IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

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...

Exit Points and the Updation of Cold Start Doctrine

The Army Commander’s conference is a much looked forward to biannual feature in the strategic calendar. The occasion, and like conferences in the other two services, is used by the...

Ali Ahmed |
April 22, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India and Kuwait: New Hopes and Aspirations

The recent three day visit of Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari to Kuwait fills a three decade diplomatic gap between the two countries. The visit was highly successful to the...

Zakir Hussain |
April 22, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Growing al Qaeda Threat in Yemen

Yemen has witnessed a number of al Qaeda-led activities in recent weeks. A suicide bomber killed four South Korean tourists in the city of Shibam in Hadramaut province on March...

Af-Pak Plan: Responding to Holbrooke’s Diplomacy

Much as the text of Obama’s new ‘Af-Pak’ plan echoes India’s traditional concerns, it may turn out to be contrary to India’s interest with unseen implications in the longer term....

P. Stobdan |
April 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Resolution of Tibet a will-o’-the-wisp

For decades, the issue of Tibetan autonomy has been a bone of contention between China and the Tibetan government in exile. While Beijing considers Tibet an integral part of China,...

Pranamita Baruah |
April 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Domestic Support, National Interest and the US War on Terror

Pakistan’s counter-terrorism performance has received much attention. However, the United States’ capacity to sustain the ‘War on Terror’ needs greater attention, because Washington is the principal state leading the global...

Kartik Bommakanti |
April 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

North Korea continues to defy the world

True to its planned schedule, North Korea defied warnings from the international community on 5 April 2009, launching a rocket capable of reaching Alaska and Hawaii. As was expected, it...

Rajaram Panda |
April 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Israel’s Iran Dilemma

As the new government headed by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu takes charge in Jerusalem, it seems that there are no easy solutions to what Israel perceives to be its central...

S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
April 08, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

North Korea in International Limelight over its Space Development Programme

North East Asia’s fragile peace is being threatened by North Korea’s planned launch between 4 and 8 April over Japanese territory of a communication satellite. The US and its allies...

Injecting New Dynamism in US-Australia Ties

Labour Party Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, has been in office for nearly one and a half years after his unexpected victory over John Howard in late 2007. For...

Nepal: New ‘Strategic Partner’ of China?

There has been a major shift in China’s foreign policy towards Nepal since the Maoist ascendance to power. China had earlier adopted a policy of ‘non-intervention’ in the internal matters...

Nihar R. Nayak |
March 30, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Obama’s Overtures to Iran

US President Barack Obama’s landmark appeal to the Iranian people for a shift away from decades of confrontation was a significant move in the right direction. Obama’s videotaped message on...

M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi |
March 30, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Japan’s Response to Sea Piracy

In its efforts to check the piracy menace, Japan deployed two Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) destroyers - Sazanami and Samidare - on March 14, 2009 in the Gulf of...

Pranamita Baruah |
March 30, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Needless Apprehensions about the CISF (Amendment) Act 2008

The Indian Parliament has recently passed the Central Industrial Security Force (Amendment) Bill 2008, paving the way for the government to provide Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) security to private...

Om Shankar Jha |
March 19, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Volatility in Japanese Politics Intensifies following fundraising Scandal

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and projected to be the man most likely to become Japan’s next prime minister, has become dangerously entangled in an...

Rajaram Panda |
March 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Sheikh Hasina’s Regional Anti-Terror Task Force Unlikely to Takeoff

Counter-terrorism and elimination of religious extremism were important parts of Sheikh Hasina’s election manifesto. But the concern about terrorism is not limited to top Awami League leaders and is also...

Anand Kumar |
March 16, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Obama’s New Engagement Policy Towards Japan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent four-stop swing through Asia – Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China – in her first tour as Secretary of State represented a strong...

Rajaram Panda |
March 09, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Complicity of State Actors in Chittagong Arms Haul Case Revealed

India’s position stands vindicated. It had for long maintained that not only have insurgents from the north east found safe havens in Bangladeshi soil but that they have enjoyed the...

Sreeradha Datta |
March 09, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Consequences of the BDR Mutiny

The mutiny by the troops of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on 26 February 26 was extraordinarily brutal. The mutiny toll was about 81 with 72 still missing. Many of these were...

Arvind Gupta |
March 09, 2009 |
IDSA Comments