Sharm Al-Sheikh Indo-Pak Joint Statement: A Different Perspective As the din and the dust raised by the Sharm al-Sheikh document settles down, it seems to be opening new possibilities for India to effectively deal with the emerging situation in Pakistan by finally being able to encourage and back ideas of democratic federalism and non sectarian polity in that country. The reference to Baluchistan in the Sharm al-Sheikh Joint Statement has invited the sharpest reactions. But, has not that reference elevated the issue of continuing Pakistani persecution of the Baluchs to an international level? P. K. Upadhyay | August 07, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis April 2009 April saw the foot soldiers of Taliban moving to Buner and Dir, after consolidating their position in Swat. The march of Taliban to Buner, which is separated from Islamabad just by the district of Haripur created a fear psychosis in the minds of the ruling elites in Islamabad. The shock and awe that Taliban had managed to create was clearly evident as the Pakistani parliament pushed through Nizam-e-Adl resolution, without refering it to any parliamentary committee on April 13. T. Khurshchev Singh , Alok Bansal | August 07, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Two Trucks and One Jeep In a reality check to the wild celebrations that broke out in Pakistan after the Supreme Court declared ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ the emergency that was imposed by General Pervez Musharraf on 3rd November 2007, former Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain reminded his compatriots that “two trucks and a jeep” rolling out of the military headquarters in Rawalpindi is all it takes to disrupt democratic rule in the country. Sushant Sareen | August 05, 2009 | IDSA Comments
China’s Changing Worldview Recent Chinese writings indicate that the Chinese see themselves as a major player in international affairs. They see the global economic crisis as an historic opportunity to redefine the Chinese role. The following is a summary of broad points made in recent Chinese writings on a variety of international issues. Arvind Gupta | August 04, 2009 | IDSA Comments
For an Indo-Pak strategic dialogue forum India is taking its time to reopen the dialogue process with Pakistan that has been suspended since 26/11. The meeting between Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s President, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Yekaterinburg in June had opened up possibilities of resumption. However, the joint statement following the one-on-one session between the two prime ministers at Sharm-el-Sheikh ran into rough weather. Ali Ahmed | August 04, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Between 2015 and 2050: Considerations in Negotiating a Date for an Indian Grand Strategy Project Security planners often grapple with the question of how far out they should be looking and planning, and it is not a problem to take lightly. Many believe that as the pace of technology quickens and the number of possible interactions in a globalized, flattened world increase, the real horizon of meaningful forecast moves ever closer. But in my view that only forces us to look farther out, to things that seem distant today, but can be anticipated, and to take a longer view. Peter Garretson | August 03, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Political convulsions in Japanese politics Since the early 1950s, two factors have remained constant in Japan - the political domination of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the continuation of the Japan-US security alliance. The first factor is expected to undergo a change as the LDP is likely to give way to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the forthcoming elections for the lower House. Given this prospective political change, one might see a perceptible shift in Japan’s foreign policy, particularly its relationship with the US. Pranamita Baruah , Shamshad A. Khan | August 03, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Aerial Terrorism Aerial terrorism is gradually emerging as a potent form of terrorism capable of causing significant damage to human life and infrastructure. Aircrafts and UAVs can be easily used as guided missiles to target key locations and installations; and more importantly, to communicate a political message. Dealing with such threats can be difficult as it becomes complicated to fully understand the nature and scope of unconventional acts of terrorism. Ajey Lele , Archana Mishra | July 2009 | Journal of Defence Studies
Critical Defence Technologies – The DRDO Perspective DRDO has been the torchbearer of the defence research and development in the country. It has been responsible for identifying critical technologies, working out modalities for technology development and identifying partners for technology acquisition. The author argues that the government along with several other stakeholders such as the Services and the industry need to play an important role in the technology development and production. It is emphasised on successful research and development which requires steady funding and incentives for scientific talent. Nabanita R. Krishnan | July 2009 | Journal of Defence Studies
An Editorial and Its (Mal) Contents An editorial in the New York Times on July 18, 2009 ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to India - ‘Secretary Clinton goes to India’, has generated a lot of interest. S. Samuel C. Rajiv | July 25, 2009 | IDSA Comments
