Articles

Political Instability Resurfaces Again in Nepal

Nepal, nestled between the two biggest Asian economies—India and China—is again witnessing political uncertainties. The ruling Left Alliance is on the brink of collapse following the withdrawal of support from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unifie....

July 10, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Nepal , Commentary , India , China , Nepal , Nepali Congress , KP Oli , Nepal Communist Party , Maoist Centre , Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'

New Dynamics in Nepal-India Relations

Prof Hari Bansh Jha Commentary

Nepal-India relations are as old as the history of human civilization. No two countries of the world are as much tied together through the bonds of geography, culture, social, economic, religion, and language as these two countries. Because of these ....

July 08, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Nepal , Commentary , India , Nepal , border issue , hydropower trade , Pancheshwar project , Treaty of Sugauli

Saying ‘No’ to Religion-Centric Reservations

Rajesh Singh Commentary

Every now and then, especially during election seasons but even otherwise, the subject of providing reservations based on religion is raised by somebody or the other, whether in the political field or outside. On occasions, a few state governments ev....

July 04, 2024 Governance and Political Studies , Commentary , Constituent Assembly , Scheduled Castes , Scheduled Tribes , Other Backward Classes , 42nd Amendment

Muizzu’s Unfavourable Diplomatic Moves

Dr Sachin Tiwari Commentary

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s warm relations with China has caught the attention of the public not only in India but also abroad. The recent advances by him to court China have come at the time of intensification of strategic rivalry in the ....

June 26, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Maldives , Commentary , India , China , democracy , Indo-Pacific , Maldives , Belt and Road Initiative , Indian Ocean , Neighborhood

How Critical are the Critical Minerals for Central Asia?

Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF Commentary

Why are Critical Minerals Important?

Critical minerals, with their unique and irreplaceable properties, are vital to modern technologies, industries, and national security. Their designation as critical stems from these properties but als....

June 25, 2024 International Relations and Diplomacy , Central Asia , Commentary , China , BRI , C5+1 , clean energy , critical minerals , Rare Earth Minerals , Green energy , US-Central Asia

2001 Bonn Afghan Conference - 2024 Swiss Ukraine Peace Summit Lessons For India

Amb Asoke Mukerji, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Commentary

"India's position has been vindicated," Ambassador Asoke Mukerji, India's Former Permanent Representative to the UN says on 'The Gist'. That's because 14 out of the 100 participants of the 'Summit on Peace in Ukraine' in Switzerland similarly dissoci....

June 18, 2024 International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , India , Russia , Ukraine , Afghan Conference , Pathtopeace

A MEGA response to MAGA

Amb P S Raghavan, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Commentary

Macron wants to Make Europe Great Again, borrowing from Trumpian MAGA ideas and protectionist Bidenomics. The Euro polls may influence this process. In about a week, elections will determine the complexion of a new European parliament. They would ....

June 15, 2024 International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , Donald Trump , USA , European Union , Joe Biden , France , Emmanuel Macron , European Parliament elections

PM Shahbaz Sharif’s Visit to Beijing

Amb D P Srivastava, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Commentary

Shahbaz Sharif concluded his five-day visit to China on 8th June. While China may be Pakistan’s most important foreign partner, the prime minister’s dash to Beijing on the eve of the budget session raises questions. Pakistan follows a July-June b....

June 14, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Pakistan , Commentary , Pakistan , China , CPEC , Balochistan , Gwadar , IMF , Shahbaz Sharif , Gen Asim Munir

A Retired Bureaucrat’s 2024 Election Takeaways

Amb Satish Chandra, Vice Chairman, VIF Commentary

With the dust of the 2024 election having finally settled and a new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government having been sworn in it is now appropriate to attempt to tease out some of its key takeaways. For starters, it should definitively pu....

June 10, 2024 Governance and Political Studies , Commentary , India , democracy , Congress , BJP , election , PM Modi , NDA , Opposition

The Creators of False Narratives

Rajesh Singh Commentary

Two interesting bits of news filtered in towards the close of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. One, was that an attempt to influence the polls through the misuse of artificial intelligence by a foreign agency had been foiled. And two, was that an organi....

June 07, 2024 Governance and Political Studies , Commentary , CIA , OpenAI , DisInfo Lab , George Soros , Rajiv Malhotra , Vijaya Viswanathan , STOIC