External Balancing in India’s China Policy External balancing is re-emerging as an element of policy driven by the yawning power asymmetry between India and China and China’s turn towards assertive behaviour and territorial claims. S. Kalyanaraman March 28, 2018 Issue Brief
Xi Jinping’s Extended Presidency and India-China Relations India should carefully understand the evolving foreign policy strategy of China under Xi Jinping, and notably, his worldview, and try to position bilateral relations accordingly. Jagannath P. Panda March 27, 2018 Issue Brief
Influencing Electoral Outcomes: The Ugly Face of Facebook The Cambridge Analytica episode highlights the need to expedite the process of developing a data protection framework and probably amend the IT Act in accordance with the changing realities of cyberspace. Munish Sharma March 26, 2018 IDSA Comments
Return the Favour with a Thousand Cuts: India’s Pakistan Policy The current policy is premised on the understanding that unless India hurts the principal architect of Pakistan’s Kashmir policy, that is, the Army, terrorism would continue unabated. Vivek Chadha March 22, 2018 Policy Brief
Why wait for the elusive tipping point in cyber? The UNGGE process is the least bad option to keep open channels and maintain continued focus on securing cyberspace. Cherian Samuel March 21, 2018 IDSA Comments
India and the International Solar Alliance The International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit on 11 March marks an important milestone in India’s leadership efforts to build a clean and sustainable global energy future. Shreya Bhattacharya , Ekta Niranjan , Chithra Purushothaman March 16, 2018 Backgrounder
Xi Sets China on a New Long March Xi rides the Dragon which is externally formidable but internally fragile. He is aware of the consequences of his policies going awry. G.G. Dwivedi March 14, 2018 IDSA Comments
Cabinet Decides to Redefine MSMEs – Defence Sector to Benefit The new system of classifying enterprises based on annual turnover will be more reliable, transparent and objective as the qualifying criteria will be verifiable with reference to the data available in the Goods and Services Tax network. Amit Cowshish March 13, 2018 IDSA Comments
How Sri Lanka Walked into a Debt Trap, and the Way Out Sri Lankans love to project their country as the land of serendipity. So, when the island country saw the back of a four-decade-old violent Tamil insurgency in 2009, it was expected that it would surge ahead in a serendipitous way. The turn of events ever since has, however, proved that the country has not been that fortunate. In fact, immediately after the conclusion of the war, Sri Lanka (re)lapsed into multiple crises, occasioned by a regime which functioned in an authoritarian manner. Ashok K. Behuria March 2018 Strategic Analysis
The Unlikely Friends: Iranian–Latin American Relations and Washington’s Anxiety Although Iran and the Latin American states appear to be unlikely allies when considering the vast distances and the religious, cultural and demographic differences between these regions, their shared experience of Washington’s hegemonistic designs have brought them closer. Washington’s failure to isolate Tehran has meant that the Islamic Republic, and Hezbollah, have prioritised relationship-building with states that are at the doorstep of the US. Although this has antagonised the US, Washington has only offered a weak reaction to the economic and geopolitical advances made by Iran. Paul Antonopoulos March 2018 Strategic Analysis
