Occasional Papers

Jordan’s Tightrope Walk: Strategy and Survival in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Despite its limited resources and modest military capabilities, Jordan has long exercised outsized influence in West Asia through its central role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and its credibility as a security partner of the United States. The kingdom's strategic interests are deeply intertwined with developments in the West Bank and Gaza due to its geography, demographic sensitivities, and custodianship over Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. The Israel–Hamas war has intensified Amman's anxieties over potential displacement scenario and unilateral Israeli expansionist ambitions. This paper examines the drivers of Jordan's foreign policy, its historical approach to the Palestinian question, its evolving engagement with Israel, and the kingdom's diplomatic and security posture during the said war and potential post-war dynamics.

Taliban’s “Contact Commission”: Three Years Later

Looking beyond high optics associated with the return (often the deportation) of members of the former Afghan Republic to the country, the Contact Commission set up by the Taliban regime in 2022 comes across as a strategic move to present itself as a conciliatory and legitimate state entity on one hand and undercut the support base of the fragmented exiled political opposition on the other. This is best manifest in the fact that the Taliban has opened a pathway for exiled political opposition and former civil and military personnel to return to the country but without yielding any political space or making any provision to integrate the returnees into its governing structures. The commission’s efforts are stymied by violations of the ‘general amnesty’ announced for members of the former regime, lack of employment avenues for the educated non-Taliban workforce, and the ban on higher education for girls and work opportunities for women. In such a scenario, the commission cannot bridge the divide between the regime and the exiled or returnee Afghans, unless the regime itself acts as a bridge connecting diverse ethnicities and identities that make up the Afghan Nation.

Evolution of African Maritime Security: Imperatives, Governance and Challenges

In an African context, the process of developing an agenda for maritime security has been relatively new despite the continent being completely surrounded by water. For long periods of time, African nations tended to be labelled as ‘sea blind,’ which implied that they ignored the vital importance of their waters and the maritime domain.

How ASEAN Media Portrays India: Insights into the Construction of Media Text

This research paper analyses the media landscapes of ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, and explores the interplay between political structures, economic interests, and regulatory frameworks. Despite political changes in the region, media freedom in Southeast Asia remains precarious.

How Dharma Shapes Strategic Thought On War in the Mahabharata

The Occasional Paper employs the dharmic viewpoint of the Mahabharata to derive the fundamental elements of ancient Indian strategic thought. It evaluates the role of dharma as it shapes war as a defining element of strategic thought.

The Global Economic Crisis: Some Strategic Implications

Huge budget deficits and the need to spend on fiscal stimuli are bound to impact upon defence budgets and the ability to undertake long-term overseas operations. While India is likely to emerge from the crisis somewhat better off than most countries, the strategic shifts in global power may not all be to India’s advantage.

Failing to Deliver: Post-Crises Defence Reforms in India, 1998-2010

This paper examines the defence reforms process in India and critically examines past efforts and the factors that led to the post-Kargil defence reform. It analyzes the defence reform committees and their follow up.

Northeast India: Linguistic Diversity and Language Politics

The language issue has the potential to explode into ethnic conflicts and as a result it requires critical analysis and farsighted action from the government and the linguistic groups in question.

Impact of Modernisation of Police Forces Scheme on Combat Capability of the Police Forces in Naxal-Affected States: A Critical Evaluation

This occasional paper attempts to assess and analyse the impact of the MPF scheme on building police combat capability in affected States.

A Study on Illegal Immigration into North-East India: The Case of Nagaland

Efforts to control and prevent illegal immigration remain highly inadequate in India; and likely to remain so in the coming years. But, the reality is that unabated illegal immigration has enormous demographic and social implications, capable of creating tensions and conflict between the immigrants and the natives; and more so among the natives.