IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

Warnings from Madhya Pradesh

A few weeks ago Sunday Express reported that the Madhya Pradesh Hunger Index at 30.9 was worse than that of Ethiopia. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, its two neighbours, were only marginally...

Ramesh Phadke |
September 04, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis May 2009

The month of May 2009 was the most violent month in Pakistan in the last five years. As the security forces launched a concerted operation against the Taliban in Malakand...

T. Khurshchev Singh , Alok Bansal |
September 02, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Political Change in Japan: Implications for Foreign and Defence Policies

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), an ensemble of liberals and conservatives, has unseated the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) in the general elections held on August 30, ending the LDP’s...

Shamshad A. Khan |
August 31, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Demarcate the India-Nepal Border

Though tensions between India and Nepal over a few disputed pockets along the border have persisted for more than three decades, the first half of 2009 witnessed an increase in...

Pushpita Das |
August 31, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Tackling the Naxal Threat

With the killing of three women and a nine-year old girl, absurdly described as a police informer, the Naxals have lost any moral justification that they may have had to...

Ramesh Phadke |
August 31, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Japan rethinks its pacifist security policy

Japan seems set to overhaul its pacifist security policy with the ongoing formulation of a new National Defense Programme Guidelines (NDPG) for fiscal 2010-2014. The NDPG lays out Japan’s basic...

Shamshad A. Khan |
August 27, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India’s response to the next terror attack

“There is credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out fresh attacks. The area of operation of these terrorists today extends far beyond the confines...

Ali Ahmed |
August 26, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Iranian Upheaval and Implications for Indian Policy

Iran has unfortunately witnessed a deep political upheaval in the wake of recent Presidential elections leading to vertical polarization among its ruling elite between two major factions, one led by...

P. Stobdan |
August 25, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Racial Profiling: An absurd drama

Incidents of racial profiling of Indian citizens at American airports have been reported time and again. The latest incident of ‘secondary questioning’ of a film star whom the United States...

The imperative of a national government in Nepal

Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who heads a twenty-two party coalition government, chose India for his first official foreign visit after assuming office two months back. This ‘goodwill’ visit...

Smruti S. Pattanaik |
August 24, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Afghan Presidential Elections: The Quest for Change

As a harbinger of change in a conflict ridden country, the Afghan presidential elections being held on August 20 are important for both the people of Afghanistan and the international...

Challenges Before New Government in Indonesia

A Constitutional court recently dismissed a petition about alleged electoral irregularities filed by opposition presidential candidates Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jusuf Kalla. The decision effectively clears the decks for a second...

Pankaj K Jha |
August 19, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Afghanistan: Stability on the Cheap?

Eight winters since the launch of Enduring Freedom, the turmoil in Afghanistan continues. When contrasted with the progress in Iraqi Freedom, the gloom only deepens. Having applied the necessary mid-...

Raj Shukla |
August 17, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

“Reclaiming Nubra” – Locals Shunning Pakistani Influences

The liberation of Turtuk block and Siachen glacier in 1971 and 1984 respectively eliminated any threats that could have come from Pakistan having a contiguous border with China along the...

Senge H. Sering |
August 17, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India, Australia and ‘Curry Bashing’

In early August, India’s Minister for External Affairs S. M. Krishna visited Australia as part of his trip to attend the Pacific Island Forum meeting, held in Cairns. India is...

Rahul Mishra |
August 17, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Swine Flu: A National Security Issue

The security architecture of any state is normally based on traditional concepts like dealing with issues related to war and peace. This is no longer true in the 21st century...

Ajey Lele |
August 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Sino US Climate Pact: Context, text and subtext

The United States and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral cooperation on energy, climate change and environment during their recently concluded strategic and economic dialogue (SED). This...

Avinash Godbole |
August 10, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Sharm Al-Sheikh Indo-Pak Joint Statement: A Different Perspective

As the din and the dust raised by the Sharm al-Sheikh document settles down, it seems to be opening new possibilities for India to effectively deal with the emerging situation...

P. K. Upadhyay |
August 07, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis April 2009

April saw the foot soldiers of Taliban moving to Buner and Dir, after consolidating their position in Swat. The march of Taliban to Buner, which is separated from Islamabad just...

Two Trucks and One Jeep

In a reality check to the wild celebrations that broke out in Pakistan after the Supreme Court declared ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ the emergency that was imposed by General Pervez Musharraf...

Sushant Sareen |
August 05, 2009 |
IDSA Comments