Gandhi’s Bombay years
On the Mahatma’s 150th birth anniversary, our Bombay History Fellow harks back to three city sites where Gandhi launched movements that progressively stepped up the pressure on the British to leave the country
Failing to reform the UN
An expert workshop on reinvigorating the UN, offered an opportunity for scholars, think tanks and members of civil society to revisit the many contradictions that plague it 75 years after it was formed. An assessment of some of the issues that persist
Indo-French digital partnership
The India-France roadmap on cyber security and digital technology paves a detailed path for the two countries to cooperate in three areas where France is an acknowledged leader and can help India become cyber-resilient
From Interkosmos to Gaganyaan
On his visit to the Russian Far East this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured Russia’s assistance in training India’s human spaceflight crew ahead of the launch of Gaganyaan in 2021-2022. French assistance for India has come in the form of its specialised knowledge of space medicine. Gaganyaan has thus become an India-Russia-France megaproject, a symbol of India’s futuristic space diplomacy
Chief of defence staff: executive chief or staff officer?
The announcement by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi of a new position of a Chief of Defence Staff is a long-pending and vital appointment for national security, but it will be effective only if the defence apparatus is also overhauled
The DMZ, between peace and hostility
The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is a 250-km-long militarised border that divides the Korean peninsula roughly into half. It is one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world. The author, who had a unique opportunity to visit the DMZ, narrates her experience
Time to promote private heavy-lift rockets
Chandrayaan-2’s postponed launch is no cause for disappointment. It gives India a chance to draw in the skills of the private sector to accelerate heavy-lift rocket manufacturing
En route to Modi-Trump in Osaka
India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have sorted through the India-US niggles and minutae, so that the substance of the bilateral can be advanced by their leaders who are meeting in Osaka this week
CPEC = Pakistan electricity crisis
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with its unaffordable power projects is one reason for Pakistan’s current economic crisis. Pakistan has ended up with capacity it does not need, relying on fuels it is importing at a high cost
Foreign policy continuum with the BJP
India’s foreign policy is increasingly blended in with its domestic agenda – and vice versa. Prime Minister Modi’s past proactive foreign policy has paid dividends in bringing global attention to India, a fact young voters have noticed and approved. In his second term, what will India’s foreign policy look like? A continuum of the past, but also new frameworks for the future