How Workable will Consultants be in the Existing Framework of the Ministry of External Affairs? There are also grey areas to the extent that the professional and hierarchical relationship which the Consultants will have with regular IFS officers is yet to be clearly outlined. Gautam Sen | July 06, 2015 | IDSA Comments
MERS: A New Virus Challenge East and Southeast Asia are known to get affected by various diseases routinely. Particularly, various waterborne and other diseases likely malaria and dengue fever commonly affect the regions. There is a concern that global warming may translate into explosive growth of mosquito-borne diseases. In addition to this, growing number of natural disasters are found escalating the health related challenges. All this eventually poses a threat to health, economic and human security. Ajey Lele , Gunjan Singh | July 01, 2015 | IDSA Comments
India and Pakistan: An Eternal Conflict! Shooting for a Century: Finding Answers to the India–Pakistan Conundrum, by Stephen P. Cohen S. Kalyanaraman | July 2015 | Journal of Defence Studies
Northeastern India and its neighbours: negotiating security and development by Rakhee Bhattacharya The insurgency movement in Northeast India, demanding various forms of autonomy including independence, is a constant concern for the maintenance of the country’s unity. It is further complicated due to the region’s strategic location, being almost entirely surrounded by several countries, and hence any development in these countries will certainly have implications for Northeast India. M. Amarjeet Singh | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
India’s ocean: the story of India’s bid for regional leadership by David Brewster Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan once stated: ‘Whoever attains maritime supremacy in the Indian Ocean would be a prominent player on the international scene. Whoever controls the Indian Ocean dominates Asia. This Ocean is the key to the seven seas in the 21st century, the destiny of the world will be decided in these waters’.1 It is these prophetic words that are the pivot for the book under review, India’s Ocean: The Story of India’s Bid for Regional Leadership. Amrita Jash | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Sri-Yantra and the geophilosophy of India by Niraj Kumar The book, as the title suggests, has Sri-Yantra and geophilosophy as its central themes. Sri-Yantra is a powerful positive energy symbol that is known for bringing peace, prosperity, harmony and good fortune. This powerful Yantra is a diagram based on nine interlocking triangular formulations. It is also known as Srichakra and Indian mystics and gurus have known about it for a long time. Ruchi Shree | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Cyber war: the next threat to national security and what to do about it? by Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake War, in the age of the ‘Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA)’ has changed its nature and tactics. Use of sophisticated systems has made it difficult to penetrate defences. Cyber war, however, appears as a drill to penetrate the defences of nations, because defence against cyber offence is so far not strong. Clarke was the first cyber security advisor to US president George W. Bush (Jr.) from 2001 to 2003 and Knake was a senior officer in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This book primarily focuses on US cyberspace security based on their experiences. Chandra Kamal Borah | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Role of Historical Legacy in India’s Relations with Territories to its East The ability of history to intrude into the present has often been underestimated. Nowhere is this more evident than in India’s relations with territories to its immediate east. Colonial rule by the British in Northeast India and Myanmar left a lasting impact on the two countries, which is felt to this day. Japanese control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also left its own historical imprint. Udai Bhanu Singh | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Harnessing Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges: Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean Region Based on the work of the Maritime Security Working Group within the Strategic Studies Network (SSN), this report provides both diagnosis and prescriptions regarding security threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The IOR, a large maritime area that extends from coastal Africa through the Middle East and South Asia and on to Australia, is a major conduit for global trade, a littoral zone of developing powers, and the focus of a series of rising security challenges. Untitled | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Boko Haram: The Multifaceted Story of Terror and Cultism Nigeria is currently going through a very delicate phase. The kidnapping of more than 275 Chibok schoolgirls by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram shocked not only Nigeria but the international community at large. This act by Boko Haram was widely criticised and led to worldwide condemnation and an international rescue effort. More seriously, the group leader Shekhau threatened to sell the girls into slavery and used Islamic teachings as justification. Aslam Khan | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
