Bilateral relations between India and Italy grew increasingly tense following Italy’s refusal to return two of their Marines – who are accused of killing two Indian fishermen. Given how both countries otherwise enjoy warm relations, how should New Delhi address this diplomatic debacle?

The establishment of a BRICS Development Bank will be among the prime topics of discussion at the BRICS Summit on March 26. Gateway House’s Akshay Mathur interviews former Indian Ambassador and Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, on the prospects and viability of alternate financial architectures.

Maritime piracy is one of the several grave security issues faced by today’s world. This problem, however, isn’t a new phenomenon, and nations have long-battled this issue. How did piracy manifest itself in the Indian Ocean in the 19th century, and what was the nature of counter-piracy efforts during that period?

In the backdrop of the European Union’s (EU) economic crises, the international community’s focus has shifted towards Asia. Gateway House interviews renowned historian and scholar Timothy Garton Ash on the lessons Asia can learn from Europe, Britian’s role in the EU and political morality.

The year 2012 has been a busy one for foreign policy: from escalating disputes in the South China Sea to alternate financial instruments from the emerging world. India’s foreign policy too has its shown strengths and weaknesses. We present our top foreign policy Hotspots, Sweet spots and Blind spots for 2012.

The Chinese have learned from Russia’s past mistakes at reforming state-owned enterprises (SOE), and some well-connected politicians have reaped the economic benefits that followed. Will the new administration in Beijing reform China’s SOEs or maintain the large role of government in industry?

The deterioration of growth prospects is at the core of the financial crisis in Europe. Can Europe successfully form a banking and monetary union? Gateway House interviews Nicolas Véron, a French economist, to discuss the repercussions of the financial crisis in Europe and the potential for Indo-EU cooperation.

There’s been much talk about the “the rise of the rest,” with Brazil, Russia, India, and China leading the charge. However, few countries can sustain unusually fast growth for a decade, and even fewer, for more than that. As the boom years begin to end, the international order won’t change as much as expected.

Jeffrey D. Sachs argues that the mono-causal analysis of the book, 'Why Nations Fail,’ – that economic development hinges on a country’s political institutions – ignores important factors (such as geography) that can also affect growth.