Uttar Pradesh (UP) is going to the polls this month and the results will have implications even beyond India. However, Mayawati, the Chief Minister of UP, will encounter big challenges for re-election as the state faces major problems such as poverty and an inefficient education structure.

As the al-Assad regime faces increasing international pressure to step down from power, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempted to make political reforms recently. However, Syria has strong relations within West Asia and the denouement will profoundly impact developments in this region.

Ashoka or Arthashastra: which one can better shape India's foreign policy and future? Gateway House sponsored its second Global Minds Essay Contest, which was open to any student in India aged 15-19 years. This essay by Huma Yaseen from Uttarakhand won the first prize

The author outlines the partnership between NATO and Wahhabi extremists, and how the West assisted in an armed Sunni movement, which has spread to many countries in West Asia. Consequently, the Shia population suffers from serious discrimination at the hands of Wahabbi.

Forty years ago, former President of the United States Richard Nixon made a visit to China that has perhaps changed the whole gamut of U.S.-China relations. In the following years, China witnessed the rise of a significant middle class and became the world's second largest economy.

India’s national security is heavily dependent on the proper development of its infrastructure, which is currently backed by weak technologies that are susceptible to cyber threats. What can India do to tackle cyber crime and strengthen its technological infrastructure?

On March 2, 2012, the Islamic Republic of Iran will hold its ninth parliamentary election. The outcome and state decisions that follow will have significant effects on India, which has strong political relations with Iran and relies on it for a considerable portion of its energy imports.

Despite recent regime changes and agitation in the Middle East, the international community's attention has been diverted from the Indian Ocean - via Maldives. After President Nasheed's forced resignation, the country is now in political turmoil.

As India and the European Union negotiate on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in New Delhi, we analyse the relevance and impact an FTA would have on both parties. Can creative methods be implemented to break the current deadlock in negotiations?

Iran may become a litmus test for India's relationship with the U.S., where New Delhi must deftly balance its strategic relationship with the U.S. along with its energy interests in Iran.