The Rise and fall of The Modern State System   Given practical form by the new nation states of Western Europe such as France in the late Middle Ages or Prussia in the nineteenth century, the old state system rested on the idea that by concentrating power in a single head or center, the state itself could be sufficiently controlled and its environment sufficiently managed to achieve self-sufficiency or at least...

Indo-Us Civilian Nuclear Agreement The Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement, known as the Indo-US nuclear .1 deal, refers to a bilateral accord on civil nuclear cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of India. The framework for this agreement was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear...

World Financial Crisis In modern world, financial crisis at world level can be traced back to 1920’s, when economic depression of 1929 occurred. It is said that history repeats itself. Today’s world financial crisis which started with mortgage crisis is only one aspect of history. Crisis began with sub-prime lending crisis and whole financial system was engulfed. Sub-prime crisis refers to the crisis faced by the mortgage companies that were in...

Brics Summit It was on June 16, 2009 that the first ever Summit of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) was held at the Russian city of Yekaterinburg with a view to providing a new vision of global order, which is just, fair and democratic. The name ‘BRIC’ to the grouping of four countries, was suggested by financial service provider company Goldman Sachs to emphasise the rising economic weight of these...

Indian Nuclear Strategy India demonstrated its nuclear capability on May 18, 1974, when it conducted the first nuclear test in Pokhran—a desert area in Rajasthan some 350 miles away from New Delhi. Technically, India then became the world’s sixth nuclear power. However, because of international pressure, particularly from the United States (US) and Canada, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was then believed to have bitten off more than she could chew regarding nuclear...

Should Capital Punishment be Abolished?   The death -sentence for Mohammad Afzal Guru, who masterminded the attack on Parliament, has again brought into focus the controversy over the abolition of capital punishment. As is the case in many developed nations, capital punishment should be abolished in India too. The arguments are well known. No one, not even the state, has authority over any life. A criminal could realise his mistake and...

Reservation in the Private Sector Economic policy-making based on castes has become a necessity in India. It arises from the failure of the so-called modern governance since Independence. Modern governance based on authentic engagement should have engendered a modern nation wherein caste is not a facilitator of economic advancement. Authentic governance would have engendered a nation wherein caste is not a barrier to economic advancement. But sociologists, development economists and political...