This is Nitin Pai's cyberspace.

I’m interested in coffee, philosophy, sharp objects, public policy, tech and stationery.

You are in the structured section of my domain where I have my blog posts, newspaper columns, updates on my teaching and research, and other things you had always been warned about.

▸ Check out my book: The Nitopadesha: Moral Tales for Good Citizens.⭐

▸ I have recently been writing about: ☼ information age ☼ hyperdiversity ☼ liberal democracy ☼ economics ☼ Covid-19 ☼ philosophy and everything else

▸ In these columns: ☼ Mint ☼ Debates with my Daughters ☼ Sakal ☼ The Print ☼ The Hindu ☼ Pragati ☼ Pax Indica

▸ Other stuff ☼ Raw Notes ☼ Now

Decarbonisation will change geopolitics
The global balance of power will shift before the world can change its outdated political structure. Therein lies the problem. | 8th Nov 2021

The unlikeliness of a directed microwave weapon
I am not convinced that there is a directed electromagnetic energy weapon involved. | 8th Nov 2021

Reframing the social media policy debate
The case for cognitive autonomy and to move from attempting "social media regulations" to "online social reform". | 26th Oct 2021

Amid the new US-China missile rivalry
India must propose a Global No First Use Treaty to reduce risks while investing in space situational awareness & technological capabilities to secure itself | 25th Oct 2021

The coming regulation of social media is an opportunity for India
India's competitive advantage in the tech economy has always been high quality human capital at scale. The challenge now is to create millions of people who can exercise good judgement in addition to writing great code. | 11th Oct 2021

On strategic autonomy
Strategic autonomy is not about refusing to take sides in itself; but rather avoiding getting into situations where taking sides means losing the capacity for independent action. | 5th Oct 2021

Towards an Indian strategy for the Information Age
Key points from the chapter in "India's Path to Power: Strategy in a World Adrift" | 4th Oct 2021

A strategy for India in a world adrift
An analysis of India’s strategic path amidst tectonic external and domestic shifts by an independent group of leading policymakers, analysts and thinkers | 28th Sep 2021

India must invest in more sophisticated cyber weapons
Without offensive cyber capabilities it is impossible to defend the nation's information sphere. | 27th Sep 2021

Early thoughts on AUKUS and India
AUKUS is a military pact within a military pact. Non-inclusion has opportunity costs for India; but also offers other opportunities for partnership. | 16th Sep 2021

Organic farming should not be an article of faith
Policies that respect the farmer's economic freedom are the best route to sustainable agriculture | 13th Sep 2021

Exploiting the projects that China builds
Instead of handwringing on Beijing's growing geopolitical footprint, New Delhi should exploit both the asset and liability side of such projects. | 1st Sep 2021

Fighting the Strong Force
The Chinese Communist Party wants to separate kids from their smartphones. Even the Taliban might have surrendered on this front. | 31st Aug 2021

Extracting value from underutilised public assets is good public policy
The National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) is a desirable shift in thinking especially if state and municipal governments can use the model to extract revenues from their unutilised assets | 30th Aug 2021

Where the United States failed
A lot of people are offering commentaries on why and how the United States failed in Afghanistan. Yet the more important question that few are asking is "Where the United States failed." | 25th Aug 2021

On diplomatically engaging the Taliban
The Taliban will chafe at being treated as puppets by their external backers and reach out India. But New Delhi can afford to wait. | 20th Aug 2021

Make China accountable for the Taliban’s actions
It is in India's interests to prefer a Pax Sinica over Afghanistan. Beijing has skilfully avoided commitment -- and been let off the hook -- for too long. Its culpability has been ignored: By supporting the Taliban it has thrown the Afghan people to the wolves. | 16th Aug 2021

Beyond theatre commands and towards networked battle units
The meaning of networked warfare has changed from equipping armed forces with data networks to reorganizing the forces themselves into networked units. Instead of forever playing catch-up, India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog into building not only integrated, but networked forces. | 16th Aug 2021

Westland Publications to publish Nitin Pai’s forthcoming book
Through playful anecdotes and stories-within-stories, the book teases out the intricacies of the dharma of citizenship, quite distinct from the rajadharma of the Arthashastra or the swadharma of the Dharmashastras. | 10th Aug 2021

What Pegasus tells us about India’s national security and cyber power
India urgently needs a serious, realist, non-partisan policy debate on the development and governance of national cyber capabilities. | 2nd Aug 2021

Why China is attacking its consumer internet companies
Because size, reach and control of consumer data gives them narrative power. Xi is pre-empting threats to the Communist Party's monopoly on political power. | 27th Jul 2021

India can protect its interests even if Afghanistan falls to the Taliban again
New Delhi's strategy must shift to exploiting the contradictions among the foreign powers influencing Afghan politics. | 19th Jul 2021

Liberal democracies have a fundamental advantage in offensive cyber capability
Authoritarian states suffer a high opportunity cost of censorship, coercion and propaganda tying up their resources in ideological defence. | 5th Jul 2021

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