devcybersecurity Courtesy: danxoneil / Flickr
15 November 2013

Controlling cyberspace

Across the globe, governments trying to control the internet are violating the privacy and rights of internet users. China’s censorship model is limited to its borders, the U.S.’ surveillance affects everyone internationally. A multilaterally-acceptable mandate for cyber governance is now an imperative.

china flag Courtesy: Daderot/WikimediaCommons
14 November 2013

Introduction to China’s Plenary Sessions and the CPC Central Committee

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is being held in Beijing from November 9-12. What are the Plenary Sessions of the CPC’s Central Committee? What are the general functions of each Plenary Session? Why is the Third Plenum this year so significant?

indiachina2 Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
8 November 2013

Women’s voices in India-China talks

At various meetings, Indian and Chinese women researchers are using a gendered lens to discuss the changes in their economies. Making these exchanges a part of bilateral dialogues and India-China summits can be a way to rethink economic policies and change the terms of trade

food sedurity Courtesy: Rigues/Flickr
8 November 2013

Food security and WTO

A recent UN report praises governments for promoting the right to food. At the same time, India’s Food Security Act will encounter resistance at the WTO meeting in Bali in December. Can India play an exemplary role in the global power struggle over food security?

ind jap Courtesy: generalising/Flickr
6 November 2013

The new Indo-Pacific core

The India-Japan alliance needs to be viewed through a prism broader than that of "containing" China, and by treating the Indian and Pacific oceans as a single entity. Such an alliance has the potential to strengthen the geopolitical security of India and Japan, along with that of all their allies and associates

Mars Lander Courtesy: NASA/Wikimedia Commons
6 November 2013

New Delhi: Myopic beyond Mars

At a time when China has invested substantially in its space projects and Russia is invigorating its space exploration, India too must develop a strategically-designed programme. The successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission should give New Delhi enough reason to increase India’s space footprint

obamaxi Courtesy: Systemman, Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Wikimedia Commons
21 October 2013

U.S. government shutdown, China’s gain

The U.S. government shutdown and President Obama’s absence gave China immense diplomatic and political space at the APEC and East Asia Summit meetings. China’s declaration of a “de-Americanised” world may be premature but the crumbling old order is doing little to dispel this notion

Indira Lyndon Jerchel wikimediacommons Courtesy: Jerchel/WikimediaCommons
24 September 2013

The case for India-Alignment

India often finds itself in the right place at the wrong time or vice versa, as our dogma of non-alignment trumps honest calculations of self-interest in policy-making – rendering it unfavourable. The national interest, hence, calls for selective alignment on some issues with Washington and on others with Beijing