The debate that Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant unwittingly triggered over the extent of democracy in India was passionate, lively and largely beside the point. What is of utmost and urgent...
Eye on China is a weekly bulletin offering news and analysis related to the Middle Kingdom from an Indian interests perspective. I. India-China Ties India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar...
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said this week that the relationship with China had been “significantly damaged” this year. In fact, as winter sets in, multiple rounds of talks at...
Russia is planning to lease a naval base in Sudan for at least 25 years. Aditya Pareek talks to Aditya Ramanathan about Moscow’s underlying ambitions, the geopolitics driving this move,...
This article was first published in Deccan Herald. Views are personal. In a pre-pandemic world, winters in the Seth household used to be filled with gully cricket. Spending cold weekend...
With Covid-19, the most common phrase in every webinar on geopolitics is the “new world order”. This phrase is used to describe periods of history with dramatic change in balance...
Mumbai to Marrakech Edition 5: December 9, 2020 By Madhuvanthi Srinivasan Are we counting days to the end of Qatar’s blockade? On Friday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin...
During the current farmers’ agitation there was much scorn heaped on a farmer who had the audacity to speak in polished English to journalists. Read more at Mumbai Mirror
‘Dance of democracy’ and ‘festival of democracy’ are some of the catchphrases used for elections in India which are characterised by noisy sloganeering and a festive atmosphere. However, this enthusiasm...
The recent, barely avoided collision between India’s Cartosat 2F and Russia’s Kanopus V satellites highlights the need for transparent space situational awareness (SSA) in India. Information about the close call...
Vaccines are being approved for emergency use in countries like the UK and Canada. Can India do the same? Sunila Dixit talks to Shambhavi Naik about the status of various...
As threats from disease outbreaks and ecological disasters grow, should intelligence agencies be tasked with tracking them? What are the potential benefits and pitfalls of such a move? Takshashila’s director...
An internal working group set up by RBI recommended allowing corporate houses to own and operate banks. Sarthak Pradhan joins Saurabh Modi to discuss the reasoning behind the move and...
It is nearly impossible to apply objective constitutional principles to determine rights and wrongs with respect to the ongoing farmers’ protests. And this should concern patriotic Indians. Ordinarily, coercive public...
In the last week of November, the government confirmed that India was officially in a recession, possibly for the first time in modern history. The technical definition of a recession...
The killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has dimmed prospects for a renewed nuclear deal with Iran. Will US President-elect Joe Biden be able to resume talks? And how...
A lot has changed since the last blog post. Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have declared preliminary results for their ongoing Phase III trials while the UK has rushed to grant...
There are many ideas that economists agree upon. One such agreement is about the importance of foreign trade in helping economic growth. Another point of agreement is that cities are...
Recently, on the Constitution Day, the Prime Minister called for replacing current election cycles with simultaneous elections. While this is not a new idea, does it solve the challenges of...
This newsletter is really a weekly public policy thought-letter. While excellent newsletters on specific themes within public policy already exist, this thought-letter is about frameworks, mental models, and key ideas that...
After news of an unusual ‘pneumonia’ outbreak was confirmed on 31 December 2019, the Taiwanese government immediately initiated control measures that ensured that the island nation remained relatively unscathed by...
Eye on China is a weekly bulletin offering news and analysis related to the Middle Kingdom from an Indian interests perspective. I. India-China Ties It’s still not clear when India...
I. The Big Story: China-India Dispute It’s been eight months since the Sino-Indian border stand-off started in the eastern Ladakh region. Since then, there have been eight Corps Commander-level meetings...
When the prime minister announced PM Kisan, which pays Rs 6,000 per farming household per year, it was welcomed by all. It is a direct benefit transfer to those who...
Mumbai to Marrakech Edition 4: December 2, 2020 By Madhuvanthi Srinivasan The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran, Israel, the nuclear deal & the world Farnaz Fassihi, an Iranian journalist with...
A new WHO report, State of the World’s Sanitation, reveals what progress has been made and what remains to be done. What are the social factors affecting the utilization of...
It was just the typical day; I come back from office, greeted by a steaming hot tea cup. This was followed by a de-brief of the day’s activities with emphasis...
This is an excerpt from Edition 26 of MisDisMal-Information: For the complete edition, go to: Of Anti-vaxxing eloquent, doom profiting, political superspreaders and the ‘Right’ kind of social media Anti-vaxxing Eloquence...
Watch on Japan | #6 Speculation over Snap election – Wang Yi visits Japan – Spike in COVID-19 cases – South Korea’s move to patch up diplomatic relationship By Divya...
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued new Motor Vehicle Aggregators guidelines. These have some serious implications for companies like Uber and Ola. Rohan Seth talks to Anupam...