Publication - MP-IDSA

A Road Through Pakistan, and What This Means for India

Pakistan’s largest donor has been the United States of America, granting around $ 70 bn in aid. In 2015, China, as part of its One Belt One Road global ambitions, promised Pakistan $ 46 bn (since revised to $ 60 bn), for a road running from its border to the port of Gwadar. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is being seen as a ‘fate-changer’ for Pakistan. CPEC could change Pakistan’s fate in more ways than one; this article explores the domestic and regional consequences of China’s involvement in Pakistan, and what this will mean for South Asia and for India.

Sino-Indian Dynamics in Littoral Asia – The View from New Delhi

China’s growing stakes in the Indian Ocean, in particular the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) expanding profile in South Asia, has caused deep concern in India, where many believe Chinese naval deployments have shrunk New Delhi’s traditional sphere of influence. China’s inroads in India’s strategic backwaters— in particular, growing PLAN submarine forays—are viewed with suspicion in New Delhi, where many are convinced of the need for a counter-China strategy.

The BRI and India’s Neighbourhood

Chinese President Xi Jinping initially proposed to build an ‘economic belt’ and a ‘21st-century Maritime Silk Road’ in 2013 which were formalised as the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) in a document—‘Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road’—released by the National Reform and Development Commission in 2015.

Sri Lanka: Securitising Minority Alienation

The Easter bomb blasts is a grim reminder of how the undercurrent of ethno-religious violence remains a dominant factor in Sri Lanka’s chequered history.

Smruti S. Pattanaik |
April 29, 2019 |
IDSA Comments

Rebel Law: Insurgents, Courts and Justice in Modern Conflict by Frank Ledwidge

Frank Ledwidge begins Rebel Law with a vision to consolidate and derive comprehensive narratives surrounding lawfare—law used as a means of achieving agendas—and to provide recommendations as to how effectively policymakers and practitioners may use it to counter destabilisation in the light of unjust dissent. His experiences from years at the front end of British foreign policy form the backbone on which this book takes shape.

Kautilya and Non-Western IR Theory by Deepshikha Shahi

The recognition of Kautilya’s Arthashastra as a foundational text of international relations (IR) theory has been a cumbersome process, both in India and internationally. The IR community has exhibited a rather neurotic attitude towards Kautilya, ranging from outright denial of his relevance for the discipline to hesitant admission that there are conceptual elements in the Arthashastra which have theoretical eigenvalue as well as relevance for empirical research.

India and World War II: War, Armed Forces, and Society, 1939-45 by Kaushik Roy

World War II (1939-45) was a watershed moment in modern world history. It drastically changed the social and political map of the world, and especially of the Indian subcontinent which was under colonial rule at that time. Several significant works have appeared in recent times on the diverse aspects of the war. Among them is Kaushik Roy’s authoritative account, India and World War II: War, Armed Forces, and Society, 1939-45.

India and China at Sea: Competition for Naval Dominance in the Indian Ocean, edited by David Brewster

A multitude of reasons, like world geopolitics, rapid double-digit economic growth, military development, trade, presence in multinational organisations and global initiatives such as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Maritime Silk Route (MSR), keeps China at the forefront in global news. Any discussion of world order or superpowers is incomplete without the mention of China, and more so because of its contentious maritime issues.

In Awe of the Atom: Proliferation, Threats, and Costs of Nuclear Management

ince the time of their invention and the first-and-only use on 6 and 9 August 1945 on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, nuclear weapons have been seen by the states that possess them, or the ones that seek them, as the ultimate guarantors of their security.1 It is believed that these weapons are key to achieving victory in a war that otherwise may go on for a long time or may end in defeat if fought in conventional ways by a weaker country; in other words, nuclear weapons are believed to act as instruments of deterrence.

Broadening the Education for Synergetic Civil–Military Relations

Statecraft, diplomacy and warfare are not only a matter of brute force, but also a function of scholarship to understand the past, present and future of the art, science and literature of national and international security. At higher levels in their professional career, besides the armed forces, a number of civil servants too have to deal with the state’s use or threat of the use of legitimate force. This article suggests broadening the education for synergetic civil–military relations (CMR).