IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

The Intangibles of the India-US Strategic Partnership

With elections looming large in both countries and the Indo-US nuclear deal facing its moment of truth, the inevitable question will arise as to who has gained how much from...

Cherian Samuel |
June 16, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Bangladesh: Fixing the Democratic Future

The release of Sheikh Hasina on ‘parole’ for two months has generated hope for the stalled political dialogue and uncertainty over the scheduled Parliamentary elections in December 2008. The Awami...

Chinese Checkers in the Himalayas

In a disturbing sign, the Chinese seem to have brought up Sikkim and not Arunachal Pradesh back to the table during the recent visit of Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee to...

P. Stobdan |
June 13, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Implications of Peace Deals in Pakistan’s Wild West

As the new political dispensation in Pakistan negotiates new deals with militants in the country’s Pakhtoon belt, it is causing consternation among its neighbours. The deals have been signed in...

Alok Bansal |
June 13, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Imperative of PLA Integration into the Nepal Army

Integration of Maoists combatants into the Nepal Army (NA) has become a contentious issue. Despite the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections and the declaration of Nepal as a Republic, a new...

Nihar R. Nayak |
June 13, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Interstate Border Disputes in the Northeast

At a time when the India-China border dispute is hogging the limelight and causing unease in the Indian establishment, many festering inter-state border disputes in the Northeast that are sowing...

Pushpita Das |
June 12, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Will Success in the East Pave the Way for Peace and Stability in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka’s Eastern province is transitioning to a new era. First came Karuna’s exit and subsequent co-operation with the government in Colombo. This was followed by the expulsion of the...

M. Mayilvaganan |
June 12, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Flexibility in Political Dialogue Needed to Avert Chaos in Bangladesh

In the ongoing mass arrests in Bangladesh, nearly 20,000 people have been put behind bars. These arrests started on May 28, 2008 after the ban on political activity was lifted....

Anand Kumar |
June 11, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Terrorist Attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad

On June 2, terrorists exploded a car-bomb outside the Embassy of Denmark in the high-security diplomatic area of Islamabad. The explosion instantaneously killed eight people, injured more than twenty five...

Problems with Arms Imports

Recent announcements of major arms acquisition programmes by the Indian government must have given a sense of elation to the armed forces, which have been waiting for long for some...

N. Neihsial |
June 03, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

The Chlorine Gas Leak at Jamshedpur

On the afternoon of May 27, the people of Jamshedpur were caught unaware. They were exposed to a dense, pale green, pungent and poisonous gas, Chlorine. This gas had leaked...

Monalisa Joshi |
May 31, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Defence Budget as a Strategic Tool of National Security

The practice of converting defence plans into publicly known defence budget is essentially a practice of democratic governments. One reason for public disclosure of defence spending could be that tax...

N. Neihsial |
May 30, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Who are the “Indian Mujahideen”?

At least nine co-ordinated blasts rocked Jaipur on May 13, 2008, killing more than 70 people and injuring 200. Subsequently, a little known Islamic militant group, Indian Mujahideen (henceforth IM),...

The India-Pakistan Bonhomie Continues

The review of the composite bilateral dialogue process by the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan on May 22 at Islamabad was significant in many ways. This was the first...

Pakistan’s Peace Deals with Islamic militants: Lull before the Storm

The new ANP-led provincial government in NWFP signed a peace deal with the Islamic militants of Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) led by Maulana Fazlullah, on May 21, 2008. The deal is the...

Alok Bansal |
May 28, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

The Need to Regulate Pakistan’s Use of Covert Action

Ever since the new democratically elected government assumed office in Pakistan, analysts have drawn up exhaustive priority lists of tasks before it. These range from restoring civilian pre-eminence over the...

Satinder K. Saini |
May 28, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Lessons of Jaipur

The Indian reaction to the terrorist attacks in Jaipur has so far been quite predictable. As usual the media has congratulated the citizens of Jaipur for ‘resilience’ and maintaining communal...

Hu’s Visit to Japan

Sino-Japanese relations were in the doldrums for the past decade because of the repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. One consequence was a...

Gunjan Singh |
May 28, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

NATO’s Bucharest Summit

At the NATO Summit in Bucharest, Ukraine and Georgia’s loss became Russia’s overall gain. Ukraine and Georgia wanted to get the invitation for the pre-membership programme in NATO, which is...

Increasing Violence in the Assam Hills

The hill district of Assam, North Cachar Hills (N.C. Hills), has been recently in the news all too often but for the wrong reasons. Known for its pristine mountainous landscape...

Namrata Goswami |
May 26, 2008 |
IDSA Comments