Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy since Independence, by Steven I. Wilkinson Steven I. Wilkinson’s work on the Indian Army and its relationship to Indian democracy is mandatory reading for scholars interested in civil-military relations. Ironically, despite the voluminous literature on civil-military relations in the Subcontinent, it is still an understudied subject. Wilkinson’s book breaks new ground by giving the reader a distinct assessment of the evolution of civil-military relations in India vis-à-vis those in Pakistan. Kartik Bommakanti July-September 2018 Journal of Defence Studies
Emerging India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership India and Indonesia recently upgraded bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a move that comes on the eve of 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This deeper engagement serves to highlight the importance of the Indo-Pacific for both countries. India and Indonesia have recently witnessed some intensive engagement in the political, strategic, defence, security, and economic spheres. Udai Bhanu Singh July-September 2018 Journal of Defence Studies
Africa and the G20 An increased level of engagement of the G20 with Africa could be significant as it could activate the existing G20 initiatives. It is also significant because it proposes to venture into new and critical areas such as skill development of women and rural youth, as well as a focus on renewable energy which are fundamental to capitalise on increased private investment. Arpita Anant July-December 2018 Africa Trends
“…if the people in Rwanda ever needed help, now was the time…” The media, visual and means of mass communication have often been criticised for presenting a biased and skewed viewpoint on the conflict. However, the power of documentaries like the Ghosts of Rwanda which present before the audiences the unpalatable realities of the world, compels the international community to ponder, discuss and accept the need for change in its institutions and their ways of working. The release of the documentary became a moment of unfolding of the pristine rubric of United Nations, especially of its peacekeeping mandates, which were discriminatory and caught in power struggles. Priyal Pandey July-December 2018 Africa Trends
India’s Economic Diplomacy with Ethiopia Several international players are competing to finance projects in African countries, and New Delhi will be at a disadvantage if it does not proactively engage in strengthening development partnerships. As an emerging power that is actively pushing South-South Cooperation (SSC), India has to convince its partners the advantage of Indian development assistance, which adheres to principles of horizontal cooperation and mutual benefit. Chithra Purushothaman July-December 2018 Africa Trends
Turkey’s growing strategic inroads in Africa In many ways Turkey is reviving its historic relations with Africa with an eye to strengthen economic ties and gain strategic depth, but for some this is a reminder of the bitter past and represents neo-Ottomanism. Md. Muddassir Quamar July-December 2018 Africa Trends
Nigeria’s Naval Power – Reviving capacity after prolonged decline The Nigerian Navy is slowly clawing its way back to being a viable force capable of performing critical missions in respect of EEZ surveillance and patrol. It possesses an adequate fleet of inshore and riverine patrol craft and its growing refit and overhaul capabilities should prove adequate to the task of maintaining these vessels and augmenting them with new construction. However, the Nigerian Navy continues to face capability gaps in respect of the number of major surface combatants as well as the weapons systems available to the fleet. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj July-December 2018 Africa Trends
Functional Maritime Security Enforcement Collaboration: Towards A Sustainable Blue Economy in Africa Africa has an extensive and strategically located maritime space. This domain is vital for various reasons, including its abundance of economic resources and as a conduit for trade. Unfortunately, the potential of the African maritime space is being undermined by persistent, multifaceted and fluid domestic, regional and international threats and vulnerabilities. To tackle this, littoral African states have entered into various collaborative engagements at international and inter-agency level. The success of these arrangements is in turn greatly hampered by various practical challenges, including mistrust, diversity, ‘silo approach’ and lack of identified common Afro-centric security priorities and protocols. An urgent need for a functional collaborative engagement emerges as vital for a sustainable blue economy in Africa. Njoki Mboce July-December 2018 Africa Trends
Under the Radar: China’s Growing Ties with Comoros Aid to, and investment in, strategically located countries in the IOR to establish a strong presence has been the thrust of the Chinese strategy. The steadily growing economic cooperation with Comoros is part of this strategy. For a China with global aspirations and a large economy to bankroll that aspiration, the engagement with Comoros promises to yield significant benefits in return for relatively little. Maitreyee Shilpa Kishor July-December 2018 Africa Trends
Libya’s political process: Delicate progress, gigantic challenges While the political process is delicately poised and is making slow progress, there remain gigantic challenges to surmount. The main issues of contention among the different groups are sharing of political power, fight for control over Libya’s huge petroleum resources, and accommodating the armed groups loyal to different factions into a unified national military force. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan July-December 2018 Africa Trends
