Comment & Briefs

China’s 2016 Space White Paper: An Appraisal

While the December 2016 White Paper sheds enough light on China’s growing ambitions in the space sector, it at the same time only reveals what China wants the rest of the world to know.

January 06, 2017

  • Ajey Lele
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    Fatah at the Crossroads

    Abbas needs to take steps for a gradual change of guard in the Fatah within a specified time-frame to keep the cause of Palestinian statehood alive.

    January 04, 2017

  • Gautam Sen
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    China’s Creeping Maritime Assertiveness

    The Chinese stance towards the December 15, 2016 incident relating to the seizure of USN UUV by PLA Navy has been extraordinarily ambiguous.

    January 03, 2017

  • Abhay Kumar Singh
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    The State of the State of Syria

    The partial cease-fire brokered and imposed by Russia and Turkey, with Iran’s concurrence, on Assad and the ‘moderates’, might mark a turning point in Syria’s tortuous journey since 2011.

    January 02, 2017

  • K. P. Fabian
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    Modi’s stand-alone visit to Israel?

    A standalone visit to Israel will not only be in line with Modi’s engagement with the Middle East but would also send a powerful message to the international community that India is no longer apologetic about befriending Israel.

    January 02, 2017

  • P. R. Kumaraswamy
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    A Requiem for 2016

    Higher Defence Management, Civil-military relations and force modernisation were three critical areas in which there was little or no movement in the year gone by.

    January 02, 2017

  • Amit Cowshish
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    Role of Earth Observation Satellites in Counter-Infiltration

    It is highly recommended that a range of nano and pico satellites be manufactured and their employment integrated with the border management system.

    December 30, 2016

  • Amit Mukherjee
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    Uzbek Elections 2016: Personal observations of an itinerant traveller

    The voting booth was a good metre high with glass on one side, so that one can see that the voting papers are not tampered with.

    December 28, 2016

  • Shriniwas Kelkar
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    Leadership Change in Uzbekistan: An Election Observer’s Impressions

    While it was difficult to delve into the depth of the country’s internal dynamics, the overall impression one got was that the democratic process is making marked progress, albeit as per Uzbekistan’s own political ethos and traditions.

    December 26, 2016

  • P. Stobdan
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    The Creation of New Districts in Manipur: Administrative Necessity versus Naga Territorial Aspirations

    While the Manipur government’s decision to create seven new districts has come in the wake of popular demands for improved administrative efficiency, there has been fierce opposition from Naga bodies which view it as an attempt to divide the Naga people

    December 23, 2016

  • Pradeep Singh Chhonkar
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