Commentary
Find our newspaper columns, blogs, and other commentary pieces in this section. Our research focuses on Advanced Biology, High-Tech Geopolitics, Strategic Studies, Indo-Pacific Studies & Economic Policy
The Print | Short-term work visas, long-term gains—How India-US can tackle immigration woes, boost ties
By Sarthak Pradhan
With a large pool of engineering graduates entering the workforce annually, India has the potential to meet the growing demand in the US semiconductor sector.
By Aparna Pande and Sarthak Pradhan
Read the full article here.
StratNews Global | China’s R&D Engine: Technology Diffusion Seamlessly Across Sectors
By Arindam Goswami
China's giant strides in developing cutting-edge technologies and ensuring these are disseminated where they are needed, is a tribute to the scientific eco-system they have evolved.
Massive investment, a deliberate alignment of, and removal of barriers between military and civilian research, and a clear commitment to becoming the global leader in critical technologies are vital characteristics of China’s S&T ecosystem.
It is a whole-system approach, which also focuses on building the requisite skill infrastructure, and recognises the capacity of General Purpose Technologies (GPTs) to increase economic productivity, and thereby, military prowess, by the process of diffusion into pervasive use in a wide range of activities and sectors.
By Arindam Goswami
Read the full article here.
Deccan Herald | Strengthening the IndiaAI mission
By Bharath Reddy & Rijesh Panicker
As details about the budget allocation for the IndiaAI mission emerge, this is an opportune moment to reassess its objectives for fostering India’s AI ecosystem and to evaluate how the government can achieve these goals. The authors argue that the government should promote open-source initiatives, adopt funding mechanisms that enable the market to evaluate value creation and innovation, and fund research to understand AI risks in an Indian context.
By Bharath Reddy & Rijesh Panicker
Read the full article here.
The Print | India, US need each other to combat China. Don’t let domestic politics come in the way
By Sarthak Pradhan
India, US need each other to combat China. Don’t let domestic politics come in the way
By Aparna Pande and Sarthak Pradhan
Read the full article here.
The Hindu | Implications of the AI Diffusion Framework
By Ashwin Prasad
The Biden-Harris administration unveiled a flurry of policies in their last week in office. The most extraordinary among them is the Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Diffusion. It has many goals: preserving U.S. hegemony in AI technology, balancing innovation and national security, and deterring U.S. adversaries from harvesting the strategic rewards of AI. These goals signal the U.S.’s strategic vision for AI, heralding its transformative potential to advance economic prowess and military dominance in the coming years.
By Ashwin Prasad
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The Times of India | Boycott Button
We love pressing it, whether the injury be grave or slight.
By Anupam Manur
Read the full article here.
Deccan Herald | Policy tweaks can push private sector R&D
By Sarthak Pradhan and Pranay Kotasthane
Non-restrictive, investment-friendly policies will attract private investment to help India realise its innovation potential.
By Sarthak Pradhan and Pranay Kotasthane
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Money Control | Revamping Urban Local Bodies: Addressing financial and governance challenges
By Miheer Karandikar
India’s municipal corporations face severe financial and governance issues, relying heavily on state and central grants. With limited revenue, inadequate staffing, and delayed elections, they struggle to provide essential services. A comprehensive overhaul is needed to empower local governments, ensure fiscal autonomy, and improve service delivery
By Miheer Karandikar
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Deccan Herald | Private sector push for India’s open-source challenge
By Arindam Goswami and Lokendra Sharma
Zerodha’s recent announcement to commit $1 million for open-source software is a shot in the arm for researchers. But India’s private sector needs to do more.
By Arindam Goswami and Lokendra Sharma
Read the full article here.
ThinkChina | Is India warming up to Chinese investment?
By Amit Kumar
China’s investments in India, historically underwhelming, have dropped further with India’s fears of China’s “opportunistic takeovers”, says Indian researcher Amit Kumar. But a more favourable Indian public discourse towards Chinese investments and the potential for win-win benefits could turn things around.
By Amit Kumar
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News18 | ‘Catching’ Innovation: What India Can Learn From SpaceX’s Latest Triumph
By Arindam Goswami and Ashwin Prasad
Embrace risk, support long-term thinking, and create ecosystems that turn ambitious dreams into reality.
What would an Indian SpaceX look like? Perhaps it’s not in space at all, but in renewable energy, biotechnology, or quantum computing. The key is that ambitious innovators need an environment where they can take big risks, fail fast, and keep pushing boundaries. This means rethinking everything, from our bankruptcy laws to our education system. We need to transform India’s innovation ecosystem from a permission-based system to a performance-based one, and move away from subjective approvals to objective criteria, much like how SpaceX operates under clear FAA guidelines rather than case-by-case permissions.
By Arindam Goswami and Ashwin Prasad
Read the full article here.
Moneycontrol | Canada's inclusion of India as cyberadversary is a deliberate political move; here’s why
By Lokendra Sharma
A perusal of Canada’s ‘National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026’ report against the backdrop of the current India-Canada relations indicates that India’s inclusion as a cyberadversary is a deliberate last-minute political decision
By Lokendra Sharma
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Deccan Herald | A Strategic Thrust To Space Beyond Borders
By Ashwin Prasad
As space activities grow beyond the traditional state-led programs, policy is beginning to catch up. On October 17, the US government eased space-related export controls to expand its commercial sector's reach. However, trade liberalisation in the space sector should evolve beyond allowing hardware sales. International cooperation between the US and its allies can distribute the space technology supply chains beyond national borders across trusted geographies. When spread across globally, technology development will reduce costs, enable specialisation, facilitate innovation, increase production rates and promote geopolitical stability on Earth and beyond.
By Ashwin Prasad
Read the full article here.
Resonant News | China’s Advanced firing range and probable SIGINT facilities near in Shigatse (Tibet Autonomous Region)
By Y Nithiyanandam
This report finds that a sophisticated PLA firing range near Shigatse is being used for high-altitude target practice and weapon calibration. Secondly, it finds evidence of probable SIGINT systems that can listen to a range of signals, including military and submarine communications, from vast distances.
By Y Nithiyanandam
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The Times of India | One story, two endings, two countries
By Anushka Saxena
With the India-China patrolling agreement in eastern Ladakh holding up so far – both sides are carrying out verification patrols – following Modi and Xi’s meeting on the sidelines of Brics summit in Kazan, the optimistic developments along LAC are dominating the airwaves. But as welcome as such an agreement may be, it isn’t the complete reality of the India-China relationship. There is, in fact, a more systemic rift still visible in bilateral ties – one that has perhaps gone unnoticed in the wake of the patrolling agreement.
By Anushka Saxena
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The Hindu | Zeroing in on methane diplomacy, at COP29
By Rakshith Shetty
The Baku meet is an opportunity for India to fast-track its efforts in reducing methane emissions
By Rakshith Shetty
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Life of Soldiers | ‘Integration’ in the PLA Western Theater Command: Practices and Patterns
By Anushka Saxena
Since wide-sweeping reforms of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began in 2015, efforts of the country’s defence apparatus are oriented towards creating an “integrated” force capable of fighting and winning “high intensity, short duration, localised wars.” Integration has been focal to prepare for achieving the intended goal, and has manifested itself in both doctrine and real-time combat preparedness exercises. In the Western Theater Command of the PLA, which has a primary operation direction towards India, requirements to make integration a reality are reflected, too.
By Anushka Saxena
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Deccan Herald | The carbon costs of the Israel-Gaza war
By Rakshith Shetty
As the war in Gaza continues to unfold, most of the attention is rightly focused on the immense human suffering and loss of life. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire, with thousands dead, millions displaced, and infrastructure decimated. However, one aspect of this war that is often overlooked is the environmental impact, specifically the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the military operations.
By Rakshith Shetty
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The Hindu | Sustainability science for FMCGs
By Shambhavi Naik
FMCGs should be a priority target sector for ANRF, the new public-private partnership initiative, and the BioE3 policy of the government
By Shambhavi Naik
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The Diplomat | BRICS Summit Was a Vote of Support for Global Governance Reform, Not for Russia
By Vanshika Saraf
Ideological politics is not on the agenda for these states, but economics, climate, and food security are.
By Vanshika Saraf
Read the full article here.