By Guru Aiyar (@guruaiyar) A mixed year of hits and misses, what is most pertinent for defence policy is military modernization and overdue defence reforms The year that has gone by has been a mixed one as far as defence forces of India are concerned. It started with an attack on Pathankot airbase . Observers […]
Currently, the space for Indian states to play a role in foreign policy is largely in the economic realm. One of the growingly popular frameworks to analyse how sub state actors can play a role in foreign policy is paradiplomacy. According to Adam Grydehoj, paradiplomacy is a political entity’s extra-jurisdictional activity targeting foreign political entities. […]
Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab show that states can play an important role in diaspora relations. States are maneuvering around foreign policy considerations by reaching out to Non Resident Indians (NRIs). Foreign Policy is considered the domain of the Union Government however, some state government have proved adept at working around this by focusing on selected […]
How the price freeze at supermarkets in Argentina left consumers in an unrelenting dilemma with regard to grocery shopping By Sreetama Sen (@SenSreetama) The Argentinian government, under the presidency of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in 2013, imposed a strict price control mechanism on necessary goods being sold at larger supermarkets across the country. This action […]
By Anirudh Kanisetti 13th century, an era when the Mongols were considered the Scourge of God, had rulers from Hungary to China quaking in their boots at the mere thought of a Mongol attack. One potentate however was a notable exception: he was, in fact, in the habit of defeating Mongol raids and keeping his […]
The big idea in urban transport is to get users to pay for parking and suchlike. Not another piece of paper. The Union government is considering a proposal to make car ownership contingent on the prospective buyer producing an “adequate parking space available certificate.” M Venkaiah Naidu, Union urban development minister stated that he was … Continue reading "Why parking needs more than proof of space"
A newly industrializing, independent post-war India has abandoned its historical artisanal quality but did not replace it with a modern obsession with quality
By Sandesh Anand While a strong focus on preventing India’s cyber assets is required, it is a reasonable assumption to make that there will be more cyber attacks in 2017. These attacks will lead to sensitive information leakage, lack of availability of your favorite internet services and other disruptions common during a cyber attack. It is hence important […]
EU’s directives on Energy and Environment put additional pressure on one of the most productive sectors of a weakened Greek economy. By Ratish Srivastava (@socialia13) Eight years since the Sub-Prime Mortgage crisis hit the world economy, Greece still seems to be on a downhill path. EU’s Directives on Energy and Environment are an encumbrance to […]
Considering the current state of unaccountability with our government, government’s access to encryption keys and backdoor access inevitably leads to abuse. You’re probably going “that’s too far fetched”, is it really? Last year, the government caused a huge ruckus by releasing a draft National Encryption Policy (NEP), with people calling it draconian. It was in […]
Politicisation will limit politicisation Two of the more thoughtful critiques of the Modi government’s decision to jettison the principle of seniority in appointing India’s next army chief appear in the Indian Express and Business Standard today. Sushant Singh and Ajai Shukla are among the most astute commentators on the subject so it is important to … Continue reading "A better way of selecting the top brass – 2"
Satyagraha, Neoliberalism, CIA…we’re running out of ideas It is perhaps a good time for newspaper editors to stop publishing any more polemical opinion pieces on the great currency transfusion (‘demonetisation’). When someone argues that people standing in lines to deposit and withdraw their own money after being compelled to do so by the government, are … Continue reading "Time for a stiff drink"
Nothing is lost by abandoning the principle of seniority, but the armed forces need restructuring Yesterday, the Modi government decided to supersede two general officers and appoint Lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the next chief of army staff. In a system where seniority has risen from a criterion to the criterion, and where “lines of … Continue reading "A better way of selecting the top brass"
