Visit of Myanmar President Upgrades Bilateral Ties The message President Kyaw took back from New Delhi is that India stands ready to support Myanmar in every possible way on its march to security, reconciliation and prosperity. Ashok Sajjanhar September 02, 2016 IDSA Comments
Turkmenistan needs to revisit its gas policy TAPI has the potential to be a game changer for Turkmenistan. To boost confidence among potential investors, Turkmenistan needs to adopt best global practices in its gas sector. Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni September 02, 2016 IDSA Comments
Naga ‘Framework Agreement’ and Its Aftermath Differing perceptions among the various stakeholders has emerged because the contents of the framework agreement are not in the public domain. Pradeep Singh Chhonkar September 01, 2016 IDSA Comments
Identity, contestation and development in Northeast India by Komol Singha and M. Amarjeet Singh Inhabited by numerous tribes and sub-tribes with fierce clan loyalties, the north-east of India has been plagued by identity-inspired insurgencies since independence. The first of these insurgencies was that of the Naga National Council (NNC) in the mid-1950s. Subsequent decades saw the outbreak of other, similar, insurgencies among the Meiteis, Mizos, Assamese and Boroks. Pushpita Das September 2016 Strategic Analysis
Andean Cosmovision and Diplomacy for Life The concept of ‘Vivir Bien´ or ´Good Life’ has emerged in Bolivia’s political, policy and diplomatic discourse after the ascension to power of Evo Morales in December 2005, the first person of indigenous ethnicity to be President of Bolivia. In South Asia and other parts of the world much is known about Bhutan’s Index of Happiness, but little is heard about ‘Vivir Bien’ or ‘Good Life’, the ideology of Life, Politics and Diplomacy emanating from Bolivia, in the heart of Latin America. Sandeep Chakravorty September 2016 Strategic Analysis
Australia and India in Asia: When ‘Look West’ Meets Act East The recent Australian decision to extend civilian nuclear cooperation to India, overriding its own long-term principled position, is no ordinary development. Taking that as a starting point, this article seeks to set out the context and rationale for an all-round and long-term closer relationship between the two countries. Vishal Ranjan September 2016 Strategic Analysis
India’s Decision Making on Cross-Border Natural Gas Pipelines (1989–2012) In the last two decades, cross-border gas pipelines have become an integral part of discourse on India’s energy security. Successive reports from the government and the private sector have envisaged an important role for cross-border gas pipeline projects in India. After engaging in negotiations for several years, the Indian Government finally joined the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline over the Iran–Pakistan–India pipeline (IPI) and the Myanmar–Bangladesh–India pipeline (MBI). Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni September 2016 Strategic Analysis
Assessing India’s Rise and the Road Ahead This article analyses India’s economic, military and political rise in the international state system. It concludes that India is on the rise in all three power dimensions, underpinned by a larger share of global GDP. However, it also identifies the constraints on the way. On matters concerning its economy, India lags behind in industrial prowess, innovation, socio-economic development and financial strength. While modernising its defence capabilities, it faces obstacles due to budget issues, institutional constraints and a weak defence industry. Samuel Bergenwall September 2016 Strategic Analysis
Mass Media in Xi’s China: Markets Versus Control Xi Jinping became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in November 2012 and the President of the People’s Republic of China in March 2013. Ever since, under his leadership as the Chinese President, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been progressively tightening its control over the media. In a Communist structure, the media is perceived to be the ‘mouthpiece’ of the Party and is supposed to be used for propaganda. Media is a very essential tool in spreading the government agenda and controlling the public discourse. Gunjan Singh September 2016 Strategic Analysis
The Roadmap for India’s Nuclear Security A watershed moment for nuclear security was reached when global leaders from more than 50 countries including India and other organisations met successively over six years (2010–2016) to develop an effective and sustainable plan for global nuclear security. At the end of six years, much has been accomplished to improve and upgrade nuclear security in several countries. Despite this perseverance, threats to nuclear security still remain undiminished, primarily because wrong people nursing a malicious agenda desire nuclear and radiological materials. Reshmi Kazi September 2016 Strategic Analysis