000-km borders touch seven neighbouring countries: Afghanistan (abutting Gilgit), Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar. Border regions have their own local dynamics, often shaped by subnational and religious identities that do not necessarily align neatly with political borders. Some also serve as flourishing corridors for illegal smuggling of goods and humans. Technology plays an important role in better protecting borders, but in some cases it has made borders obsolete. Despite their importance, border regions do not receive the full attention of the Indian mainstream, except when border tensions arise.

41728042254_a6935b2139_k Courtesy: MEA Flickr
7 June 2018

Modi acts East, pivots to Indonesia

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Prime Minister Modi’s visits to South East Asia last week were major steps in furthering the goals of India’s Act East Policy even as major power rivalries unfolded in the region. Most significant was the visit to Indonesia, a low key Asian power but one that India can partner to enhance its regional stature.

mahathir Courtesy: Reuters
24 May 2018

Mahathir’s Malaysian manoeuvres

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Malaysia is in the eye of a different power game today. Fifteen years ago when Mahathir’s last tenure as prime minister ended, the United States loomed over the Asia-Pacific and Malaysia. Today it is an unlikely leader and Mahathir inherits a China-dominated Indo-Pacific and vexed internal politics. What changes in foreign policy will this entail?

aashna-china Courtesy: Gateway House
14 May 2018

Gwadar: trade hub or military asset?

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China’s ostensible intentions are to turn Gwadar port into a focal point of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. But the geography of the region is a major stumbling block in the realisation of these ambitions and raises questions about the project’s underlying motives

The Presidency Chartered Bank of Bombay on 1 Rampart Row was founded in 1840 and was one of three presidency banks that were the precursors of the State Bank of India (1955) Courtesy: State Bank of India
3 May 2018

Indian banking’s chequered history

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The history of modern Indian banking in the 19th century is full of examples of lopsided loan portfolios, favouring a few individuals and businesses, which is not very different from today’s world of financial fraud and manipulation of the system for personal gain. The past still holds many lessons