India must get smarter about handling China

New Delhi needs to juggle competing goals and ease tensions with neighbors Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be largely focused on domestic challenges and above all on winning the next parliamentary election, due to be held by May next year. But with both the U.S. and China paying increasing attention to the subcontinent and… Read More

On the great Asian highway

India and China must forge an understanding to cooperate on regional connectivity projects One of the key non-military issues that does not just bedevil India-China relations but also significantly affects many countries in the region is the inability of the two Asian giants to communicate, cooperate and coordinate on matters of regional trade and connectivity which… Read More

Heeding the lines on the map

Forging a China-India-Pakistan-Bangladesh axis would be a game changer for all of South Asia At the heart of South Asia’s poor integration is India-Pakistan rivalry, further complicated by China-Pakistan proximity and India-China hostility. A new dimension has been added with souring of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and the India-China tug of war over Bangladesh. Time has come… Read More

Migration benefits all of us. These stories show how

In the last two years, international media has been full of stories of migrants and their hardships, accompanied by grim photographs splashed across their front pages. The content is almost identical: bleak tales of migrants from war-torn countries entering Europe in search for a better life, and the challenges for both the migrants and the… Read More

The ASEAN embrace

India can act as a vital bridge between South and East Asia Prime Minister Narendra Modi used India’s Republic Day to host heads of state/government of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As India’s ‘Look East Policy’, matures into an ‘Act East Policy’, a strong relationship with ASEAN is no… Read More

#MeToo momentum shows there’s much more to do for gender equality before #Time’sUp

Sex abuse scandals have hit the headlines because of star power, both in the film and sports industry. However, ordinary women who have been subject to similar abuse relive the same moments every day, without it being reported or prosecuted. In many Asian countries, the culture of male sexual entitlement and the social norms empower… Read More

Pushing Trump’s button: How Mueller’s investigation could prompt North Korea conflict

US President Donald Trump talks to the media at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on December 24. Trump’s recent message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un about the size of his “nuclear button” stirred concern throughout much of the world. Photo: AP While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un struck a conciliatory note in… Read More

Connectivity and Trading in Power & Energy: A Regional and International Dimension

During the Capacity Building & Training Program on “Energy for Regional Integration in South Asia: Building Capacity for Greater Connectivity” organized in association with the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) in Thimphu, Bhutan, IPAG launched the publication titled, ‘Connectivity and Trading in Power & Energy: A Regional and International Dimension’. The book is a compilation… Read More

Towards Sustainable Development: Lessons From MDGs & Pathway for SDGs

During the international conference on “Towards Sustainable Development: Lessons from MDG & Pathways for SDG” held in New York, US IPAG brought out the publication on “Towards Sustainable Development: Lessons from MDG & Pathways for SDG”. The publication includes contributions from leading academicians and experts from some of the pioneering regional and international institutes like,… Read More

Myanmar must accept the Rohingya Muslims as its own

An unprecedented 400,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25 to flee persecution and death in Myanmar. Bangladesh, itself densely populated and mired in rural poverty, is struggling to manage the massive influx. Most of the refugees are encamped in Cox’s Bazar, a resource-strapped district in southern Bangladesh. With the country already hosting tens… Read More