Comments & Briefs

China’s 2026 Two Sessions: Key Takeaways

Strengthening domestic demand, self-reliance in strategic technologies, and reassertion of political and ideological control over the PLA featured prominently in the 2026 Two Sessions.

March 30, 2026

Mayuri Banerjee

IDSA Comments

Maritime Dimensions of the West Asia War

The maritime theatre is increasingly shaping the strategic outcome of the US–Israel–Iran war.

March 27, 2026

Shayesta Nishat Ahmed , R. Vignesh

Issue Brief

AI and Extremist Propaganda: An Assessment

The future wave of violent extremism will be increasingly decentralised, AI-driven, and post-organisational, requiring a new-age counter-violent extremist framework.

March 25, 2026

Saman Ayesha Kidwai

Issue Brief

Japan’s Evolving Security Strategy

The Ministry of Defence document, ‘Directions of Change in Defence Capabilities 1’, released on 12 March, offers a glimpse into the evolution of Japan’s security strategy.

March 23, 2026

Arnab Dasgupta

IDSA Comments

The First AI War: The Dilemma of Military Autonomy

The war in West Asia has seen an unprecedented use of Artificial Intelligence and autonomous systems like drones in the military kill chain.

March 23, 2026

Meghna Pradhan

IDSA Comments

The US–Israel War on Iran: Tehran’s Perceptions and Objectives

Iran is fighting a ‘war of balance’, using controlled horizontal escalation as a tool to impose sufficient costs on the US and its regional partners.

March 23, 2026

Deepika Saraswat

IDSA Comments

US Motivations to Attack Iran, Pressures for De-Escalation, and Potential Outcomes

The strategic end-state of the US military campaign against Iran, whether it is deterrence, coercive diplomacy, or regime change, has been unclear.

March 23, 2026

Cherian Samuel

Issue Brief

Cyber Operations in the Israel–US Conflict with Iran

Cyberattacks have formed an important supporting component of the joint Israel–US campaign against Iran.

March 19, 2026

Cherian Samuel

IDSA Comments

The Doomsday Clock and Existential Risks

With the Doomsday Clock now closer to midnight than ever, renewed attention has been drawn to the enduring significance of this metaphor for highlighting existential risks.

March 18, 2026

Aayushi Sharma , Diya Rathee

Backgrounder