IDSA experts publish condensed versions of their research output in the form of op-ed pieces in newspapers. They also participate in media discussions.

IDSA in Media is now merged in IDSA News section.

• India should watch rise of Islamists in B'desh

  Smruti S. Pattanaik
  Zee News.com, January 23, 2012
  The attempt of a military coup in Bangladesh has created ripples in South Asia. Although the coup was foiled, it did raise questions about the extent of Islamist infiltration of the Bangladeshi Army.

• Road ahead for Myanmar

  Rahul Mishra
  Indian Express, January 23, 2011
  With the release of a thousand political prisoners, including U Gambira and Min Ko Naing recently and Aung San Suu Kyi earlier, Myanmar is all set to witness a new phase in its domestic politics and foreign policy.

• Winds of change

  Rahul Mishra
  Deccan Herald, January 22, 2012
  A country that had not tasted freedom for decades might go restless in acquiring it now.

• Pakistan: aregime under contempt

  Ajey Lele
  The Pioneer, January 20, 2012
  Pakistan's Judiciary proved the nemesis of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1977 and Pervez Musharraf in 2007. What is it up to this time? Insiders say a "game" is on, but who's the player, the umpire ... the substitute?

• Republic of opinions

  Anit Mukherjee
  The Times of India, January 18, 2012
  "India is an insecure state," a former police officer-turned-chief information commissioner (CIC) said. "We have many enemies and cannot show everything." I was used to the classic but misleading national security argument and so countered instantly, "Precisely because we have enemies, we must learn from the past which currently we are unable to."

• Fragile relations: Handle with care

  R N Das
  Deccan Herald, January 13, 2012
  Domestic laws are sacrosanct, but if they are handled deftly, they can avert unpleasant instances.

• India-Israel relations: A mutually beneficial relationship

  Arvind Gupta
  Jerusalem Post, January 9, 2011
  As Israel and India celebrate 20 years of diplomatic relations, the relationship between continues to develop and grow.

• Limited Wars in South Asia: Against the Nuclear Backdrop

  Rajiv Nayan
  Defence and Security Alert, January 2012
  Another civilian perspective on the issue of Limited wars in South Asia. Though the writer rules out a limited Nuclear war as an obvious absurdity, his view on a conventional conflict against a backdrop of nuclear symmetry is more nuanced.

• Deterrence has a shaky and brief shelf life

  Ali Ahmed
  Tehelka, January 03, 2012
  The fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group on nuclear confidence building measures (NCBMs) ended in Islamabad as the year 2011 ended.

• Bhutan: growing democratisation and the China factor

  Medha Bisht
  South Asia Monitor, December 30, 2011
  Formalising diplomatic relations with China will occupy an important place in Bhutan's foreign policy in the coming years.

• Uranium from Canberra: Australia warms up to India

  Rahul Mishra
  The Tribune, December 30, 2011
  Within a fortnight since Canberra took the landmark decision on yellowcake supply to New Delhi, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith paid a three-day visit to India.

• How India's Bureaucracy Stays Unaccountable

  Anit Mukherjee
  The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2011
  The country's freedom of information laws, only a few years old, are already proving weak. They need be to be strengthened.

• India-Pakistan: Solving the ‘chicken or egg’ conundrum

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, December 14, 2011
  The fortieth anniversary of a significant clash of arms in the subcontinent is an appropriate juncture for reflection on regional security.

• Making China-India peace eternal

  Avinash Godbole
  China Daily, December 14, 2011
  One need not be a political science expert to understand that despite the wishes of the leader of China and India, Sino-Indian relations are vulnerable to a lot of internal and external factors.

• Kashmir: It's now or never

  Ali Ahmed
  Kashmir Times, December 9, 2011
  The outset of winter was a useful decision point for changing the situation around. Nothing has happened less due to absence of political will, but more due to grand strategy considerations.

• India puts the Indo in 'Indo-Pacific'

  Rukmani Gupta
  Asia Times, December 8, 2011
  Developments signaling the United States' continued commitment to maintaining a presence in the Asia-Pacific have been seen as marking a turning point in the history of the region. However, the optimism generated over this in some quarters requires tempering.

• The national interest

  R. N. Das
  Asian Age, December 8, 2011
  The recent statement of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah that India should show more spine to deal with China has raised the debate as to whether India’s policy towards China has been weak or strong.

• A Plan For Bonn

  Ali Ahmed
  Outlook India, December 5, 2011
  Domestic distractions should not come in way of the historic opportunity India has for turning the region around. It is time for India to take the onus for peacekeeping in the region and play to its weight.

• India and the Asia-Pacific chessboard

  Medha Bisht
  Asia Times, December 1, 2011
  India's place within changing Sino-United States political and security equations needs to be reckoned with.

• Old Wine, Old Bottles

  Namrata Goswami
  Outlook India, November 29, 2011
  Paresh Barua's announcement of a new ULFA anti-talk faction from his base in Ruili, Yunnan Province, China is to be received with some scepticism.

• India’s bid for UN Council seat: China should reciprocate a past gesture

  R. N. Das
  The Tribune, November 28, 2011
  Addressing the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly which concluded recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated India’s stance for a stronger and effective UN system and emphasised the need for pursuing with renewed vigour an early reform of the Security Council.

• Blood, bullets and beyond

  Namrata Goswami
  Mid Day, November 26, 2011
  Inter-agency coordination, trust and intelligence sharing are the key to an effective counter-terrorism mechanism in India

• Hope on the sidelines as Manmohan meets Wen Jiabao

  R N Das
  Economic Times, November 19, 2011
  Meetings on the sidelines of the multilateral meetings have, at times, helped repair and boost bilateral relationships between the neighbouring countries.

• Afghanistan: Let’s try peacekeeping

  Ali Ahmed
  Dawn, November 19, 2011
  With the jirga over and Bonn II at the doorstep, the US appears to be taking firm steps to stay on in Afghanistan in some fashion after 2014.

• Need to broaden scope of India-Bangladesh engagement

  Shristi Pukhrem
  The Daily Star, November 12, 2011
  After Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina signed the 10 point agreement in Dhaka on September 06, 2011, young scholars and professionals from both the countries met under the banner of India-Bangladesh Studies in Gangtok and Dhaka from September 9-15, 2011.

• 'Building Bridges', but mind the gap

  Smruti S. Pattanaik
  Daily Start, November 10, 2011
  The 17th SAARC Summit is scheduled to take place on the November 11-12 at Addu Atoll in Maldives.

• Taiwan to Follow Hong Kong?

  R N Das
  The Diplomat, November 16, 2011
  Beijing never misses an opportunity to make an overture to Taiwan.

• Evaluating the China ‘Threat’ Thesis in India

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, November 14, 2011
  Early this month, the Indian cabinet approved the army’s expansion by 86,000 soldiers, touted as the largest restructuring since the mechanization in the eighties.

• Report card for Indian government

  Kishalay Bhattacharjee
  Republica, August 24, 2011
  The visual narrative of this phenomenon may be short lived but does that in any way vindicate that people did not voice their angst and concern?

• Six Decades after they Left

  Vinod Kumar
  South Asia Monitor, August 18, 2011
  Sixty years later, the only remnants of imperial rule are the colonial edifices strewn across South Asian as the fading shadows of British institutional contributions.

• AfPak End Game: Implications for Kashmir

  Ali Ahmed
  International Business Times, August 11, 2011
  What are the implications of the developments in the "AfPak" theater of operation for Jammu and Kashmir?

• Identity of a Nepali in India

  Kishalay Bhattacharjee
  Republica, August 10, 2011
  Delhi alone has more than 20,000 Nepali watchmen but while they provide the most trusted security cover, they are not covered under any labor laws. They have no formal contract with their employers.

• Political logjam in Nepal: Constituent Assembly may be dissolved

  Hari Bansh Jha
  The Tribune, August 6, 2011
  Since the beginning of Maoist insurgency in Nepal in 1996, the country has been virtually taken hostage by state and non-state actors. As a result, most of the industries are closed.

• The Muslim Question: An understanding for difficult times

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, August 1, 2011
  Attending summer school at the University of Oslo, I had the opportunity to witness Norway in its grief and resilience first hand over the last week.

• It's time for a National Technology Policy

  Smita Purushottam
  Business Standard, July 31, 2011
  A country that aspires to play the role of a major power must have autonomous technological capabilities of the highest levels

• Arms not under control

  Kishalay Bhattacharjee
  Republica, July 26, 2011
  The impact of small arms in Nepal is catastrophic for such a small nation. There are scores of groups or gangs using illicit arms.

• The Bali challenge

  Rahul Mishra, Indian Express
  July 22, 2011
  Both ASEAN enthusiasts and cynics seem to be having sleepless nights as the eight-day-long congregation continues in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

• A Bangladesh Opportunity

  Anand Kumar
  The Diplomat, July 20, 2011
  The recent visit of Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna to Bangladesh was not only intended to prepare the way for the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but also to take stock of bilateral ties since Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India nearly 18 months ago.

• Footnotes of 'historic' Gorkhaland treaty

  Kishalay Bhattacharjee
  Republica, July 20, 2011
  The Indian Home Minister Mr Chidambaram added a rider to the agreement saying it is an opportunity for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to show that they can deliver.

• India's flawed neighborhood policy

  Kishalay Bhattacharjee
  Republica, July 17, 2011
  The symbiotic nature of Indo-Nepal partnership is inevitable, so why is that taken for granted and not prioritized? It is already late but India’s neighborhood policy surely needs a pragmatic rethink.

• Agenda for defence reforms: Time to concentrate on two key areas

  N. S. Sisodia
  The Tribune, July 14, 2011
  The task force on defence reforms needs to address this structural anomaly by recommending complete integration of the Chiefs of Staff with the ministry and the creation of joint theatre commands, directly accountable to the Defence Minister.

• India-China defence exchange: Hope for boosting mutual trust

  R. N. Das
  The Tribune, July 11
  After a long gap, defence cooperation, including military engagement, between India and China was resumed with the visit of Major-Gen Gurmeet Singh, General Officer-in-Commanding of the Rashtriya Rifles, to China from June 19 to 24.

• Do we need a chief of defence staff?

  Anit Mukherjee
  Indian Express, July 11, 2011
  The recent decision to appoint a committee under Naresh Chandra to review defence reforms in India is a step in the right direction.

• A promising budget for Bhutan

  Medha Bisht
  Financial Express, July 11, 2011
  Bhutan's annual Budget for fiscal year (FY) 2011-2012, was presented by the Finance Minister of Bhutan on June 20, 2011.

• South China sea calls for nuanced approach

  R. N. Das
  The Economic Times, July 9, 2011
  The jurisdiction over South China Sea, which has rich natural resources like oil and gas, has been a matter of dispute between China and a number of littoral states in the region.

• Nuclear materials security: Cooperation is key

  Rajiv Nayan
  Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, June 28, 2011
  As South Korea prepares for the second Nuclear Security Summit, scheduled to take place in Seoul next March, the momentum for collective international action on nuclear terrorism must be sustained.

• Lokpal and defence procurements: Need for reforms at different levels

  N. S. Sisodia,
  The Tribune, June 25, 2011
  No one should be under an illusion that the Lokpal law alone can effectively fight corruption. Equally vital will be the role of systemic reforms which prevent opportunities and incentives for corruption. .

• Right Sino-Indian move in right direction

  Avinash Godbole,
  China Daily, June 21, 2011
  India and China have resumed their military dialogue with the visit of a high-level Indian defense delegation to Beijing. .

• South Asia: Of War Clouds and Silver Linings

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, June 20, 2011
  Prospects are not bright for Dr. Manmohan Singh traveling to Islamabad on Mr. Gilani’s invitation extended at Mohali during the latest spot of ‘cricket diplomacy’.

• A grand bargain for India and Pakistan

  Ali Ahmed
  Tehelka.com, June 20, 2011
  The Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are to meet this month to review progress made so far in the various strands during this ‘getting restarted’ round of dialogue.

• How India Came To Rule The World

  Namrata Goswami
  Outlook India, June 16, 2011
  As the US and Chinese economy crashed by 2016, the only country left
  to maintain international order and safeguard the 'global commons" was
  India.

• The future is now

  Anit Mukherjee
  Times of India, June 17, 2011
  The Indian military must move swiftly on defence reforms if it wants to become a 21st century force

• An agenda point for the foreign secretaries

  Ali Ahmed
  Kashmir Times, June 16, 2011
  It is not for ‘AfPak’, but Kashmir and its own wider social harmony that India needs to act. Now!

• Narrow Interests Limit SCO's Influence

  Jagannath P. Panda
  Global Times, June 13, 2011
  The SCO's sustainability as a credible regional organization in a rapidly changing world political scenario becomes a matter of utmost importance...

• Africa big enough to avoid Sino-Indian conflict

  Jagannath P. Panda
  Global Times, June 2, 2011
  New Delhi must use the momentum to build its relationship with Africa in ways that will be optimal benefits to both sides, rather than reducing it to the context of competition with a third power like China.

• Pakistan needs a reality check on internal violence

  Smruti Pattanaik
  Tehelka, May 27, 2011
  The country should stop blaming external power for Islamic violence inside the country

• The politics of trade

  Sushant Sareen
  Jang, May 15, 2011
  A kind of beggar-thy-neighbour policy continues to dictate the economic relationship between the two largest countries in South Asia

• Another game changer

  Sushant Sareen
  Express Buzz, May 12, 2011
  Just as 9/11 changed the world, the elimination of Osama bin Laden (OBL) While the Afpak region will bear the brunt of the strategic decisions made by the major players in the post OBL era.

• The foe resides in the psyche of Pakistan

  Sushant Sareen
  Tehelka, May 27, 2011
  Disintegration follows when a state lives by paranoia, resentment and denial, as pakistan seems to be doing. what does it mean for India?

• Saving Pakistan

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, May 27, 2011
  That Pakistan is too important a state to be allowed to fail is long acknowledged.

• Japan’s crisis

  Rajaram Panda
  Deccan Herald, May 14, 2011
  Kan came under intense pressure to suggest Chubu to shut down Hamoaka’s No 4
  and 5 working reactors.

• Osama’s protection and ‘discovery’ — all scripted by ISI

  Ajey Lele
  The Pioneer, May 09, 2011
  The Pakistanis protected Osama bin Laden for as long as it suited them and last week gave him up because a new design has been sculpted

• Paranoia about radiation from nuclear plants unwarranted

  Rajaram Panda
  Deccan Herald, May 7, 2011
  There is no need to get unnecessarily paranoid about the radiation leaks in the absence of complete and accurate information.

• Sanya Brics Summit: Changing calculus

  Jagannath P. Panda
  Deccan Herald, May 4, 2011
  Sanya summit underlines the growing Chinese seriousness to push the club as an alternative to the western-dominated global financial system.

• The fighter deal and US pique

  A. Vinod Kumar
  IANS/Yahoo, May 02, 2011
  From treating India a pariah till a decade back, the US now deems it a privileged right to gain a dominant pie of India's defence acquisitions.

• There will be hiccups, but ties must prevail

  R. N. Das
  Rediff, April 29, 2011
  Interview on Sino-Indian relations

• BRICS’ Sanya declaration: What it means to emerging global strategic calculus

  Jagannath P. Panda
  The Tribune, April 23, 2011
  The emergence of the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) group has been impressive. With the induction of South Africa as its latest member, BRIC becomes BRICS.

• Mind the R2P

  Arvind Gupta
  Indian Express, April 22, 2011
  The Libyan intervention necessitates a debate on Responsibility to Protect...

• Sino-Indian hurdles

  Jagannath Prasad Panda
  Deutsche Welle, April 21, 2011
  We are entering into a new phase, where the perception of China and India towards each other is going to be different.

• Global Insider: India-Bangladesh Relations

  Sreeradha Datta
  World Politics Review, April 21, 2011
  This interview was in the backdrop of Indian Chief of Navy, Adm. Nirmal Verma's recent visit to Bangladesh where he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Mohammed Zillur as well as several other senior military and civilian officials.

• Ripple effect of the quake in Japan

  Rajaram Panda
  Deccan Herald, April 20, 2011
  Some of Prime Minister Kan's decisions have come under criticism. Once the uneasy political truce inspired by the disaster ends, he could face renewed pressure from the opposition to resign.

• India-Pak: Justifiable Pessimism

  Ali Ahmed
  Foreign Policy Journal, April 19, 2011
  Superficially, it would appear that Kashmir is at the ‘core’ of the problem between the two states, India and Pakistan.

• China warms up to Japan: A fallout of earthquake and tsunami

  Rajaram Panda
  The Tribune, April 18, 2011
  The earthquake provides China a huge opportunity to create a reservoir of goodwill in Japan and repay some of the debt that China owes to Japan.

• China’s white paper: More sound than light

  Rup Narayan Das
  Deccan Herald, April 13, 2011
  China aspires to move the aviation wing from a support force to a main battle-assault force.

• Building trust with China

  Rup Narayan Das
  Economics Times, April 12, 2011
  When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits China on April 14 to participate in the Brics Summit, it will be the 12th meeting between Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in the last six years.

• China’s footprints in PoK: The implications for India

  Rup Narayan Das
  The Tribune, April 12, 2011
  While the Sino-Pak nexus has always been a matter of concern for India, what has exacerbated the matter further is the degree of seamlessness between China and Pakistan that PoK is fast acquiring.

• Japan may take a decade to contain crisis

  Shamshad Khan
  Zee News, March 30, 2011
  The Japanese authorities are finding it difficult to accommodate almost 250,000 quake and tsunami affected people in make-shift rehabilitation centres and the fear of radioactive radiation reaching far off areas is making the situation worse for them.

• The Dalai Lama Decision: Where do the stakeholders stand?

  Gunjan Singh
  Opinion Asia, March 28, 2011
  The recent decision of the Dalai Lama to retire from active politics has the potential to completely transform the Tibetan question.

• Looming urban challenge: Need for policy interventions

  N.S. Sisodia
  The Tribune, March 28, 2011
  Densely populated urban centres will be particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and these in turn will challenge governments' capacities to address them.

• Defence reform shouldn’t wait for another ‘Kargil’

  Anit Mukherjee
  Times of India, March 27, 2011
  This year marks a decade since the attempted reform of national security institutions after the Kargil war.

• Will Defence Industrialization Help The Technological Upgrade Of The Indian Economy?

  Smita Purushottam
  Global Policy, March 24, 2011
  India’s high growth rates of well over 8% over the last five fiscals have concealed a growing merchandise trade deficit, projected at an unsustainable 13% of GDP by 2014.

• Why India can’t ignore Fukushima

  Rajiv Nayan
  The Pioneer, March 21, 2011
  As Japan struggles to limit the damage at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the prospects for increased use of atomic energy across the world have come under a cloud. Can a power-hungry India overlook dangers associated with nuclear plants?

• TAPI - a pipeline of peace in South Asia?

  Shanthie Mariet D'Souza
  Business Standard, March 20, 2011
  The projected gains from the TAPI gas pipeline still retain the potential to create a win-win deal among regional stakeholders in Afghanistan

• Russia between East and West: An insightful perspective from New Delhi

  Smita Purushottam
  CERENE, March 17, 2011
  What are Russia’s relations with the two Asian “giants”? And what kind of interactions develop between Russia’s Asian strategy and the recent Russian-Western rapprochement?

• They all fall down

  R Banerji
  Hindustan Times, March 17, 2011
  The collegiate leadership of senior generals that has the veto power to take decisions on all matters of vital national security in Pakistan faces a dilemma.

• Making sense of China's double-digit defence budget

  Anand Kumar
  Opinion Asia, March 16, 2011
  The thinking in China seems to be that as its trade and economy grows, it will have to develop a robust naval capability that can be effectively employed to avoid disruptions in maritime trade.

• The ISI chief’s extension

  R Banerji
  New Indian Express, March 16, 2011
  The two-year extension given to Pasha has been reported by the Dawn’s Zafar Abbas, usually impeccable with his sources.

• India needs to shore up defences

  Laxman Behera
  Gulf News, March 9, 2011
  Reforming procurement procedures essential to match pace of China’s military modernisation

• Defence in times of resource crunch: Ample scope to improve capabilities

  N. S. Sisodia
  The Trubine, March 5, 2011
  A major problem affecting many sectors in the country, including defence, is inordinate delays in project management. Given the huge outlays in defence, the cost of delays is particularly prohibitive.

• China Woos Europe: Next moves on the Eurasian Chessboard

  Smita Purushottam
  Global Policy, February 14, 2011
  The rise of China has catalysed several shifts in the geopolitical order, one of the key ones being the nascent US and European Resets with Russia and the Russia-NATO rapprochement.

• Sino-US relations may auger well for India

  Rupnarayan Das
  Opinion Asia, February 12, 2011
  The US is trying to court both Beijing and New Delhi in a bid to cling to its preeminent global position.

• An honours list for the ideas bazaar

  S Samuel C Rajiv
  Business Standard, February 6, 2011
  The enormous growth of these public policy institutions is captured by the latest survey of UPenn's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme

• Why is a billion-strong democracy silent on Egypt?

  A. Vinod Kumar
  IANS/Sify/Dainik Bhaskar, February 4, 2011
  The parliament sat numbed, in an otherwise engaging November evening, when President Barack Obama, head of one of the two largest democracies, reminded the other that it had largely shied away from condemning suppression of democratic rights and movements.

• Hu’s Jintao’s US Visit and Obama's State of the Union Address: What are India’s takeaways?

  Avinash Godbole
  Opinion Asia, February 04, 2011
  This could be the historic moment where it could choose become an equal partner in the great power game instead of becoming a subject in the inevitable power struggle in South Asia.

• Engaging the diaspora: Learning from Chinese experience

  R. N. Das
  The Tribune, January 19, 2010
  Yet another Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the ninth such event, concluded in Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh exhorting the Indian diaspora to deepen their engagement with the socio-economic development of the country.

• One month after Wen's New Delhi visit: Back to the Future?

  Gunjan Singh
  Opinion Asia, January 17, 2011
  The Chinese government has yet again proved that any euphoria over improvements in Sino-Indian relations are grossly premature.

• Planning without a strategy

  N. S. Sisodia
  Indian Express, January 14, 2011
  India desperately needs a grand security strategy ...

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