What Would Modi’s Third Term Mean for India-China Relations?

April 17, 2024

India will hold its 18th general election on April 18, 2024, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are poised to win a third term. Similar to his first and second terms, a significant amount of historical and contemporary political and economic baggage will burden Modi’s third term and his relations with China.

ISRO Tests Reusable Launch Vehicle For Sustainable Space Exploration

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out its second Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment, named RLV-LEX-02, at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka on March 22, 2024. This follows the trailblazing success of the first landing test, RLV-LEX-01, on April 2, 2023. The vehicle showcased in these tests is expected to be pivotal in a ground-breaking reusable two-stage orbital launch system by 2030.

AJEY LELE

India's Moment for Global Health Leadership: India is well positioned to shape the future of global health

March 16, 2024

A core Hindu philosophical tenet from sacred Sanskrit scriptures, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, articulates the concept of the world as one family and informs India's global outlook. The theme of India's Group of Twenty (G20) presidency in 2023—One Earth, One Family, One Future—encapsulates Hindu philosophy's emphasis on the importance of every form of life on earth. That approach influences the country's approach to global health in the aftermath of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.  

TM: NIA Dismantles Remaining Islamic State Cells in India

March 04, 2024
  • Executive Summary: India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested over 180 people in 2023 for involvement in jihadist terror cases, 65 of which were associated specifically with IS, as part of a broader strategy to disrupt IS’s influence in India. 
  • In December 2023 alone, the NIA conducted widespread raids across the country, arresting dozens of individuals linked to Islamic State (IS) networks and seizing weapons, explosives, and propaganda materials.
ANIMESH ROUL

China Tightens Noose on Uyghurs' Faith in Xinjiang Region

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China is in the news again. In the fourth week of December last year (2023), Chinese authorities in the strategic northwestern region of Xinjiang brought about a set of new Chinese rules, norms and regulations on religious affairs. These measures, duly approved by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang on  December 22, have subsequently come into effect on  February 1, 2024.

MAHESH RANJAN DEBATA

Iran-Afghanistan Water Conflict Needs A Permanent Solution

The transboundary water dispute between Iran and Afghanistan is historical. Both neighbouring countries have been dealing with the water-sharing dispute somewhat without progressing towards a permanent solution. The problem is centred around the Helmand River, which starts from the Hindu Kush Mountains near Kabul and streams into Iran's Hamoon wetlands in Sistan and Balochistan province (southeast of Iran). This river was defined as the territory of Iran. Until 1857, Herat was part of Iran, and only after Iran and Britain signed the Paris Treaty of 1857 did Iran abandon its claim.

AHMAD REZA TAHERI