Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
मनोहर पर्रिकर रक्षा अध्ययन एवं विश्लेषण संस्थान

Publication

Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide, by Paolo Tripodi

The author of Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide, Dr Paolo Tripodi, is a professor and the ethics branch head at the Lejeune Leadership Institute, Marine Corps University. Before his academic career, he was an infantry officer with the Italian Carabinieri. Dr Tripodi has authored a book and three edited volumes, and his articles have been published in various military and academic journals. The book Rwanda 1994: A Failure of Leadership and a Preventable Genocide is a powerful and meticulously researched work that challenges the conventional narrative of the Rwandan genocide. Instead of focusing solely on the inaction of the international community, the author takes a tactical and operational approach, investigating whether the United Nations’ mission on the ground, i.e., United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) could have stopped the genocide even with its limited resources. His conclusion is a resounding and troubling ‘yes’.

The Thousand Years War: Russia and the West, by Achala Moulik

History is often written as a sequence of discrete events, each confined to its own time and place. Achala Moulik’s The Thousand Years War: Russia and the West does not restrict to a limited period but presents history as a continuum—a long confrontation between Russia and the Western powers over a millennium. Starting from Viking incursions to NATO’s expansion, Achala Moulik traces the confrontations happening at regular intervals with clarity, balance and finesse. The central theme of this book is that the West has carried out repeated invasions against Russia for centuries because of ideological clashes, and for lure of resources. Many times, Russia has faced the onslaught of geopolitical encirclement, however, each time, it has endured, survived and emerged stronger.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Translator: Lionel Giles)

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War remains one of the greatest works on strategy, warfare and leadership ever written (around 5th century BCE) with an influence that extends far beyond the battlefield. Believed to have been written during the Ch’in and Han dynasties, the text has stood the test of time, offering insights that remain compelling and instructive for military commanders, statesmen, and even scholars and professionals in other fields such as business and management.

Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India’s New Normal, by Maj Gen Bipin Bakshi, Air Mshl Rajesh Kumar, Amb Anil Trigunayat and Brig Akhelesh Bhargava

On 22 April 2025, four terrorists armed with automatic rifles carried out a brutal attack on unsuspecting tourists in the scenic Pahalgam valley of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This heinous terrorist attack tragically claimed the lives of 26 tourists, thereby significantly disrupting the surge of tourism in J&K that had grown considerably after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. This attack serves as a major setback to J&K’s trajectory towards normalcy and underscores Pakistan’s consistent subversive attempts to disrupt peace in the Union Territory. To the Indian public, the Pahalgam attacks evoked the painful memories of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, wherein Pakistan employed a similar modus operandi to target innocent civilians. However, unlike 26/11, the Pahalgam attack occurred at a time when India’s political leadership had repeatedly affirmed its policy of zero tolerance to terrorism.

Security through Intelligence Sharing: The US–Philippines GSOMIA

The defence relations between the United States and the Philippines dates to 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), and has evolved over the years into a modern, mature, comprehensive security partnership. Against the backdrop of growing tensions in the South China Sea, and China’s continuous force posture in region, Washington and Manila agreed to sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in November 2024.1 This is a landmark negotiation as it provides the essential legal framework needed for the transfer of classified intelligence and data on advanced weapon systems, thereby materialising the vision of real-time data-sharing, crisis response and deterrence operations. GSOMIA further complements existing bilateral agreements including the Visiting Forces Agreement 1998, and the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement 2014, thus strengthens interoperability, and completely inducts the Philippines into the US-led regional security architecture.

The Amazing Story of Akash and the Way Forward

The story of indigenous defence technology proving to be a game-changer is often inadequately reported. During Operation Sindoor, the indigenously developed medium-range Akash missile allegedly shot down a PAK JF- 17 Thunder, jointly developed with China, in the Kashmir region. This medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a 25–45 kms intercept range, supersonic speed, and active terminal guidance, can engage up to four targets simultaneously with 24 ready-to-fire missiles. It successfully neutralised Pakistan military’s attempts at large-scale drone and missile attacks on multiple military installations across northern and western India during the night of 7–8 May, and the air defence (AD) system at Lahore was neutralised.

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