Critical Issues in Indian Politics: India’s Foreign Policy, edited by Kanti P. Bajpai and Harsh V. Pant Critical Issues in Indian Politics: India’s National Security, edited by Kanti P. Bajpai and Harsh V. Pant Indian foreign policy has made tremendous progress since the collapse ofthe Berlin Wall. Today, India is being seen as an important regional powerand a responsible global player. It is the goal of India’s foreign policy toachieve major power status for the country in the international arena.This ambition has been a common thread in the policies of all politicaldispensations to have ruled the country. To achieve this stated goal, Indianeeds to be pragmatic and instead of being guided by the past, it has tolook at safeguarding its interest in the future. Stuti Banerjee January 2014 Journal of Defence Studies
Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb, by Feroz Hassan Khan Brigadier Feroz Hassan Khan (Retd) brings to bear the right credentialsto this six year effort under review. The career Pakistan Army officer andJohns Hopkins University graduate (1989–91), currently a faculty memberof the Naval Postgraduate School, Moneterey, California, spent the lastdecade of his 32 year service (he retired in 2001) dealing with nuclearissues in key positions. S. Samuel C. Rajiv January 2014 Journal of Defence Studies
New Perspective for Oceanographic Studies in the Indian Ocean Region India’s location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) compels it to play a larger strategic role in the region. The growing energy needs of China—with the Gulf continuing to be its most preferred source—further causes the Chinese merchant fleet to transit the IOR. To ensure uninterrupted supply of energy resource, the Chinese have started to increase their presence in the region and this has, in turn, encouraged the Americans to also deploy their marine assets in the region. Arnab Das January 2014 Journal of Defence Studies
Directed Energy Weapons for the Indian Armed Forces Military planners believe that the ‘blast and fragmentation’ type conventional weapons cannot advance much further technologically.The next chapter in weapons technology development is expected to be realized from Directed Energy weapons (DEWs). It can be assumed that by 2035, DEWs consisting of laser, microwave and millimeter waves can reach current performance levels of the existing kinetic energy weapons(KEWs) and conventional weapons. While these will co-exist with KEWs,a non-DEW option would have a debilitating effect on the defence preparedness of any nation. Bishwajit Bose January 2014 Journal of Defence Studies
China’s Gorbachov Angst Till China’s economy gallops along developing at 9 per cent annually, there is little chance that domestic dissidence will get out of hand. But China’s Gorbachov moment will arrive if either the economy begins to slow down and shows irretrievable signs of faltering or China suffers a major foreign policy and military fiasco as did the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. R. S. Kalha January 16, 2014 IDSA Comments
Measures for Improving Management of National Security Foremost on the government’s defence and national security reforms agenda should be the formulation of a comprehensive National Security Strategy (NSS), including that for internal security. The NSS should be formulated after carrying out an inter-departmental, inter-agency, multi-disciplinary strategic defence review and must take the public into confidence. Gurmeet Kanwal January 16, 2014 IDSA Comments
Post-CHOGM Dilemmas of Rajapaksa There is a view in Lanka that CHOGM did more harm than good and many, in fact, are questioning the wisdom of the government to host the meet. However, the pro-government media is defiant with editorials strongly denouncing the threat of international investigation as interference of Sri Lanka’s internal affairs and it is expected to galvanize popular support for Rajapaksa. Gulbin Sultana January 15, 2014 IDSA Comments
A Fractured Peace Achieving a lasting and successful peace would involve addressing the root causes of the tension and a commitment to keeping peace. The world is looking to see how the youngest nation can prove that rebel movements can not only win freedom, but also sustain it. George Thomas January-March 2014 Africa Trends
African Countries and the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka The vote reflected a geopolitical contest wherein the West still has considerable influence and the Chinese influence is on the rise. The discussion and the voting pattern of the African countries also revealed their deep sense of resentment at the West for using the issue of human rights as an excuse against them. Saurabh Mishra January-March 2014 Africa Trends
Crisis in Central African Republic The UN resolution comes not a moment too soon but the actual deployment of troops is still a few months away as modalities about the troop contributing nations and funding are yet to be figured out. The crisis is of a disturbing magnitude but a swift and effective response may still pull the country back from the verge of complete collapse Divita Shandilya January-March 2014 Africa Trends
