The Niger Delta Avengers: A Formidable Threat? At a time when the country is going through a political transition and the resultant realignment of patronage networks in Niger Delta region, economic woes due to low oil prices, and the revamping of oil industry, the emergence of NDA is a result of the ‘politics of oil’ in Nigeria that has been ongoing for years. Nachiket Khadkiwala January-March 2016 Africa Trends
Cocaine trafficking between Latin America and West Africa The link between narcotics’ traffickers in Latin America and their allies in West Africa has opened another front in the “war on drugs” and has unfortunately led to West Africa becoming home to what has been described as the “world’s first narco state” namely, Guinea-Bissau. The availability of aircraft, pilots and an expanse of airspace without radar coverage, aided and abetted by poorly or corruptly policed borders has led to a thriving trade between the two continents for the enrichment of some and the detriment of many others. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj January-March 2016 Africa Trends
Why Africa? IAFS-III has been a 'great leap forward' compared to our limited approach earlier. Why has India taken this major step, which requires huge deployment of human and financial resources? Debnath Shaw January 13, 2016 IDSA Comments
Strategic Direction of the Chinese Navy: Capability and Intent Assessment by Kamlesh K. Agnihotri Rarely do naval practitioners combine capability and strategy cogently. They are good at explaining technical terminology and its applicability, but insufficient in expounding strategy and analysis. They consider capability in terms of war-oriented applicability, rather than the intention, motivation and strategic outreach of such capability. But if a naval practitioner focuses on strategy and its commensurate capability, he can relatively predict the impact of such capability. Joshy M. Paul January 2016 Journal of Defence Studies
Addressing Maritime Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region: A Case for Synergising Naval Capacities towards Collective Benefits The vastness and diversity of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its littorals, and difference in the latters’ overall view of regional security, presents a broad spectrum of challenges therein. The maritime capacities of most littoral states are not strong enough to individually address these challenges. However, synergised response strategies, appropriately regulated by one or two collectively mandated apex bodies, would greatly help in managing regional maritime security. Kamlesh K. Agnihotri January 2016 Journal of Defence Studies
Investigating the use of Chemical Weapons in Syria Investigating the use of chemical weapons The first inquiry into the use of chemical weapons (CW) in Syria was the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism (SGM) for Investigation of Alleged use… Continue reading Investigating the use of Chemical Weapons in Syria Cindy Vestergaard January-June 2016 CBW Magazine
India’s Military Modernization: Strategic Technologies and Weapons Systems, edited by Rajesh Basrur and Bharath Gopalaswamy The Oxford University Press could not have timed it better with its second part of the two-part project on Indian military modernisation in the field of advanced technologies like cruise missiles, nuclear weapons, anti-satellite weapons, missile defence, and information warfare. The adjoining regional countries of the Indian peninsula are flooded with new research vis-à-vis modern weapons and in utilising technology to develop even more advanced weaponry. It is, therefore, prudent for India to step up and be recognised for the power that it professes to be. Rikeesh Sharma January 2016 Journal of Defence Studies
Facebook’s Free Basics: A Digital Apartheid Free Basics actually leads to converting the internet, which is supposed to be a global public good, into a ‘controlled’ platform. For some this even amounts to compromising on their ‘human rights’. Ajey Lele January 07, 2016 IDSA Comments
The Iran-Saudi Confrontation: Who will win in the end? Unless addressed, the escalation of tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia can have serious adverse consequences for regional stability and peace and also for ongoing efforts to bring to an end the war in Yemen and the wars in Syria. K. P. Fabian January 06, 2016 IDSA Comments
Naga Peace Accord and the Kuki and Meitei Insurgencies in Manipur The Naga peace accord is a historic step. It needs to be followed up by correct policy interventions that serve to undercut the relevance of the Kuki and Meitei insurgencies and thus usher in peace in Manipur. Sushil Kumar Sharma January 05, 2016 Policy Brief
