News
Cities, not nation states, are likely to script the next age
It is almost certain that cities will script the story of our future. If India is to capitalise on this megatrend, it becomes essential for the country to engage in widespread and deep reforms, which go beyond infrastructure and focus on reforming governance mechanisms and empowering local government.
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Trump ‘Decertifies’ Iran: What Next?
In a hard hitting speech on Friday the 13 October, 2017, President Trump announced that he would not certify to the Congress that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed with Iran is in US’ national security interest. He accused Iran of violating the JCPOA which is being monitored and verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since January 2016. The IAEA in its seven quarterly reports has not suggested any violation of the agreement by Iran. However, several US think tanks have been skeptical about IAEA’s reports.
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This is the time to face up to cyber threats
The ICT supply chain in India is only as strong as its weakest link: the end user. If the user is from rural India, with a limited understanding of the devices and transactions she accesses, her device is a point of vulnerability.
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Pakistan’s isolation is responsible for its recent rants at UNGA
Pakistan continues to live in its own world as was reflected in its PM’s statement that there is no role for India in Afghanistan. Many in Pakistan are now putting all their eggs in China’s basket. The Xiamen BRICS declaration, which listed Pakistan-based terror organisations for the first time, should be a warning to Pakistan than an isolated Pakistan would be of little use to even China.
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Here’s why India did the right thing by refusing to send troops to Afghanistan
US President Donald Trump’s decision to stay the course in Afghanistan was welcomed by New Delhi not just because it pinpointed the role Pakistan plays in providing sanctuaries to terrorists targeting India and Afghanistan, but also because a continuation of US boots on the ground allows India to continue to ‘do its job’ on the very same Afghan ground.
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Reading the tea leaves
In history, defining moments like 9/11 that can be identified as markers of change are rare. More often, there are trend lines of slow-moving geopolitical changes which come together at a particular moment in time resulting in an inflexion point. Reading the tea leaves indicates that 2017 may well be the year which marked the reordering of the Asian strategic landscape.
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The angry Indian
In the Bollywood cult film of 2004, “Swades”, Mohan Bhargav, the protagonist, at one point so aptly puts it “I’m only speaking of things I’ve experienced while living here. And that is that we keep fighting among ourselves when we must fight against illiteracy, over-population & corruption…
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How the right to privacy judgement will and won’t impact India’s data protection regime
If the purpose of privacy is to preserve democracy, then data protection laws must reflect this purpose.
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Should India re-evaluate its Afghanistan strategy?
Does this “new direction” in the United States Afghan strategy mean that India should start to re-evaluate its approach on Afghanistan and take a more active role?
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India left to fend for itself with the White House in crisis mode
Given President Trump's personal predilections, India should also be ready to fight its own battles.
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