Nepal’s quest for an alternate transit country with a view to reducing its dependence on India succeeded with the finalisation of the text for the Protocol of Transit Transport Agreement with China on September 7, 2018.

• Nihar R. Nayak |
• September 27, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

The forthcoming presidential election is a contest between Yameen’s pledge to bring about a transformational change with mega-projects and Solih’s pledge to end presidential tyranny, injustice and corruption

• Gulbin Sultana |
• September 17, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

It is administratively easy and politically appealing to debar an errant entity, but the unintended consequences of debarment can be challenging to handle in high-technology areas such as defence

• Sandeep Verma |
• September 11, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

The Brief argues that MoD’s total allocations should be considered for any discussion on defence expenditure since the official defence expenditure does not capture all the expenses that the government incurs on national defence efforts.

• Laxman Kumar Behera |
• August 20, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

The way forward for New Delhi is to seize the momentum and develop a strategic partnership with the UAE to safeguard its core national interests while avoiding regional entanglements.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar |
• July 05, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

While Iran and its European interlocutors (along with Russia and China) can be expected to mount a tough challenge to continue to make the JCPOA work in the light of Trump’s May 8 decision to ‘withdraw’ from the agreement, it remains to be seen to what extent they can succeed.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
• May 17, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

Given the structural fragility of SAARC and its inability to promote South Asian regional integration, an attempt to reboot the organisation would be futile.

• Rajeesh Kumar |
• May 01, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

While the provisions of the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) are unlikely to be imposed on India anytime soon, it is nonetheless likely to prove a dampener on an otherwise booming defence relationship between India and the United States.

• Laxman Kumar Behera , G. Balachandran |
• April 26, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

Geopolitical competition between the great powers with or without direct conflict will lead to a situation where productive cooperation among them on critical international issues is likely to prove difficult.

• Rajeesh Kumar |
• April 06, 2018 |
• Issue Brief

External balancing is re-emerging as an element of policy driven by the yawning power asymmetry between India and China and China’s turn towards assertive behaviour and territorial claims.

• S. Kalyanaraman |
• March 28, 2018 |
• Issue Brief