Observer Research Foundation

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), concluded mid-June, represented more of a tactical pause in an intensifying regional conflict than a peace agreement. After months of unprecedented military escalation — including direct US and Israeli strikes on Iran starting in late February, the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and extensive damage to Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure — the agreement sought to stabilise an increasingly combustible security environment.

The maritime security architecture in the Indo-Pacific is rapidly evolving. Challenges posed by climate-change-induced natural disasters, rising sea levels, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing have increasingly shaped the security imperatives of countries across the region. Since its revival in 2017, the Quad has pursued efforts to mitigate the manifold challenges in the Indo-Pacific, viewing maritime security as a public good.

This report explores United Arab Emirate’s decision to exit OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and OPEC+ as a strategic response to deeper structural changes in global energy markets, and as part of a wider effort to preserve national policy flexibility in an increasingly fragmented energy order.

सामूहिक संहारक शस्त्रे बाळगल्याच्या संशयावरून एखाद्या देशावर लष्करी हल्ला केला जाऊ शकतो का? हा महत्त्वाचा प्रश्न आहे. इराक, सीरिया आणि आता इराणच्या प्रकरणामुळे हा प्रश्न पुन्हा एकदा समोर आला आहे. अशा आक्रमक कृतींची वैधता केवळ आंतरराष्ट्रीय कायद्यावरच नव्हे तर निष्पक्ष आणि विश्वासार्ह तपासावरही अवलंबून असते. लष्करी हल्ल्याची कायदेशीर मर्यादा (UN Charter): संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघाच्या (UN) नियमांनुसार, कोणत्याही देशाच्या सार्वभौमत्वावर एकतर्फी हल्ला करण्यास बंदी आहे (अनुच्छेद 24).

Introduction Carbon markets are only as effective as the institutions that enforce them.

India’s Defence Development The Indian Navy commissioned three vessels - the INS Dunagiri, the INS Agray, and the INS Sanshohdhak - into its fleet, marking a shift towards defence indigenisation and accelerated technological capacity within India’s armed forces. Comprising 75-80 percent indigenous content, as per the Ministry of Defence, the vessels strengthen India’s resilience amid global supply chain shocks and bolster its policy of indigenous manufacturing of key capital assets.

Twenty-five years after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda has yielded capabilities that are becoming increasingly relevant to traditional security institutions. When WPS was designed in 2000, it was not intended to reshape military doctrine or influence the direction of security institutions. Its main goal was to promote peace and provide a gendered framework for peacebuilding.

Issue BriefsPublished on Jul 10, 2026 PDF Download   Add as preferred on Google Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is increasingly portrayed as a technological challenge, solvable through more satellites, sensors, and data-sharing platforms. However, the real constraint is political rather than technical.

Issue BriefsPublished on Jul 10, 2026 PDF Download   Add as preferred on Google Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is increasingly portrayed as a technological challenge, solvable through more satellites, sensors, and data-sharing platforms. However, the real constraint is political rather than technical.

चीन ताइवान के प्रटास द्वीप पर बिना हमला किए अपनी पकड़ मजबूत करने की कोशिश कर रहा है. जानिए, क्यों यह छोटा-सा द्वीप एशिया की बड़ी रणनीतिक टक्कर का नया केंद्र बन रहा है. Image Source: AI बिना युद्ध बढ़ता दबाव: चीन प्रटास द्वीप के आसपास गश्त, सर्वेक्षण और तेल-गैस परियोजनाओं के ज़रिए ताइवान पर लगातार दबाव बना रहा है. इसे उसकी 'परोक्ष युद्ध' (ग्रे ज़ोन) रणनीति का हिस्सा माना जा रहा है.