Future of Golden BRICS With the successful holding of the fifth summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in Durban during March 26–27, 2013, this influential group of emerging economies completed its first important phase of genesis and evolution. The idea was floated in 2001 as an ‘acronym’ created by an investment banker of Goldman Sachs, Jim O'Neil who believed that the fast-growing economies of Brazil, Russia, China and India would be the single greatest game changers in coming times. Swaran Singh | July 2013 | Strategic Analysis
President Obama’s New National Security Team United States President Barack Obama's new national security team for his second term in office was finally put in place at the end of February. It is an impressive team of men who share Obama's worldview and seem likely to accept the White House lead preferred by this president. The one woman, Susan Rice, added to the team as National Security Adviser in May reinforces the public image of foreign policy shaped by Obama. Surjit Mansingh | July 2013 | Strategic Analysis
Fear, Interest and Honour: The Thucydidean Trinity and India’s Asia Policy Nearly 2,500 years ago the Greek historian Thucydides noted that the foreign policy of Athens was driven by fear, interest and honour. S. Kalyanaraman | July 2013 | Strategic Analysis
Security Situation in J&K: A Reality Check The June 24 ambush in J&K accomplished with proficiency and high level of coordination exposes the deceptive calm often showcased in the context of large number of tourists visiting the state. Vivek Chadha | June 28, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Making Sense of the Rouhani Presidency The elections in Iran defied most prediction but the Rouhani Presidency is unlikely to see any major changes expect possibly for a change of nuance. R. S. Kalha | June 28, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Significance and Implications of Shenzhou 10 The launch of Shenzhou 10 is a crucial step towards fulfilling China’s plans of building a space station by the year 2020 and equally an important part of China's rise. Gunjan Singh | June 24, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Calling Elections in Nepal The election commission has started making necessary preparations and the political parties are already out on the hustings. But the road to elections is not without hitches. Post Bahadur Basnet | June 24, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Does China Mix Business with Politics? China maintains a twin track relationship with most countries. While its political differences are handled diplomatically it has continued to engage such nations economically. Mandip Singh | June 21, 2013 | Issue Brief
Understanding Kautilya’s Four Upayas The four upayas are not well studied by scholars and are often used in a casual manner, particularly misquoting Kautilya. It is important to locate the text of traditional indigenous knowledge in their correct context. P. K. Gautam | June 20, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Time-out for ‘Services’ from Offsets The temporary abeyance of ‘services’ as a valid means of discharging the offset obligation could prove to be exasperating for the foreign vendors and the prospective IOPs. Amit Cowshish | June 19, 2013 | IDSA Comments
