The Economic Consequences of Military Rule in Myanmar The recent public protests against the general price rise in Myanmar and the government crack down once again drew the world’s attention to the plight of the Myanmarese. But the focus has generally been on the political aspects, particularly the possibility of peaceful reconciliation and subsequent installation of a democratic government. In contrast, this paper attempts to peep into the economic aspects of military rule and its impact on the general public and concludes with certain possible implications for neighbouring countries like India. N. Neihsial January 28, 2008 IDSA Comments
Conscription is not the answer Shortage of officers, especially in junior ranks of the Indian Army, has been engaging the attention of policy planners, the public and the media. Armed forces reflect the society from which they are recruited and enrolled. With economic liberalisation and globalization, job opportunities for the educated youth have increased manifold. Traditional professions such as the civil service and the military do not seem to be very popular among the youth. Corporate India has now provided an environment for entrepreneurship. P. K. Gautam January 25, 2008 IDSA Comments
Understanding the Economics of Defence Procurement “It’s about time that the bureaucrats in the MOD and the military leadership in the Service Headquarters opted not only to do ‘the right things’ but also to do ‘the things right’ in as far as the procurement process is concerned.” - Defence & Technology, July/August 2007, p. 13. N. Neihsial January 25, 2008 IDSA Comments
Beyond the Arab-Iranian Divide in the Gulf In an interesting development, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) invited Iran for the first time last month to attend its summit meeting held in Doha. The GCC was established in 1981 to foster multilateral co-operation in the Persian Gulf, but had adopted an exclusionary policy vis-à-vis Iran though the latter was an important actor in regional politics and economy. The invitation to Iran seems to point to a GCC initiative to overcome differences and act together for the larger good of the region. M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi January 23, 2008 IDSA Comments
South Korea under Lee Myung-bak The 17th South Korean Presidential elections were concluded on December 19, 2007. The last serving President Roh Moo-hyun could not contest these elections as he had completed two terms in office. Roh Moo-hyun belonged to the Centrist Reformists Democratic Party, formerly called Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), or Saecheonnyeon Minju-dang, but changed its name to the present form on May 6, 2005. The MDP lost popularity when Roh was impeached in March 2004 by the National Assembly for illegal electioneering and incompetence. Gunjan Singh January 22, 2008 IDSA Comments
Chinese Cyber War In 2007 Chinese hackers gained notoriety in the US after a series of cyber intrusions, including one involving Pentagon systems. Though China denies involvement and the US is reluctant to make it public, the reason for suspecting China stems from the history of Chinese hacking since 2001, when a Chinese hacker community, Honker Union, declared cyber war on US government and business. Since then, there has been a series of Chinese hacking operations. Hayoun Ryou January 22, 2008 IDSA Comments
Disaster Management: The WMD Dimension Some Preliminary Observations Armed forces across the world are closely involved in handling natural calamities, which is accepted as part of their non-military duties, and are no less important for… Continue reading Disaster Management: The WMD Dimension P. R. Chari January - March 2008 CBW Magazine
Looking Beyond Nuclear Weapons The year 2008 started with oil prices touching a historic high of US $100 a barrel. This is partly a reflection of the high demand for energy. Today, many countries are factoring ‘energy’ into their planning, be it hydrocarbons or other forms of energy. But in the case of India it appears that its energy future would be decided more by politics than actual energy needs. In the first week of 2008, an Indian delegation has completed the third round of negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) on India-specific nuclear safeguards. Ajey Lele January 15, 2008 IDSA Comments
India’s Border in the Northeast: From Buffer to Bridge There has been a qualitative shift in recent years in the way policy makers perceive borders and border areas. Borders are increasingly being seen as facilitators of easy circulation of goods and people rather physical obstructions. And border regions have transformed from underdeveloped buffer zones to bridges between neighbouring countries. This change in attitude is one factor that has contributed to India’s recent commitment to construct a port in Sittwe. Pushpita Das January 14, 2008 IDSA Comments
Awareness and Preparedness is the Key to Survival Modern man is living in a violent world and under an undeniable threshold of rising societal violence. As a result, people are already preparing against various forms of violence. On… Continue reading Awareness and Preparedness is the Key to Survival Ram V Athavale January - March 2008 CBW Magazine
