image Courtesy: Stripes
12 October 2017

Xi’s PLA agenda: real reform or power gambit?

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reforms, some of which have been effected in the run-up to the 19th Party Congress, have served to both modernise the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and also strengthen his hold on it. They may also have resulted in adversely affecting the PLA’s combat efficacy

Djibouti - Title Card Courtesy:
3 October 2017

Djibouti’s ‘military base’ diplomacy

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind leaves for Africa on his first foreign visit as president on October 3. His first port of call will be Djibouti, which occupies a strategic location in the Horn of Africa. The country has assumed significance for hosting multiple foreign military bases on its territory, the latest entrant being China. This infographic illustrates Djibouti’s ‘military base’ diplomacy.

old photos bombay Courtesy: Live Mint
15 August 2017

Bombay, Karachi, linked by sea and refuge

The 70th Independence Day for India and Pakistan – August 15 and 14 respectively – is a reminder of how Partition displaced 15 million people, causing untold hardship. What is less known is that the cities of Karachi and Bombay have had a shared colonial history and economy: the parting of ways left one bereft of a host of spirited citizens, who went on to rebuild their lives in the other

BRICS_leaders_meet_on_the_sidelines_of_2016_G20_Summit_in_China (1) Courtesy: Narendra Modi/ Flickr
12 August 2017

BRICS Summit under Doklam shadow

BRICS, which has always been committed to enhancing solidarity, is now entering its second decade – even as tensions between its two most consequential members remain unresolved and member states and other emerging markets are set to serve as “the main engine” of global growth