Arvind Subramanian describes issues of populism and economic development surrounding India's elections.

As the world's largest democracy goes to the polls, this Backgrounder looks at the laws, major players, and issues, including economic reform, caste, and religion, that have shaped India's politics.

CFR's Evan Feigenbaum says the United States should ensure improved relations with India are not paralyzed by domestic Indian politics.

Stephen Cohen speaks before the International Development Center in Ottawa, Canada, on a rising India's place in the world and its long-term security concerns.

Meet Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat and the brightest star in the Hindu-chauvinist Bharatiya Janata Party. Under Modi, Gujarat has become an economic dynamo. But he also presided over India's worst communal riots in decades, a 2002 slaughter that left almost 2,000 Muslims dead. One day, he could be governing the world's largest democracy.

As "nationalist demagogues" take power in India and Israel, Pankaj Mishra examines the histories of division, ethnic cleansing, and militant patriotism that have led both countries into a "moral wilderness."

The security fears surrounding the IPL cricket highlight the dilemma facing voters in the world's largest democracy, says Aravind Adiga.

New rules have exposed just how many thieves and murderers sit in India's Parliament, Jason Overdorf says.

The New Yorker's Steve Coll reports on secret negotiations on Kashmir between Pakistan and India.

Listen to CFR Senior Fellows Daniel Markey and Timothy Samuel Shah discuss the interplay of politics and religion in India and Pakistan as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

This RAND Corporation report analyzes the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terrorist attack and draws preliminary conclusions on what lessons can be derived from the incident, as well as its implications for India, Pakistan, and the world at large.

Amity Shlaes writes about the unlikely connection between Israel and India.

The terrorists who struck Mumbai, India, in November 2008 represent a new breed of tech-savvy militants. Law-enforcement officials face a challenge in keeping pace.

The terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai represent an escalation in Pakistan's battle between the forces of extremism and moderation, writes CFR's Daniel Markey.

Michael Gerson writes that "there is a lesson here for Barack Obama's administration: Sometimes power must be lightly held to be effectively employed."

Daniel Markey, CFR's expert on South Asia policy, says accusations of complicity between Pakistan and the Mumbai terrorists will further complicate U.S. efforts to balance ties with South Asia's two giant rivals.

India-Pakistan tensions rise as New Delhi accuses Pakistan of involvement in last week's Mumbai attacks. Experts fear this might threaten regional stability, and make it difficult to stabilize Afghanistan.

India not only faces evolving threats from Kashmiri militants, but also an increasingly violent Maoist insurgency.