Issue Brief

Trends towards direct energy weapons (DEW), though yet to be fully mature and battle proven, indicate a major shift in the conduct of aerial combat in the coming decades.

• Vivek Kapur |
• July 08, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

China maintains a twin track relationship with most countries. While its political differences are handled diplomatically it has continued to engage such nations economically.

• Mandip Singh |
• June 21, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

The assertions of the new Pakistan government of Nawaz Sharif to de-radicalise the society by engaging the Radical Islamists (RIs) in a dialogue and accommodation with them in reality means, to many observers, a meek surrender to Islamic radicalism of Deobandi variety.

• P. K. Upadhyay |
• June 14, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Buy (Indian)’ the most important policy decision introduced through DPP 2013 suggests that it should be the first option or the most preferred category. It, however, gives rise to many questions.

• Amit Cowshish |
• June 11, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Wide-ranging agreements and proposals were signed and discussed during Li’s visit to Pakistan. The emphasis between the two countries continues to be ‘strategic’ – ‘strategic communication’ and ‘reinforcing strategic and long term planning’.

• Mandip Singh |
• June 05, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Even as the uncertainty over the alleged use of chemical weapons use in Syria deepens, the cautious US response to the situation has been conditioned by the lack of viable military options as well as its Iraq war experience.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
• June 03, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

India’s admission to the NSG has, as on the previous times when the India-US Nuclear Deal and the NSG exemption of 2008 were under discussion, caused many of those opposed to the Indian nuclear programme to come out with various policy suggestions on how to get India to agree on additional conditionalities. In addition there is a move by many to use the Indian admission for membership as a means to legitimize the illegitimate nuclear commerce between China and Pakistan. All these are predicated on the assumption that India is desperate to join the NSG. India should reject any move by the nonproliferation lobby to devise a criterion-based admission procedure.

• G. Balachandran |
• May 23, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

The military sector reform is a top priority for Vladimir Putin, who believes that these reforms will go a long way in achieving Russia’s military and comprehensive national power objectives. The on-going military reforms have come a long way since they were first introduced in 2008. Most of the structural reforms have already been implemented. The material reforms, which are necessary to ensure that the structural reforms deliver, are progressing well, notwithstanding difficulties such as corruption, availability of limited resources, and recession.

• Amit Kumar |
• May 23, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

The culmination of the unprovoked Chinese intrusion in the Depsang Sector of Ladakh is a breather and a warning to India. It is a breather because it saves the country the embarrassment of justifying its inaction in dealing with the intrusion. Warning because, it gives yet another chance to set right the existing short comings in border management and deficiencies in the defence operational capabilities.

• V. Mahalingam |
• May 22, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

The recent visit by the external affairs minister can be viewed as continuation of new diplomatic push to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Iran despite the difficulties of economic sanctions imposed by the US and EU. However, the real test for both the countries is to maintain and sustain the current momentum.

• Meena Singh Roy |
• May 20, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Timely as it was, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s five-day China visit may be considered a success on all fronts. Leading the ‘strongest Australian delegation ever’ to China, Gillard pledged to give the relationship a ‘concrete shape’, which in Chinese Premier Li Kequing’s words, is already ‘comprehensive, constructive and cooperative’. This issue brief analyses Julia Gillard’s China visit in the context of rising Australia-China bonhomie.

• Rahul Mishra |
• May 13, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

On April 20th, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Ministry of Defence announced 15 major amendments to the defence procurement and production policies, with the hope to incentivise indigenous defence manufacturing while promoting transparency and efficiency in the procurement process.

• Laxman Kumar Behera |
• May 06, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Defence acquisitions are always much debated and scrutinised. The criticism ranges from a lack of direction in procurements to needles procedural complexities and from corruption in defence deals to bureaucratic apathy. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by the Defence Minister, has taken some bold and much needed decisions on April 20, 2013 in an attempt to address some of these issues.

• Amit Cowshish |
• May 06, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

In the aftermath of recent North Korean actions and threats, there has been in recent times some open debates and discussions about the prospects of South Korea “going nuclear” i.e. developing its own nuclear weapons. This brief argues that short of abrogating all its bilateral and multilateral treaties and obligations with heavy costs, the prospects of it doing so in the short/medium term are not that easy and may not be cost effective.

• G. Balachandran , Rukmani Gupta |
• May 01, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

This issue brief looks at the growing China-Russia relationship in the backdrop of a volatile North East Asia and the US ‘rebalancing’ to Asia –Pacific. While China-Russia relations have not always been cordial, this time it’s a win-win for both-at least for the present.

• Mandip Singh |
• April 18, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

The Tibetan issue is primarily a political one and less an economic one as China projects it to be. China should talk to the Tibetan diaspora and India for a final solution. That would be in the true interests of the peoples, bilateral relations and regional stability.

• Bijoy Das |
• March 26, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Though its goal of securing a permanent seat in the Council during the 2011-12 term was ambitious, the efforts that it put in over the last two years were steered in that direction and have yielded favourable results.

• Saurabh Mishra , Keerthi Sampath Kumar |
• March 08, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Nuclear force development is at present an attractive means for Pakistan to attract international political and financial assistance, while salving the paranoias of its security establishment. Improvement in the state-society relationship could reduce the domestic appeal of endless nuclear expansion as other, more sustainable, resources become available to the state for building economic growth and security.

• Yogesh Joshi , Frank O'Donnell |
• March 08, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Both think tanks and universities need to attempt to study traditional knowledge (much of which lies in religious text of many traditions). Rich methodological traditions exist in ancient literature and they need wider study.

• P. K. Gautam |
• February 12, 2013 |
• Issue Brief

Going by Netanyahu’s present term, the return of a stronger Right Wing coalition may lead to increased friction in the region and increased Israeli isolation as well.

• Rajeev Agarwal |
• January 19, 2013 |
• Issue Brief