Publication Filter

Geneva agreement on Ukraine: Can it defuse tensions?

While the ‘compromise’, as put forth by Russia is a welcome development in so far it helps to diffuse the potential confrontation yet it does raise two pertinent questions: What made the key players arrive at such an agreement? And can this deal be implemented?

Rajorshi Roy
April 24, 2014
IDSA Comments

Foreign Direct Investment Policy 2014: Status Quo for the Defence Sector

One of the provisions in the policy is that in the Information & Broadcasting and the Defence sectors, where the sectoral cap is less than 49 per cent, the company would need to be ‘owned and controlled’ by resident Indian citizens and Indian companies, which, in turn, are owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens. This is a virtual impossibility.

Amit Cowshish
April 23, 2014
IDSA Comments

Where is Ukraine headed to?

It is unlikely that Russia has serious plans to invade Ukraine and there is no reason to believe that EU or even US really wants a war. Yet, US, and perhaps Russia too, are prepared to play brinkmanship and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that there can be a war that nobody wanted.

K. P. Fabian
April 23, 2014
IDSA Comments

China’s 2014 Defence Budget: An Assessment

Following on Xi Jinping vision of ‘fight war, win war’, the Chinese military spending is shifting towards higher technology weapons and equipment and training and also illustrates its aim to institute reforms related to troop’s operational commands, organisation and training.

M.S. Prathibha
April 21, 2014
IDSA Comments

For Now, it is Ballot over Bullet in Afghanistan

It is not merely about change in leadership; it is about ushering the country into a ‘decade of transformation’. The most immediate challenge before the incumbent government and the relevant election and security institutions is to sustain and strengthen the people’s engagement in the process.

Vishal Chandra
April 18, 2014
IDSA Comments

The New Soldier in the Age of Asymmetric Conflict, by Rumu Sarkar

Asymmetric warfare has existed from the time of the famous tale of David and Goliath. Post-World War II, the world has witnessed these conflicts in Vietnam, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The United States (US) is currently the sole superpower, and even countries with strong armed forces are developing asymmetric capabilities to respond to military threats posed by the US. Countries like China, Russia, Israel, Syria and India have to respond to asymmetric challenges which require innovative tactics in comparison to regular conventional warfare.

Proxy Warfare, by Andrew Mumford, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013

Proxy war, over the centuries, has become a significant attribute in shaping the desired strategic outcome of a conflict through indirect engagement. History is strewn with numerous conflicts where proxy war has been used by states to achieve their strategic goals without committing their own troops, resources and finances. Although large research material is available on contemporary warfare, international relations and related security studies, there is, however, a void existing in analysing proxy warfare and its tenets. This book by Andrew Mumford is a serious effort to bridge this gap.

Red Revolution 2020 and Beyond: Strategic Challenges to Resolve Naxalism, by V.K. Ahluwalia, New Delhi: Bloomsbury

Literature on the Maoist movement continues to pour in. The government too has officially described it as the biggest threat to the internal security of the country. No wonder that scholars of different hues are making their contribution.

India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy: An Inside View of Decision-making, by General V.P. Malik, Noida: Harper Collins

The book is a good example of chorological tabulation through a method of historical narrative of events of significant strategic decision making in the military history of post-independent India. General V.P.

Marine Eco-concern and its Impact on the Indian Maritime Strategy

Maritime strategic planning cannot be done in isolation of marine eco-concerns. Marine species are known to perceive the environment around them through acoustic signals, and depend on sound for numerous functions like foraging, communication and navigation. Noise as a pollutant has found scant reference in the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) document of 1982—the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is yet to include noise as a pollutant in its 1978 MARPOL Convention.