IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

Is the BDR Mutiny a Conspiracy?

The mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers which started on February 25, 2009 with the brutal killing of army officers has sent shock waves through Dhaka. Even though many in...

Smruti S. Pattanaik |
March 05, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

The Obama Administration and China

Prior to the Democrats coming to power the Chinese Communist Party believed that the Barack Obama administration will push harder on Human Rights and other sensitive issues. The stability in...

Gunjan Singh |
March 05, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Initiatives to transform the Army Officer Corps

The defence forces have prided themselves in their consistent engagement with the frontiers of their profession. This is an index of their professionalism. India’s military, in particular, is rated highest...

Ali Ahmed |
March 05, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza and Some Limitations of International Law

Notwithstanding calls for the establishment of an independent and international commission of inquiry to investigate war crimes committed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups...

S. R. Subramanian |
March 04, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Actions against Outsourcing: Missing the Wood for the Trees

The related issues of H1B visas and outsourcing have once again come to the fore and could prove to be a troublesome issue in India-US relations. In his address to...

Cherian Samuel |
March 03, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

China’s Naval Force Projection off Somalia

Call it China’s new military diplomacy or emerging naval strategy. A Chinese naval fleet arrived in the Gulf of Aden off the Somalian coast on January 6, 2009 to carry...

S. Rajasimman |
March 02, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis January 2009

The first month of the new calendar year saw a reversal of the trend of declining casualties witnessed during the last three months, whilst the incidents of violence continued to...

Iran Enters the Space Arena

One year ago, in February 2008, Iran launched a sounding rocket into outer space to mark the opening of its first space centre. This rocket essentially belonged to the ‘category’...

Ajey Lele |
February 20, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Maoists’ Attacks on Infrastructure

Rebels of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have been repeatedly targeting infrastructure, which are soft targets. The targets of their attacks include telecommunication towers, Railways and power transmission centres...

P. V. Ramana |
February 20, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

A.Q. Khan’s Acquittal

Though anticipated, the timing of the Islamabad High Court’s verdict to release disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan from house arrest has surprised many, since it came days before the first...

A. Vinod Kumar |
February 20, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Unholy alliance in North-East India

Although insurgency in several areas of the North-East region of India has declined, external manipulation and support to insurgency in Assam, the most populous State in the region, continues to...

M. Amarjeet Singh |
February 19, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India’s Defence Budget 2009-10: An Assessment

In its interim budget for 2009-10 the Union Government has allocated Rs. 1,41,703 crores for the country’ Defence Services that include three Armed Forces (i.e., the Army, the Navy and...

Laxman Kumar Behera |
February 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

India and Kazakhstan: New Ways Ahead

The fourth consecutive visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev culminated in his being the chief guest at India’s 60th Republic Day parade. This shows the increasing importance India attaches to its...

Zakir Hussain |
February 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

There can be no “grand bargain” with terrorism

In a report titled “President Obama’s Policy Options in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)”, Hassan Aabbas, Fellow at the Michigan-based Institute for Policy and Understanding (ISPM), argues that the...

Arvind Gupta |
February 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Enlisting Myanmar’s help in tackling North East Guerrillas

Vice President Hamid Ansari’s four-day visit to Myanmar from February 5 to 8, 2009 was significant for business matters as India and Myanmar signed agreements with regard to Tata Motors...

Namrata Goswami |
February 18, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Pakistan’s Water Wars with India?

In a surprise move, Pakistan has once gain spawned the water issue on a political fast-track against India.

P. Stobdan |
February 13, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis December 2008

Amidst apprehensions of a conflict between India and Pakistan after attacks on Mumbai on 26 November, as Pakistani security forces ostensibly diverted their attention from the Western to the Eastern...

Bhasha Dam: A Tomb Stone of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Aspirations

This year Pakistan is facing an acute water shortage and the shortage during the current Rabi crop is estimated to be around 35 to 40 per cent, which will adversely...

Priyanka Singh , Alok Bansal |
January 31, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Indus Water Treaty: Zardari ups the ante on Water Issues

In an article published by Washington Post on January 28, 2009, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari hinted that Pakistan regards water as a major issue in bilateral relations with India....

Arvind Gupta |
January 30, 2009 |
IDSA Comments

Indo-US Missile Defence Cooperation: Hype or Happening?

In early January 2009, the Financial Times reported “preliminary talks” between US and India on possible sale of systems for an Indian ballistic missile defence (BMD) shield. The daily quoted...

A. Vinod Kumar |
January 30, 2009 |
IDSA Comments