Demystifying Trade Warfare Historically, navies have been employed for the conduct of trade warfare. However, naval discourse on the subject has ranged from advocacy as prime employment of naval power to relegation as a secondary role that is best avoided. World Wars I and II witnessed wide-ranging application of trade warfare with varying degrees of success. Global seaborne trade has transformed significantly since the great wars, with large merchant fleets servicing an interconnected and globalised trading system. Himadri Bose | January-March 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Asymmetric Competition Ahead for Indian Air Power This article deliberates on some ‘disruptive’ issues that will affect employment, doctrine, force development and the very future of exclusive manned air power. Currently, causing asymmetry on the battlefield is considered a virtue rather than a weaker adversary’s option. Pakistan’s strategy against India and Chinese anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) are examples of cheaper but effective means. Driven by rapid advances in technology and confluence of emerging scientific capabilities, warfighting’s character is changing. Rajesh Isser | January-March 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Role of Internet of Things in Biological Warfare Abstract The weaponisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a new element in twenty-first century warfare where ‘biowarfare’ is no exception. Active research has been taking place on… Continue reading Role of Internet of Things in Biological Warfare Utkarsha Mahajan | January-June 2021 | CBW Magazine
The Perils of Vaccine Nationalism COVID-19 vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations will prolong the pandemic, and result in greater economic and social damage. Rajeesh Kumar | January 04, 2021 | Issue Brief
Imran Khan and Pakistan’s Enduring Political Crisis While Imran Khan’s efforts to build legitimacy around his ‘personality’ as a religious person and a crusader against corruption do not seem to have convinced many people, his government’s inability to bring the much-promised tabdeeli (‘change’) to Pakistan is beginning to hurt him politically. Nazir Ahmad Mir | January 04, 2021 | IDSA Comments
China’s Agricultural and Industrial Policies in 1971* The performance of the agricultural and industrial sectors during 1971 acquires an added significance as 1971 happens to be the first year of China’s ambitious Fourth Five-Year Plan. This Plan visualized new dimensions for the policies in these two basic sectors. This policy has aimed at optimum utilization of all factors of productions increasing the operational efficiency of both peasants and industrial labour through material incentives like private plots T. Sreedhara Rao | January 2021 | Strategic Analysis
Islam, Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison Islam, Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison, by Ahmet T. Kuru, Bruce E. Porteous Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University, is a recent book on economics and history that compares the history of Islam and Europe, and through it, finds the roots of authoritarianism and its role in (under)development. Kuru seeks to answer the question why Islamic societies, as developed before the ninth century, gradually took the path of decline and underdevelopment, and this trend has continued to this day. Javad Heiran-Nia | January 2021 | Strategic Analysis
South Asian Regionalism: The Limits of Cooperation Regionalism in South Asia continues to evoke intense academic interest among scholars. SAARC, an organization that was conceptualized in the early eighties, evinced both hope and despair. A hope to overcome the factitious past and move onto the path of prosperity, and the despair that was embodied in its inability to achieve its potential. The fight against poverty and the path to prosperity has mostly been an individualistic journey among countries. Smruti S. Pattanaik | January 2021 | Strategic Analysis
The Elusive Quest for an ‘Asian NATO’ The turn of the twenty-first century brought with it the miraculous economic rise of China in Asia and beyond; American strategy towards the region, denoted by the ‘pivot to Asia’ and acceptance of a ‘Pacific Century’ for the US,1 became increasingly China-centric. Building partnerships, forging security and commercial pacts with Asian countries and enhancing maritime presence across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) eventually became the fulcrum of America’s Asia strategy, with mainstream strategic perception in the United States on China becoming increasingly negative. Jagannath P. Panda | January 2021 | Strategic Analysis
The KMT’s Predicament: Cross-Strait Relations and Taiwan’s Domestic Politics On October 6, 2020, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (parliament) passed two important Resolutions, moved by the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). These sought to ensure ‘US military aid in combating aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’ and ‘a resumption of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan.’1 The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supported the Resolutions. Such a bipartisan consensus is rare in Taiwan’s deeply divided politics. Prashant Kumar Singh | January 2021 | Strategic Analysis
