River Diplomacy

Understanding Water Diplomacy

Water diplomacy recognizes that water is essential for life, economic development, and environmental sustainability, and that its equitable and sustainable management is crucial for social stability and peace. By fostering dialogue, building trust, and promoting joint problem-solving, water diplomacy seeks to find inclusive and sustainable solutions to water-related issues, ensuring that the needs of all stakeholders are considered and conflicts are minimized.

Water Scarcity & Indian Agriculture

Water scarcity in India is changing everything, from what we eat to the way of our living. Water is the existential need of our body & society alike. Though, over the years it has also become an over-the-top abused commodity, without having received any serious attention from planning commissions, until recently. Time and again, early societies stressed upon the importance and need for water and ably planned their lives around it. Civilizations, like Mesopotamia, Egyptian or our very own Harappan, were built or lost on account of water. Today, while we have this knowledge, as a society we fail to […]

Oil Externalities in Times of Geopolitics of Environment

Oil- bearing areas have been subject to environmental degradation, culminating sometimes into ecological catastrophes. The advent of oil production has resulted in mass destruction of ecological resources- be it forests, aquatic systems, wildlife displacement, endangering or extinction of species and wetlands and swamps among others. Few prevalent oil related geopolitical externalities resulting in environmental damage are: Oil Spillage: The Sanchi Oil spill, possibly the largest oil spill in the last 30 years, has been stealthily causing environmental catastrophe in South China Sea. Both China, in whose 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone the accident occurred, and Japan, in who’s otherwise claimed exclusive […]

ILR AND THE HIDDEN PRICE

The world in name of globalization and development is fast destroying the very environment it inhabits. With uncontrolled emissions, melting glaciers, frequent floods and hurricanes- climate change and societal damage are a very real threat. And yet the governments world over, despite signing landmark treaties, are either backtracking or giving catastrophic environmental clearances, such as Brazil allowing for mining in the world’s largest carbon Sink- the Amazon, thereby stimulating irreversible damage to local culture and endangered species. However, joining the league are other countries like the USA and now our very own India (with the ILR scheme). India’s ILR project […]

Suez: World’s Geopolitical Chokepoint

The geo-political academic landscape is currently dominated by China’s One Belt One Road initiative. Often viewed as part of the country’s expansionist policy, OBOR aims at reviving the silk routes, lost in the pages of history; and establishing new ones to reinstate commercial authority. Significant to this is mapping out the shortest trade routes around the world. In this regards then, OBOR is no different from what the world has been attempting to do since 19th century albeit at a larger scale; when the French and Egyptians together constructed the Suez Canal, and British partaking in exploiting this geographical chokepoint. […]