President Obama should make his stance clear on the issues of nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan and perhaps take up the issue with Hu Jintao when he visits Washington DC early next year.
The current predicament the Military finds itself in can be used constructively by the Services and the government for undertaking the necessary correctives with a sense of urgency and obligation.
The meeting between Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on 28-29 October has brought about a warming of the atmosphere and may lead to progress in Sino-Indian relations.
China’s moves concerning Kashmir evoke apprehension regarding retrogressive changes in its Kashmir policy, designed to give it a hold over India. The best case scenario for China is that the Kashmir issue is never resolved; and if this issue inches towards any kind of resolution, that China should be considered a party to the Kashmir dispute.
People in India have traditionally looked up to the Armed Forces. Corruption in the Armed Forces therefore militates against the spirit of service to the nation. It has to be cleansed wholesale, with effective mechanisms for protecting whistleblowers and taking swift action against the guilty put in place. Caesar’s wife must be beyond reproach.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited Beijing on October 16 – 21 to discuss cooperation in manned space flight. While one swallow does not make a summer, it may signal that the US may be considering greater engagement with China in outer space, particularly manned flight.
The fruits of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan can be seen in the conclusion of negotiations on the long-pending CEPA, start of the negotiations on a civil nuclear pact and sharing of views on Afghanistan, UN reform, and on engaging China as a responsible stakeholder for peace and stability in Asia.
The long awaited IPO of India’s largest coal producer, Coal India Limited, is finally ready to issue on Dalal Street next week. It is hoped that it will herald a significant transformation of the sector and usher in much needed restructuring and reform to make it more efficient and productive and ensure India’s long term energy security.
Non-articulation of India's strategic doctrine lends it to be interpreted and perceived variously. India's security establishment need not be defensive about its strategic doctrine but boldly take on critics in the strategic community. Besides, its articulation would help provide direction to the military in their formulation of military doctrine, planning and acquisitions.
