President Xi Jinping’s visit to India is a new opportunity for infusing momentum in the bilateral relations. Economic dealings would be one aspect of the talks; but neither country can afford to bypass the sensitive security and strategic issues that dog their efforts to bring peace and stability.

• Jagannath P. Panda |
• September 05, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

While India needs to vigorously pursue its endeavour for APEC membership, it is crucial for the policymakers to comprehend the geo-political allusions of this Chinese invitation, which is linked with India-China ties as well as their balance-of-power politics in Asia-Pacific.

• Jagannath P. Panda |
• August 05, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

The recently concluded Afghan Presidential election, rather than facilitating crucial political transition, is mired in controversy. An early resolution is crucial both for Afghanistan and the international community. For Afghanistan, a peaceful and non-controversial transition would ensure the legitimacy of the upcoming government and push the twin processes of reconciliation and democratization forward.

• Smruti S. Pattanaik , Akriti Vasudeva |
• July 30, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

As all the votes cast in the run-off election are audited and recounted under international supervision, the final outcome could be a close finish with winning candidate leading by a much narrow margin. The process of constitutional amendment can only be initiated after the new parliament is formed as parliamentary elections are due in 2015.

• Vishal Chandra |
• July 26, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

The rhetoric and the politics surrounding illegal immigration issue is neither new nor is the stance of the BJP on illegal immigration unknown. It has always made a distinction between the Hindus and Muslims emigrating from Bangladesh considering the former as refugees and terming the later as illegal immigrants.

• Smruti S. Pattanaik |
• May 16, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

“Credible minimum deterrence” is the cornerstone of India’s nuclear doctrine. It, used in conjunction with the concepts of “No First Use” (NFU) and “Non Use” against non nuclear weapon states, clearly indicates that India envisages its nuclear weapons as only a deterrent and not as a means to threaten others.

• Satish Chandra |
• April 30, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

This work reviews the significance and progress of Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) in India-China relations. But addressing macroeconomic subject matters that concern the two countries’ strategic interests requires methodological deliberations that must be balanced and nuanced. The SED needs to be upgraded to a level of equal deliberation mechanism, where Beijing must address India’s economic and strategic concerns.

• Jagannath P. Panda |
• April 03, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

Myanmar and India have followed separate political paths only to find it converging in recent times. Myanmar’s other neighbour China has had a much larger footprint in the country. India has to calibrate its engagement with Myanmar to not just effectively implement its Look East policy but also manage the contiguous border regions of Northeast India given the ground realities.

• Namrata Goswami |
• March 18, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

Rouhani’s presidency has injected a new tone in Iran’s foreign policy, marking a dramatic shift from Ahmadinejad’s policy of confrontation with the West. Rouhani’s policy towards the neighbouring countries has received strong support while his policy of engagement with Obama administration and the nuclear deal have generated intense debate.

• M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi |
• February 26, 2014 |
• Issue Brief

This brief has carried out an assessment of the launch vehicles used globally for launching of heavy satellites into the geostationary orbit. This assessment is mainly based on the comparison of the various features of different launch systems and the characteristics of the propellants put in use.

• Ajey Lele , Parveen Bhardwaj |
• February 19, 2014 |
• Issue Brief