Strobe Talbott, journalist, author of books and former deputy secretary of state, came to India last month having accomplished, as he said, “a dream going back 11 years.” That was when he joined as president of the Brookings Institute and concluded that after being around 85 years the venerable institution, probably the largest policy institute – think tank as the popular vernacular would have it – in the world. Read more

Aakash 2 was recently displayed at the United Nations as an example of Indian frugal innovation. Back home, it became slightly mired in claims that it was actually a “made in China” product. Read more

Indians take deserving pride in their space programme – the odd failed rocket launch notwithstanding. Read more

Why the Horn of Africa could be the New Big Headache next year.

This is not another end of the year commentary. I would prefer to take a look at the coming year and make a prediction. If I am wrong, everyone will forget. If I am right, I will win a prize or something. Read more

Several years ago a young US diplomat told me, “Wherever in the world I’ve been posted, I always found that the British had been there before me.” Read more

I have come to expect that European conferences will be marked by excellent cuisine and mediocre ideas. It’s not that people who congregate on the Continent are somehow mentally addled by the taste of fresh oysters, endives and Chablis – it’s just that Europeans get ever more tongue-tied trying to match their soaring international objectives with their declining domestic capacities.