President Trump and the Mexican Border Wall The reaction to President Trump’s utterances and avowed policies on the Mexican border wall and tariff has attracted strong criticism. It is surprising that Trump, who is known to view developments and decide on policies in transactional terms, appears short-sighted and unwilling to view the implications of his policies in a long-term perspective. Gautam Sen February 03, 2017 IDSA Comments
Suriname’s Armed Forces – Capability Compromised Suriname’s national army remains critically deficient in terms of air transport and maritime surveillance aircraft. It is an open question whether country’s armed forces will prove equal to the task of combating transnational organised crime. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj February 02, 2017 Issue Brief
Defence Budget 2017-18: Chugging Along Budget is not just all about figures but also a statement of policy. The Defence Budget for 2017-18 contains no hint of any intention of the government to bring about a paradigm shift in the defence policy. Amit Cowshish February 02, 2017 IDSA Comments
Defence Budget 2017-18: What the Macro-Economic Factors Foretell If the defence expenditure relationship to the GDP of 1.65 per cent is maintained, we may see a budget estimate (BE) for defence expenditure of Rs. 285,000 crores, against the current year BE of Rs. 249,099 crores. Vinay Kaushal January 31, 2017 Issue Brief
New Year Attack in Istanbul: Predictable and Preventable! While the New Year attack in Istanbul underscores Turkey’s endemic vulnerabilities, India too needs to be on guard. Messaging by the ISIS is often followed by action. Prabha Rao January 30, 2017 Issue Brief
Defence Budget 2017-18: Beyond the Numbers There is a need to go beyond stale issues and have a more meaningful and dispassionate discussion on how to make the best use of the allocations made for defence. Amit Cowshish January 30, 2017 IDSA Comments
Is India’s Nuclear Doctrine Credible? Recent debates by former officials and analysts on India’s nuclear doctrine highlight certain credibility problems. Two inter-related pillars of the doctrine—the pledge of ‘No-First Use’ (NFU) and the assurance of a ‘massive retaliation’ response to a nuclear strike—have been scrutinised.1 The backdrop shaping the debate is the pressing need to discover options to produce a de-escalation or deter an escalation in Pakistan’s sub-conventional war. This is the context for the ongoing contestations around India’s nuclear doctrine. Zorawar Daulet Singh January 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
Outer Space Treaty: 50 years later There is a need to rework the Outer Space Treaty and contemporize it to deal more directly with issues of the current era. Natallia Khaniejo January 27, 2017 Backgrounder
Defence Modernisation: A Silver Lining in the Dark Clouds? The presentation of the Union budget on February 1 is expected to ensure full utilisation of allocated funds and will ensure that ‘New Schemes’ can be processed, approved and contracted from April 1, 2017. Vinay Kaushal January 27, 2017 Issue Brief
Frontiers, Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies in South Asia, 1820-2013, by Kaushik Roy Frontiers, Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies in South Asia is a well written and intelligently composed monograph by Kaushik Roy, a leading expert in South Asian military studies. It primarily deals with frontier issues, insurgency and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations in South Asia from 1820 to 2013, adequately emphasising on the inter-relationships between colonial making of frontiers, state formation, and small wars conducted by the British in this particular region. Manas Dutta January 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
