Vivek Chadha

India has often been accused of not having a strategic culture and, more recently, of not clearly enunciating its strategic and doctrinal thought. More often than not, this has led to interpolation of brief statements, actions and speeches in public domain that create more doubts than answer questions regarding the country’s strategic formulations. Ali Ahmed attempts to dig deeper into India’s doctrinal underpinnings in light of nuclearization in the operational domain, a field that remains limited to patchy assessments in the past.

• Published: April 2015
• Journal of Defence Studies

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-led insurgency in Sri Lanka was amongst the fiercest and most bloody low-intensity conflicts fought during the last two decades of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st century. This ethnic conflict became known for not only the fighting prowess and ruthlessness of the LTTE, but also the equally brutal manner in which it was finally ended by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA).

• Published: January 2015
• Journal of Defence Studies

The Maoist insurgency and the internal security response, which in part flows from India’s security architecture, have become increasingly relevant in the recent past. The Maoist threat has repeatedly been referred to as the gravest internal challenge to India’s security. The impact of this threat, along with terrorism in the hinterland, has exposed the inadequacies of the country’s internal security capacities. Therefore, a book dealing with the two is a timely addition to the literature, in the Indian context.

• Published: January 2015
• Strategic Analysis

The incident raises important issues. First, the role of honours and awards in such crimes, second, the impact of punishment on the morale of troops who undertake a challenging responsibility and last, its impact on the population of the disturbed area at large.

• Published: November 25, 2014
• IDSA Comments

The scourge of terrorism is not new. However, its relevance andprominence in public discourse has seen a marked rise after 9/11. Whilea lot of writings concentrated on the immediate aftermath of the 9/11attack and terrorism as linked with Al Qaeda, it also spurred efforts tolook beyond this obvious threat into the larger transnational threat posedto the civilized world.

• Published: October 2014
• Journal of Defence Studies

Terrorism finance (TF) has been termed as the life blood of terrorism, one of the most important factors sustaining its continuing threat, both from within and without. In the West, a large body of work on the subject appeared after 9/11; in the Indian context, however, there is little contribution towards existing literature. This article contextualizes the reality of terrorism finance in India and provides an alternative framework for a better understanding of this threat.

• Published: July 2014
• Journal of Defence Studies

India continues its elusive search for peace in Jammu and Kashmir(J&K), in the face of Pakistan’s proxy war and dissatisfaction among some sections of the youth in Kashmir Valley.

• Published: June 26, 2014
• Policy Brief

2013 witnessed the highest ceasefire violations in eight years, accompanied by a sharp increase in security force casualties. Some sections within the media and intelligentsia have misunderstood the army’s presence in disturbed areas as a reflection of its vested interests. It is time that the reality of its role and responsibility are better understood.

• Published: December 13, 2013
• IDSA Comments

The infiltration by a large group of terrorists in the Karen Sector, is a harsh reminder for the police, army and security planners in the country that the ongoing proxy war from Pakistan will continue to challenge the Indian state.

• Published: October 04, 2013
• IDSA Comments

There have reportedly been 57 ceasefire violations of the LoC this year, which, according to the MoD, are 80 per cent more than the same period last year, and the number of infiltration attempts have doubled.

• Published: August 12, 2013
• IDSA Comments