Strategic Analysis

The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat by Vali Nasr

The Dispensable Nation provides a useful critique of the Obama administration. The author, Vali Nasr, analyses Obama’s foreign policy, especially his approach towards regions afflicted by crises, from the volatile Arab region to the badlands of South Asia. The book sheds light on the tussle between the State Department and the White House which impacts the making as well as the implementation of US foreign policy.

Facing the Taliban: Experiences of a UN Woman Aid Worker in Taliban Controlled Afghanistan by Anoja Wijeyesekera

This book is based on the four years that Anoja Wijeyesekera, the author, spent in Afghanistan as a UNICEF official (November 1997–September 12, 2001) before she and other UNICEF staff were evacuated from Kabul after the 9/11 terror attacks. The book describes not only the experiences of a ‘UN female aid worker’ in Afghanistan in particular, but also the conditions for women under the Taliban in general.

Apocalypse Pakistan: An Anatomy of ‘the World’s Most Dangerous Nation’ by Francesca Marino and Beniamino Natale

The current state of Pakistan is messy and full of existential contradictions. The nation was built on a separate Muslim identity and on the pretext that in independent and integrated India the status of minorities would not be equal with Hindus. This notion was proved wrong as early as the 1950s, when political discourse in Pakistan turned more strongly towards religion than democratic principles. Consequently, Pakistan has become a safe haven for religious fundamentalists who trade in deadly violence and pose a threat to peace in the South Asian region.

Troubling Tehran: Reflections on Geopolitics by Arun Vishwanathan and Rajaram Nagappa (Eds.)

The ever dynamic nuclear conundrum of Iran has continued to hog the limelight. Numerous suggestions emanating from varied quarters about how to manage the issue have dominated the ongoing international discourse. However, there is no unanimity on how to cope with the current situation and the impending future.

American Strategy in Afghanistan: Dilemmas, Miscalculations and Outcomes

The war on terror, often described as ‘the longest war’ or ‘the wrong war’, is approaching its pinnacle. In this context, 2014 has been the centre of gravity while formulating strategies, framing policies and executing actions to ensure an honourable exit for the international forces led by the United States from Afghanistan.

A Reviving Continent?

As a trial ground for humankind’s quest for betterment, India can be reckoned the next frontier. The scale and complexity of India’s problems are every policy maker’s nightmare. For a social scientist, India is a laboratory to test new ideas. As India’s colonial encounter fades from public memory, social science research in India has moved on to address the concerns of ordinary citizens. The euphoria of 1947 has ebbed, and the reticence and anxiety of the 1970s is gone. With the promised economic surge slowing down, millions of Indians continue to be trapped in neediness.

Restrained and Strategically Effective—The 2011 Aerial Campaign over Libya: An Indian Perspective

The winter of 2011 was a dramatic period for air power in Mediterranean Europe and India. Operation Unified Protector (OUP), the successful North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) offensive aerial campaign that paved the way for a regime change in Libya, involved two platforms that had been shortlisted for the largest fighter aircraft deal of recent times.

Politics and Perceptions of Indian Aid to Nepal

India has significantly invested in Nepal’s development through economic assistance since 1952. Despite deploying aid to win the hearts and minds of the people of Nepal, India has not entirely succeeded in doing so. Paradoxically, an analysis of Indian aid and gaps in the planning, processes, modalities and perceptions of India’s motivation shows that it has possibly contributed to the fuelling of anti-India sentiments among the Nepalese population.

Issues in the Management of the India–Pakistan International Border

A discordant political relationship, three and a half wars and Pakistan’s material support for secessionist militants in the border states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir compelled India to harden its international border with Pakistan. An inward-looking economy and the absence of an imperative for regional economic integration also resulted in restricted movement of people and goods across the border. However, in the past decade or so, an emergent Indian economy coupled with both countries’ desire to engage themselves constructively have paved the way for softening the border.

Emerging Powers and Global Financial Governance

The traditional mode of governance of national and global monetary and financial markets was obviously too weak and piecemeal to hinder the recurrent outbreak of regional and worldwide crises. The latest and gravest in this series triggered a massive institutional and operational overhaul, achieved both by the creation of new institutions and also by old and new ones being made stronger and more inclusive, foremost by introducing major emerging countries into their steering and oversight bodies.