Yury Gagarin and Space Rivalry On the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s space flight, the space scenario appears to be at a crossroads. Because of the economic and other geopolitical compulsions, major powers are found trading cautiously. Ajey Lele April 20, 2011 IDSA Comments
Time to Reassure Nepal S.M. Krishna should reassure the people of Nepal that India has always acted in the interests of the Nepalese people and that it has no intention to interfere in the internal politics of the country. Ashok K. Behuria , Nihar R. Nayak April 19, 2011 IDSA Comments
Outcome Budgeting for Naval Dockyards The Indian Navy (IN) has one Naval Dockyard (ND) each at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and one Naval Ship Repair Yard (NSRY) each at Kochi, Port Blair and Karwar. The repair and refit requirements of IN ships and submarines are collectively met by the above mentioned repair agencies. NDs have the capacity and capability to handle Major Refits (MR). The Operational-cum-Refit cycle of each ship / class of ship is promulgated by IHQ MoD (N) from time to time. Gaurav Gautan , KA Sureshan April 2011 Journal of Defence Studies
Japan Continues to Battle Fukushima Nuclear Crisis After the threat level for the Fukushima plant was raised from 5 to 7, Japan’s claims about the situation getting stabilised are being received with a degree of scepticism. Rajaram Panda April 18, 2011 IDSA Comments
Reconciling AFSPA with the Legal Spheres The present paper analyses and examines the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in respect of legal aspects. It first discusses it in terms of domestic law, international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. Given India’s obligations under international human rights instruments going beyond domestic law is necessary in any such discussion. Ensuring complementarity between the Act in its application in armed conflicts and IHL, would contribute towards making the Act more ‘humane’. The second part discusses the Act from security perspectives. Ali Ahmed April 2011 Journal of Defence Studies
Restructuring the Indian Armed Forces This paper broadly deals with two important aspects. First, it analyses various security challenges that India is facing at present; and second, it examines the need for restructuring the Indian Armed Forces to address these security challenges. It explains that India is in a two front situation with China to the G. D. Bakshi April 2011 Journal of Defence Studies
Positive Prospects for Limited War in South Asia There is sufficient space for India to wage a limited war against Pakistan. Fears of escalation to the nuclear realm are grossly exaggerated by the critics of limited war, who ignore or misinterpret several factors (such as nuclear deterrence and international pressure) that would prevent conflict expansion in South Asia. While the current level of political-diplomatic-military planning in India lacks the capacity to meet the essential tenets of limited war, this can change and the requisite conditions can be achieved through better synergy and collaboration between different spheres. Rahul Garg April 2011 Journal of Defence Studies
Enhancing Self-Esteem of the Soldier This paper attempts to address the increasing challenges faced by the Army -both individually for the soldier and collectively as an organization. It is an attempt to balance the soldier’s individual need for personal growth and development, optimizing his potential, as well as the military’s need for mission effectiveness. Samir Rawat April 2011 Journal of Defence Studies
India’s Response to the Libyan Crisis Since there was no clarity about the end goals of this operation, it would have been difficult for the Indian government to communicate and justify its support for this resolution to its domestic constituency. Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastav April 13, 2011 Issue Brief
Nexus of Drug Trafficking and Militancy Exposed at New Delhi Drug trafficking has become a major source of funding for armed groups in the north east and contributes to the continuance of militancy in the region. Shivananda H April 13, 2011 IDSA Comments