Guest Editor’s Introduction At the turn of the 21st century, the world entered a new period of development. The customary bipolar system that prevailed after World War II had collapsed following the self-destruction of one of its poles. Russia’s refusal to follow the Western course is only the first poignant sign of confrontation between the West’s united world project and the emerging multipolar world. Alexander Lukin | November 2021 | Strategic Analysis
Editor’s Note This year, Bangladesh is celebrating 50 years of the War of Liberation. The struggle for freedom, which started soon after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, culminated in signing the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971. On that fateful day, Pakistan’s Gen. A.A.K. Niazi, along with 93,000 Pakistani forces, publicly surrendered to the joint forces or the Mitra Bahini that comprised the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini. It was the largest military surrender after World War II. Bangladesh was born as an independent nation-state and reclaimed its identity. Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy | November 2021 | Strategic Analysis
Prospects for India–Russia Cooperation in the Arctic Given India–Russia longstanding relationship and formal mechanisms of cooperation, the Arctic brings new opportunities. From joint oil and gas development projects to connectivity via shipping and fibre optic routes, the Arctic offers untold opportunities for joint investments and partnerships. It is time India and Russia explored new areas of mutual benefit in the Arctic. Bipandeep Sharma , Uttam Kumar Sinha | October 29, 2021 | Issue Brief
The Protection of Sea Lines of Communication during 1971 War As the bulk of India’s foreign trade transits through sea, it turns sea lines of communication through the Indian Ocean strategically important for India. The newly independent India did not pay adequate attention to this factor. Consequently, within two decades of independence continuous flow of unprotected large volume of India’s sea trade had become a strategic target for its adversaries. In this context, during the 1971 India–Pakistan war, India efficiently protected its vital sea lanes, ensuring that goods and commodities continued to reach Indian ports. Somita Chakraborty | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Strategic Significance of Admiral Michael Gilday’s Visit to India The recent visit of the Chief of US Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday to India is not only significant to the national security narrative of India and the US but it is also bound to have a profound impact on the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region. R. Vignesh | October 28, 2021 | IDSA Comments
Operational Aspects of the 1971 War in the Maritime Domain The 1971 Indo-Pak War can be described as the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) finest hour. Until then, save for limited action in Liberation of Goa in 1961 and defensive operations in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the IN had not been called ‘into harm’s way’ or for offensive action in a major manner. Consequently, the spectacular show in 1971 may have surprised or even stunned many observers or analysts in the military/maritime realm. Srikant B. Kesnur , M. Doraibabu , Ashish Kale | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Evolving Idea of the Quad: Emerging Technology By making the emerging technology one of the cornerstones of the grouping, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) has shown its resilience to stay relevant in the fast-changing strategic environment of the Indo-Pacific. Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak | October 26, 2021 | IDSA Comments
Mali: Growing Trend of Violence Against UN Peacekeepers The growing trend of attacks on international entities besides the government units and civilians in Mali is an issue of serious concern. The complex security situation in Mali and high fatalities of peacekeepers has led to MINUSMA being perceived as the most dangerous UN Peacekeeping mission. Sindhu Dinesh | October 25, 2021 | IDSA Comments
Planning and Impact of Special Operations during the 1971 Indo-Pak War India had all of two weeks to achieve the politico-military end state of liberating Bangladesh, before the international community intervened to impose a ceasefire. Speed and tempo of operations were imperative.Indian Armed Forces exploited the special operations capabilities to ensure an early fall of Dhaka. The airborne assault at Tangail, the audacious helilift of troops across the mighty Meghna by General Sagat Singh with effective support from the Mukti Bahini contributed to the early fall of Dhaka with most defences still intact. Vinod Bhatia | October–December 2021 | Journal of Defence Studies
Countering the Menace of Ransomware US has undertaken a number of initiatives on cybersecurity, specifically ransomware, one of them being the Counter-Ransomware Initiative Meeting held in October 2021. Whether this attempt by the US to mobilise a larger group of countries to discuss ransomware will lead to real outcomes, or is just meant to endorse its actions, remains to be seen. Cherian Samuel | October 22, 2021 | IDSA Comments
