IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

The 2009 National Elections: Signals from the Kashmir Valley

Elections in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, be they for the state legislature or Parliament, have become the symbol around which the contest for legitimacy between the separatists and...

Arpita Anant |
June 02, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

The Role of Science Fiction in Strategic Thinking

The recent publication and controversy over STRATFOR founder George Friedman's The Next 100 Years, with its forecasts of war and new space technology reminds us all to consider the value...

Peter Garretson |
May 26, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Economic Downturn: Options for MoD

The present global economic crisis has slowed down the growth of the Indian economy, affecting among others, the fiscal situation and the revenue mobilisation potential of the central government. Defence...

Sino-Japanese relations warming up following Aso’s Beijing Sojourn

On the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso paid an official visit to China on April 29-30. This was Aso’s first official visit to China...

Pranamita Baruah |
May 22, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Learning the right lessons on the just concluded counter insurgency operations in Sri Lanka

The death of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) leader Prabhakran closes a chapter in the first counter insurgency success of the 21st century by military means. A greater...

P. K. Gautam |
May 22, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Space as the Source of Our Future Energy

The idea is to launch giant orbiting solar collectors into space, where there is no night, and beam the power to receivers on the ground, where it is fed as...

Peter Garretson |
May 22, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India Finishes Destruction of its CW Arsenal

This destruction of CWs under the watchful eyes of international inspectors by strictly following a declared roadmap could be said to be a feather in the cap for India’s overall...

Ajey Lele |
May 21, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India needs to watch the evolving US position on nuclear issues

On April 5, 2009, President Barack Obama delivered a landmark speech in Prague in which he outlined the US policy on nuclear weapons. Speaking of the need to reduce the...

Arvind Gupta |
May 19, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Terrorism, ideology and misconceptions

Terrorism is at the forefront of international politics and is a major crisis of our age. Not found in pre-modern times, this phenomenon finds its root in ideological movements and...

The Indian Military and the Environment

Environmental degradation, climate change and ozone depletion are complex challenges which need to be addressed by society. The equipment intensive military with high budgets, fossil fuel consumption, and extensive use...

P. K. Gautam |
May 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

China’s Inroads into Nepal: India’s Concerns

The political crisis that triggered off in Nepal with Prime Minster Prachanda’s resignation yet again indicates not only the trials and tribulations of a fledgling democratic process but also points...

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis March 2009

Consequent to the peace deals signed by the Pakistani state with Taliban, the number of terror-related incidents in March came down in regions, which have been afflicted with violence in...

Nepal: Precarious Peace Process

Ever since the peace agreement signed between the Maoists and Nepal government in 2006, Nepal has been in the middle of political crisis delaying the constitution making process. The recent...

Nihar R. Nayak |
May 14, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Rafale: the doomed French bird

Is the French 4th+generation fighter aircraft doomed? This question must be anguishing people in Dassault and the French government. The Rafale has not won any contract in the export market...

Guillem Monsonis |
May 14, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Food Price Rise: An Ethanol Twist

The recent food price inflation leading to food insecurity has been one of the immediate and striking outcomes of the recent oil price spikes and the global financial meltdown. This...

Zakir Hussain |
May 14, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Masses in Flight: The Crisis of Internal Displacement in Sri Lanka

The exodus from the conflict zone in Sri Lanka as well as the plight of those still trapped in it have not only become a major focus of international attention,...

M. Mayilvaganan |
May 05, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

New Challenges Confront ASEAN

The collapse of the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya (Thailand) on April 11 following anti-government protests tarnished Thailand’s image. It also brought the regional group’s age-old policy of non-interference in the...

Pranamita Baruah |
May 04, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis February 2009

Highlight of the month was the peace deal signed by the NWFP government with the founder of Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e- Mohammadi (TNSM), Sufi Mohammad. The deal did bring some ‘peace’...

Fighting the Taliban : Challenges for Pakistan Army

Rise of the Taliban in the frontier provinces of Pakistan portends several challenges to the Pakistan establishment, a fact that has lately raised much alarm and concern amongst the international...

Harinder Singh |
May 01, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Obama First 100 Days: Inherited Challenges and the Legacy Tripod

April 29 marked the first 100 days of the presidency of Barack Obama. Urgency, pragmatism and engagement have marked his method of tackling the enormous challenges bequeathed to him by...