Arvind Gupta

Struggling to deal with a rigid China on the intractable border issue, India would do well to digest the core assertions of the white paper, including the growing reach of the PLA, its professionalisation, keenness to protect overseas interests, modernisation of the nuclear arsenal, and growing role in foreign policy making.

• Published: April 25, 2013
• IDSA Comments

BRICS is not challenging the existing world order. It is seeking a place in the sun for developing countries. It is looking at alternative approaches but there is no desire to seek confrontation with the West.

• Published: April 01, 2013
• IDSA Comments

Indian planners would be cautious about an open US embrace as India does not want to be drawn into a US containment policy, which is how China perceives US rebalancing.

• Published: March 21, 2013
• IDSA Comments

Muchkund Dubey's book on India's foreign policy is quite different from similar books written in recent times. Most books either reveal a nostalgia for the Nehruvian past or reject it altogether. The author of this book adopts a different approach. He links foreign policy to domestic factors at every step of his analysis and reminds the policy makers that there are limits to what diplomacy can achieve. He also points out that an uncertain domestic situation handicaps India's foreign policy.

• Published: March 2013
• Strategic Analysis

Chinese foreign and domestic policies cannot be understood without understanding the evolving nature of Chinese nationalism. Bhavna Singh's book on Chinese nationalism deals with this issue in a detailed manner. The Communist Party of China (CCP) has relied heavily on the notion of patriotism, which overlaps that of nationalism, for domestic and international legitimacy. All eyes are on the leadership transition in China and its implications for the world. It will be interesting to see how the new leadership deals with the growing nationalistic sentiment in the country.

• Published: January 2013
• Strategic Analysis

As the first national security adviser of India, Brajesh Mishra’s contribution towards building a viable national security management system will always be remembered.

• Published: September 30, 2012
• IDSA Comments

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.

• Published: September 2012
• Strategic Analysis

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.

• Published: September 2012
• Strategic Analysis

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.

• Published: July 18, 2012
• Policy Brief

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.

• Published: July 09, 2012
• IDSA Comments