In The News

Twitter to Take India Election Innovations Global

Aditya Kalra June 3, 2014
Twitter became a key tool for politicians and media companies during the world’s largest democratic elections in India, and “Now, with polling due in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the United States later this year, the San Francisco-based company plans to take its India lessons abroad to expand its foothold in the political arena and increase its user base,” reports Aditya Kalra for...

The Way Forward

Nayan Chanda June 2, 2014
India’s citizens are greeting new Prime Minister Narendra Modi with great expectations to revive a lagging economy. Modi’s decisive win was based on a pro-business, pro-development, pro-growth agenda. “Ironically, one policy measure that is all ready to be implemented and could prove a game changer for the country is also the one that the BJP election manifesto is dead set against — FDI in multi-...

Mumbai Restaurant Uses Drone to Deliver Pizza

May 28, 2014
A pizzeria in Mumbai conducted a test flight and delivered a pizza with an unmanned done in mid-May. The restaurant owners read about multinational Amazon’s plans for drone delivery and decided to give it a try with pizza. “A four-rotor drone took off with the order from its outlet in central Mumbai's Lower Parel area and delivered it to a high-rise building in adjacent Worli area,” reports...

Timor-Leste: Lessons of a Failing State?

Loro Horta May 22, 2014
Timor-Leste shares the island of Timor and a bloody history with Indonesia. The former Portuguese colony was part of Indonesia from 1976 until 2002, when it was declared an independent state. The country’s small population is less than half of 1 percent of that in neighboring Indonesia, and one quarter died in fighting for independence. Despite great natural resources, the country has since...

A Black Mark in the Waiting

Nayan Chanda May 21, 2014
Coal provides about a third of the globe’s primary energy needs, according to the World Coal Association, and India ranks third in coal production and consumption, after China and the United States. China produced six times as much coal than India in 2012, but is acting to reduce its reliance and develop alternatives. “It is ironic that while global public discussion is increasingly about ways to...

Gujarat Model of Foreign Policy: Let Economy Be the Driver

Walter Andersen May 20, 2014
The parliamentary victories of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India were decisive. Narendra Modi will take the oath as prime minister later this month, and economic growth and nationalism will be likely drivers of Indian foreign policy, notes Walter Andersen, an expert on the BJP who heads the South Asia Program at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. As the...

US, India’s Goals Diverge in New Delhi’s Near Abroad

Nilanthi Samaranayake May 20, 2014
The United States and India do not always agree on strategic policies. “While there is certainly much convergence between U.S. and Indian aspirations for stability in Afghanistan and East Asia, structural cleavages characterize both nations’ political and strategic approaches to the smaller countries in India’s backyard,” explains Nilanthi Samaranayake for World Politics Review. “The pervasive...