India–Japan Defence Ties: Building a Strategic Partnership India–Japan defence ties that began less than a decade ago have witnessed unprecedented progress. Until recently they were dominated by military exercises, training and regular dialogues, but now they are entering a new and crucial phase as they embark on ambitious joint research on advanced technologies and development of systems which will have considerable implications for their strategic partnership as well as to Indo-Pacific security. It is imprudent to surmise that this is entirely due to China; rather, a variety of factors are contributing to the burgeoning defence relations. G. V. C. Naidu , Ishida Yasuyuki | January 2019 | Strategic Analysis
Assessing India’s Engagements in the INSTC and Analysing its Implications on India’s Commercial and Strategic Interests The INSTC formalised by India, Iran and Russia at the start of the new millennium to develope an alternative transport system linking India with Central Asia and Eurasia floundered for long due to scepticism and neglect by its member states. However, the withdrawal of the UN sanctions against Iran, the steady expansion of the Chinese influence in the region through the OBOR, and the urgent requirement of the land-locked Central Asian countries to gain maritime access offer new incentives for the member states to reinvigorate the project. Sanjana Gogna | January 2019 | Strategic Analysis
China’s Big Push for Solar Energy China has managed to establish an edge in solar energy manufacturing and technology, and any shift in its solar policy is likely to affect countries looking to increase their solar energy capacity. Chithra Purushothaman | December 31, 2018 | Issue Brief
Bangladesh General Elections 2018: What Next for the Opposition It remains to be seen whether AL in its third term will be able to address the issue of rampant corruption that has deeply permeated the governance structure as well as the issue of free speech that many believe the ICT Act has impaired. Smruti S. Pattanaik | December 31, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Bringing Capacity Building in Cybersecurity to the fore For a global build-up of cybersecurity, capacity building needs to be given much more importance than it has received till date. Cherian Samuel | December 26, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Xi Jinping’s Politics and What it Means for India There is a need to close the perception gap in India’s assessment of the state of Chinese politics, to distinguish between transformation and conflict, and respond accordingly. M.S. Prathibha | December 20, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Defence Planning and Budget Dilemma The government decided to do away with the five year planning process in 2014. Therefore, there is no 13th plan. Despite this, MoD has gone ahead and formulated the 13th five year plan and submitted it to MoF for information only. Thus, the dilemma of defence planning and budget continues. Vinay Kaushal | | Occasional Papers
BIMSTEC: An Unprecedented Opportunity for Collaboration and Cooperation in Cyberspace The BIMSTEC region offers tremendous opportunities in the field of cyber space. However, the full scope of digital dividend can only be harnessed if the countries of the region are able to get their act together and work as a team at the earliest. Ashish Chhibbar | December 18, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Paris Call: Another Missed Call? Paris Call could be seen as a positive step towards finding a middle path between Western democracies and authoritarian regimes on the issue of cyber governance. Kritika Roy | December 18, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Boko Haram Gathers Strength as Nigeria Prepares For Elections Boko Haram’s resurgence might affect the holding of credible polls in parts of northeast Nigeria in the upcoming February 2019 general elections. Anand Kumar | December 11, 2018 | IDSA Comments
