Strategic Analysis

A More Centralised State after War

The government headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa would easily be deemed the most decisive one in post-independence Sri Lanka. What the government leadership decides is implemented forthwith. The military crushing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that had eluded five successive governments is the most outstanding example. Nothing could stand in the way of the government's decision, neither the fear of failure nor of foreign pressure.

The India–China Nuclear Relationship

The India–China nuclear-strategic relationship has been surprisingly under studied, given the rising interest in the strategic interaction between the two countries. 1 Part of the reason is that India's nuclear capabilities have been relatively limited vis-à-vis China, though this is exaggerated by the tendency among Indian analysts to focus on the need to target Beijing. There is no evident reason why China should not be deterred by the targeting of other cities that are closer to India.

The Sino-Japanese Rare Earths Row: Will China’s Loss be India’s Gain?

Following the dispute over the seizure of a Chinese trawler and its crew by Japan in the disputed waters in the East China Sea believed to be rich in oil and gas resources, Beijing has been flexing its muscles against Tokyo in another area. However, this one may have far deeper consequences not only for Japan but for the rest of the world.

In the Footsteps of the OPEC: Trends in Collective Bargaining over Natural Resources

The new World Economic Order, advocated at the end of the Sixth Special Session of the UN General Assembly through a Declaration in Action Programme, and later by the regular session of the Assembly in the form of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties, poses quite a few problems. Its legal validity, its political wisdom, its economic content and a host of other issues have been questioned. The two instruments contain provocative provisions, like the right to nationalise foreign property.