As the first national security adviser of India, Brajesh Mishra’s contribution towards building a viable national security management system will always be remembered.
AResurgent China: South Asian Perspective, edited by Tan Tai Yong and S.D. Muni, is a timely book. The simultaneous rise of India and China is a defining reality of the Asian and global order. The trajectory of Sino-Indian relations will have an impact on South Asia. Since the mid-1980s, the two countries have made efforts to unfreeze the relationship, and in the last 10 years the Sino-Indian bilateral relationship has been transformed politically and economically.
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is the most significant confidence-building measure between India and Pakistan. Despite the wars and hostilities, the IWT has functioned well since it was signed in 1960. However, one cannot ignore the challenges of future supplies of fresh water between the two countries. The article delves into a historical account of how the treaty came about, the salient features of the treaty and examines whether ‘water rationality’ will continue to govern the riparian relationship or whether ‘water sharing’ will open up a new front of contentious politics.
India’s policy in Afghanistan must be Afghan-centric and not be concerned about Pakistani efforts to gain strategic depth. In fact, by getting involved in Afghanistan, Pakistan is likely to endanger its own security and stability.
With the discovery of the Higgs boson, the missing link in the Standard Model of physics has been found and the Standard Model stands further strengthened.
The ethnic unrest in Xinjiang has been in the news for several years now. In 2009, nearly 200 people were killed in Han–Uighur ethnic clashes. Since then Uighur unrest has drawn international attention. The Chinese authorities have handled the Uighur unrest with an iron fist. The local media is suppressed, outsiders do not have free access and the security forces have free rein. The local communist party chief is the de facto ruler.
India should support the idea of TCBMs (transparency and confidence building measures) as a first step towards a code of conduct or eventual cyber security convention.
Although Russia plays a weak hand due to structural problems in the economy and several deficiencies in the political and social order, Putin will try and leverage Russia’ substantial advantages—energy being one of them—to Russia’s advantage.
Brajesh Mishra’s Legacy to National Security and Diplomacy
As the first national security adviser of India, Brajesh Mishra’s contribution towards building a viable national security management system will always be remembered.