Strategic Analysis
Strategic Analysis is the bimonthly journal of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. It is published by Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, United Kingdom.
For subscription and other details, please visit the Routledge website
The Journal provides a forum for independent research, analyses, and commentaries on national, regional and international security issues that have policy relevance. It seeks to promote a better understanding of Indian thinking on contemporary national and international themes. The Journal reflects a diversity of views from the strategic and international relations studies community both from within and outside India. The flagship in the IDSA stable of publications, Strategic Analysis began as a monthly journal in April 1977 and served as a medium for publishing commentaries on current events. From early 1987, its contents came to include both research articles as well as commentaries on national and international developments. It was transformed into a quarterly, refereed, journal in 2002. Routledge has been publishing the journal in a bi-monthly format since January 2007.
Scholars and analysts are welcome to submit well-researched papers for publication in this refereed journal.
Submissions should be directed to Mr. Vivek Kaushik, Associate Editor at vkaushik.idsa@nic.in
Guidelines for contributors [+]
Current Issue: January-February 2025
The first issue of 2025 refocuses attention on pivotal bilateral and multilateral dynamics that are reshaping global geopolitics in an era of mounting complexity.
Ali Salehian and Nilofar Babak examine the strategic orientations of four major powers—the United States, the European Union, China, and Russia—through a comparative qualitative content analysis of their official strategic documents, using MAXQDA2020. Their study reveals convergences and divergences in global outlooks, shedding light on how these powers envision order, security, and influence.
Turning to maritime geopolitics, Hanh Hong Bui, Huong Thu Thi Doan, and Nam Thanh Bui explore the evolving mechanisms of conflict resolution in two critical regions: the Baltic Sea and the South China Sea. Their comparative analysis of ASEAN and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) uncovers shared challenges and region-specific institutional responses to maritime disputes.
Le Thi Hang Nga, Nguyen Thi Oanh, Phan Cao Nhat Anh, Temjenmeren Ao, and Ha Le Huyen turn the spotlight on the Indo-Pacific, arguing that the Quad is fast emerging as a fulcrum of global geopolitical competition. The article highlights India’s growing aspirations for leadership within this strategic grouping amid intensifying major-power rivalry.
In our Commentary section, Ashish Shukla examines the recent thaw in Pakistan–Bangladesh relations. He argues that Pakistan is seeking to capitalise on political uncertainty in Bangladesh to regain lost strategic ground in South Asia—reviving old ambitions in a rapidly evolving regional context.
This issue also features two standout contributions in the Archives section. Writing in the mid-1980s, C. Raja Mohan presciently warned of the need for cooperative stewardship in the Polar regions, where dwindling resources and fragile ecosystems demand joint responsibility over national competition. In a 1969 piece, Mohammad Ayoob offers a critical assessment of President Ayub Khan’s foreign policy during his decade-long military rule in Pakistan—marked by an overwhelming preoccupation with India that eclipsed other strategic priorities.
Together, these essays offer a timely and layered reading of the strategic impulses—past and present—that continue to shape our world.
