China’s India Policy in the 1950s: From Friendship to Antagonism What led to the Sino-Indian militarized confrontations in 1959? I argue that Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai became a victim of changed perceptions in China. As long as China’s external and internal environment was relatively secure, India was seen as a potential ally, and Sino-Indian relations thrived. As external and internal pressures on China mounted, India’s behaviour vis-à-vis the Dalai Lama’s flight from China and the territorial dispute was perceived by China as reactionary. Daniel Balazs | November 2020 | Strategic Analysis
Expanding Role of PLAAF in China’s National Security Strategy China’s great power ambition and actions have been fuelled by its spectacular economic growth and military modernization. The need to sustain the economy and energy flow makes the East and South China seas vital to it. Its vulnerabilities also lie on its seaboard. To dominate the maritime spaces, it needs to own the contiguous airspace as well. The prescient Chinese leadership has transformed its Air Force into a strategic instrument of power, to protect its economic lifelines, geo-political interests and regional dominance. Diptendu Choudhury | November 2020 | Strategic Analysis
The South Caucasus Imbroglio: Armenia–Azerbaijan Conflict Armenia and Azerbaijan have come to blows over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh after a quarter of a century. There are numerous geo-strategic interests at play in the conflict that will impact regional peace and security. Deepak Kumar | October 28, 2020 | IDSA Comments
Other Capital Procurement Procedure: A Chip off the Old Block The OCPP is a mix of revenue and capital procurement procedures, based on the Defence Procurement Manual 2006. It could have been an opportunity to lay down a more self-contained procedure. Amit Cowshish | October 23, 2020 | IDSA Comments
Brendan Taylor, American Sanctions in the Asia Pacific Brendan Taylor claims that his book is the first systematic analysis of American sanction policy in the Asia-Pacific during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The book is divided into six chapters which include introduction, conclusion as well as policy recommendations. Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastav | October 2010 | Journal of Defence Studies
The Costliest Pearl: China’s Struggle for India’s Ocean by Bertil Lintner The ‘string of pearls’ is a western narrative about China’s economic and/or military engagements with countries in the Indian Ocean littorals with a strategic outlook of encircling the Indian peninsula. Most of these engagements are established in locations overlooking the important trade Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The ‘string of pearls’ theory, enunciating an expansionist view of China in the Indian Ocean, is what makes Bertil Lintner’s book a knowledgeable read for Indo-Pacific watchers. M. Doraibabu | October-December 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
New Internet Protocol: Redesigning the Internet with Chinese Characteristics? China’s proposal for a new Internet Protocol (IP) is a reflection of its desire to revamp and mould the Internet. This is in line with its ambitions to rise to the “commanding heights” of the scientific and technological competition. Munish Sharma | October 15, 2020 | IDSA Comments
Learning from Russia: Comparing Russian and Chinese Military Reforms Understanding the Chinese Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) has been a challenge for military thinkers and planners due to opacity and secrecy within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This article delves into the traditional relationship between the erstwhile Soviet (now Russian) and Chinese militaries and draw parallels between the two RMA. It argues that in many ways the Chinese RMA has followed the Russian RMA, which was driven by the latter’s experiences in modern wars in Georgia, Ukraine, Crimea, and Syria. The article concludes that the PLA has suitably modified the Russian military doctrines, reorganisation and restructuring as well as the induction of military equipment to suit the threats and challenges that confront it. Military thinkers and planners would do well to study the Russian RMA to extrapolate the future trajectory of the changes that are underway in the PLA. Mandip Singh | October-December 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
FATF: In Need of Darker Shades of Grey The three list categorisation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)—white, grey, and black—has been largely ineffective when dealing with jurisdictions like Pakistan. There need to be more gradations between the grey and blacklists as it may increase policy options and leverage. Pradeep Singh Gautam | October 12, 2020 | Issue Brief
India’s China Challenge by Ananth Krishnan Ananth Krishan’s book, India’s China Challenge, is a notable examination of the challenge posed to India by the meteoric rise of China. Krishnan’s stay in China as a journalist for India Today and The Hindu, from 2008 to August 2018, and his knowledge of the Mandarin language have greatly enriched the depth of his examination of the subject. During his stay in China, he travelled to all but three of the country’s 33 provinces and regions, the China–India border in Tibet and Xinjiang, and the trading markets and factories of Guangdong. Himadri Bose | October-December 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
