Islam, Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison Islam, Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison, by Ahmet T. Kuru, Bruce E. Porteous Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University, is a recent book on economics and history that compares the history of Islam and Europe, and through it, finds the roots of authoritarianism and its role in (under)development. Kuru seeks to answer the question why Islamic societies, as developed before the ninth century, gradually took the path of decline and underdevelopment, and this trend has continued to this day. Javad Heiran-Nia January 2021 Strategic Analysis
South Asian Regionalism: The Limits of Cooperation Regionalism in South Asia continues to evoke intense academic interest among scholars. SAARC, an organization that was conceptualized in the early eighties, evinced both hope and despair. A hope to overcome the factitious past and move onto the path of prosperity, and the despair that was embodied in its inability to achieve its potential. The fight against poverty and the path to prosperity has mostly been an individualistic journey among countries. Smruti S. Pattanaik January 2021 Strategic Analysis
The Elusive Quest for an ‘Asian NATO’ The turn of the twenty-first century brought with it the miraculous economic rise of China in Asia and beyond; American strategy towards the region, denoted by the ‘pivot to Asia’ and acceptance of a ‘Pacific Century’ for the US,1 became increasingly China-centric. Building partnerships, forging security and commercial pacts with Asian countries and enhancing maritime presence across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) eventually became the fulcrum of America’s Asia strategy, with mainstream strategic perception in the United States on China becoming increasingly negative. Jagannath P. Panda January 2021 Strategic Analysis
The KMT’s Predicament: Cross-Strait Relations and Taiwan’s Domestic Politics On October 6, 2020, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (parliament) passed two important Resolutions, moved by the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). These sought to ensure ‘US military aid in combating aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’ and ‘a resumption of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan.’1 The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supported the Resolutions. Such a bipartisan consensus is rare in Taiwan’s deeply divided politics. Prashant Kumar Singh January 2021 Strategic Analysis
Strategic Use of Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam’s External Relations with Major Powers The article focuses on analyzing the ‘Cam Ranh policy’ of the Vietnamese government as well as the implementation of this policy since 2002 via its relations with major powers such as Russia, the United States and Japan. The article indicates that these great powers have a significant presence in Cam Ranh Bay. While the China factor is an important cause of American and Japanese interest in Cam Ranh, the traditional relationship with Vietnam and the Far East policy are the driving the choices of Russia in the region. Pham Thi Yen January 2021 Strategic Analysis
Modeling Attribution of Cyber Attacks Using Bayesian Belief Networks The article makes an attempt to bring to the fore the various factors which are considered in the due process of attribution of a cyber-attack and the correlation of credible attribution with cyber deterrence. The focal point of the article is a three-step approach to model the decision-making process behind attribution of cyber-attacks using Bayesian Belief Networks and a case study to elucidate on the functioning of the model. Munish Sharma January 2021 Strategic Analysis
The Sino-Indian Geopolitics and Maritime Security of the Indian Ocean Region The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a prominent arena in international politics, in terms of trade, tourism, population, among other aspects. Several countries, some unconnected geographically, have shown interest in these waters. These entities offer financial, technical, infrastructural and capacity-building support, and security services to several IOR countries. India, the prominent resident power of this ocean, and others, consider this development unnecessary, uncalled for and unacceptable. Sainandan S. Iyer , Ranadhir Mukhopadhyay , Sridhar D. Iyer January 2021 Strategic Analysis
Erdogan’s New Foreign Policy Volte Face It remains to be seen to what extent Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan’s recent efforts to mend broken regional ties and address concerns over domestic policies will succeed. Adil Rasheed December 23, 2020 IDSA Comments
Remembering Bangladesh’s Liberation War India and Bangladesh fought together “in the defence of human liberty”, in the words of Sheikh Mujib ur Rahman, to liberate Bangladesh, fifty momentous years ago. Smruti S. Pattanaik December 16, 2020 IDSA Comments
Political Uncertainty in Lebanon Disagreements on cabinet positions continue to hamper the formation of a new Lebanese government, even as the country is going through socio-economic turmoil, compounded by the pandemic and the Beirut port blast. Jatin Kumar December 14, 2020 IDSA Comments
