The Return of Geopolitics in Europe? Social Mechanisms and Foreign Policy Identity Crises by Stefano Guzzini (ed.) The end of the Cold War was one of the defining moments in Europe’s geopolitical history. The ‘frozen spatiality’ that dominated the geopolitical space of Europe for half a century came undone. The emergence of a new spatial reality brought with it a novelty of issues that had to be dealt with by strategic and political elites and their appendages (academia and media). Their interpretation of the end of the Cold War, and the choices they made, were critical in the evolution of a particular type of geopolitical thought and foreign policy discourse. Nachiket Khadkiwala March 2015 Strategic Analysis
Does the Elephant Dance? Contemporary Indian Foreign Policy by David M. Malone In Does the Elephant Dance, David Malone identifies various aspects of Indian history relevant to foreign policy by examining the role of domestic politics and internal and external security challenges. The author specifically analyses domestic and international economic factors. In several chapters, he evaluates India’s policy towards its South Asian neighbours as well as explaining its multilateral diplomacy with respect to China, the US, West Asia, East Asia (India’s ‘Look East’ policy), Europe and Russia. Uma Nabhi March 2015 Strategic Analysis
Defence Budget 2015 -16: The Writing on the Wall It is a fairly simple exercise to estimate what the defence budget will be given available indicators. My assessment is that the Budget Estimate for defence is likely to be around Rs. 250,000 crore, with 105,000 crore for Capital Expenditure and 145,000 Crore for Revenue Expenditure. Vinay Kaushal February 27, 2015 IDSA Comments
India’s Non-Policy on Pakistan: U-Turn to Square One The thumb rule in making a policy U-turn is “minimise damage or maximise advantage”. What is extraordinary about the Modi government’s U-turn is that it maximises losses and minimises advantages. Sushant Sareen February 26, 2015 IDSA Comments
India and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation There is a general feeling among analysts that while US government lawyers may have been satisfied that the CLNDA is compatible with CSC in light of explanations offered by the Indian government, this view is being reportedly challenged by nuclear industry lawyers. G. Balachandran February 19, 2015 Issue Brief
Yaalon’s Visit and the India-Israel Defence Relationship The Modi’s government determination to adopt a muscular stance on national security and its commitment to expedite defence modernisation are likely to translate into greater political and defence engagement with Israel. S. Samuel C. Rajiv February 19, 2015 IDSA Comments
Giving Aero India 2015 a Make-in-India Touch There is an urgent need to conceptualise a policy framework as to what Make-in-India implies so far as defence production is concerned and how it is different from the existing policy framework. Amit Cowshish February 18, 2015 IDSA Comments
Some issues in respect of Indian’s nuclear liability law – I While the exact nature of the understanding between the two countries is yet to be announced and in fact may never be officially released, it is possible to offer an outline of the possible “memorandum” with possible understandings on all the three liability issues as well as the administrative arrangements. G. Balachandran February 10, 2015 Issue Brief
The Dependence Entrapment India’s nuclear deal with the US is driven less by technology requirements than by the need to be integrated into the global nuclear community and gain access to uranium imports for fuelling its nuclear power expansion plans. Sarosh Bana February 10, 2015 IDSA Comments
‘Make in India’ for Defence: A Roadmap The ‘Make in India’ drive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers a way of improving the country’s self-reliance in defence production. But for the MII to succeed in the defence manufacturing sector, the government needs to address some legacy issues. Laxman Kumar Behera February 05, 2015 Policy Brief