Strategic Analysis

GCC at Crossroads: Challenges Amidst Unrest in the Arab World

The Arab unrest had a severe impact on the GCC, as it uncovered the existing internal fissures and limitations of the organization. Despite their success in integrating themselves on vital economic, security and political issues, divergent policies adopted by the individual member states on a number of regional issues in the aftermath of the Arab unrest was the main reason for the widening cracks within the organization.

Saudi Arabia’s Strategic Partnership with the United States: Fraying at the Margins?

The strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US withstood the test of time despite occasional challenges. Even as the US dependence on Gulf oil weaned, the partnership continued due to foreign policy convergences and the security nexus. The Arab Spring uprisings challenged the partnership leading to foreign policy divergences. While the US looked for reducing its regional commitments, the Kingdom diversified relations with emerging powers.

Japan’s Security Reforms under Abe Shinzo: Setting the Stage for Proactivism in the Indo-Pacific?

As the longest-serving Prime Minister so far, Abe Shinzo will be remembered for the unprecedented shifts he brought about in Japan’s security policies, which will most likely have a lasting impact. From creating new institutions to fundamental changes in decision-making and from constructing a new framework for defense strategy and acquisition of offensive military capabilities to deftly managing the alliance with the US, Abe has left an indelible mark. He also came up with the Indo-Pacific construct and the Quad, which have become the key facets of regional security.

US-China Strategic Competition and Converging Middle Power Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

The 21st century’s central economic nexus will be centred on the Indo-Pacific region. Simultaneously, the intensifying US-China competition in the Indo-Pacific is deepening. Regional middle powers must negotiate this competition to ensure their interests remain intact. This article applies a realist framework to analyse the strategic alignment of Australia, Japan, and India in response to the great power competition. It examines the strategy each middle power is pursuing to protect their interests and the motivations behind their approaches.

The Shining Legacy of Shinzo Abe

It is with deep anguish that I write to express my heartfelt sorrow on the tragic and untimely passing away of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The cruel hand of an assassin has snatched him away from us, leaving a huge void in the Japanese political firmament as well as on the international stage.

NATO Eastward Expansion and Russian Security

The United States of America (USA) and its military allies made various attempts and agreed on a mechanism of consultation between representatives of members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia before taking the decision on expansion of NATO eastward in view of Russia’s objection to such a move. But they failed to nullify Russia’s national security concerns and apprehensions which emerged because of the proposed NATO expansion.

China’s Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage

One of the major drivers of China’s growth has been technological advancements either through indigenous innovations or technology imports through legal, illegal and extra-legal means. Gradually, the Chinese thought process has given way to the idea of technological dominance to challenge the great powers including the United States. The volume China’s Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage edited by William C. Hannas and Didi Kirsten Tatlow with contributions from seventeen specialists reflects upon China’s rise as a neo-totalitarian technological power.

Stepping Away from the Abyss: A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf

In a recently published book, Stepping Away from the Abyss: A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf, co-edited by Luigi Narbone and Abdolrasool Divsallar, the contributors provide a fresh analysis about the prospects for cooperation among local, regional, and international actors in the Persian Gulf.

Forgotten Kashmir: The Other Side of the Line of Control

The political dispute over the territory of Kashmir is an intricate problem confronting the modern South Asian leadership. The intricacies of the conflict have led to voluminous writings on the region and evident from them is a greater focus on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as compared to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The ‘escape’ of Pakistan–occupied Kashmir from the scholarly radar has begun to change only recently.

China Risen? Studying Chinese Global Power

It would be an understatement to say that there has been a significant rise in the number of academic and media writings on China in the past decade or so. Globally, Rush Doshi’s work has been well received. Thomas Orlik’s book on China’s economy is a significant one, and Kishore Mahbubani continues to challenge assumptions with works like Has China Won? In China’s Good War, Rana Mitter reminds us as to how China uses episodes from history to suit the political objectives of the present era.

China and the WTO: Why Multilateralism Still Matters

After rounds of marathon negotiations, China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 was a win-win for both China and the architects of the liberal market economy. For China, the accession provided unrestricted access to the market of member-countries and for the West, the attraction was partly the business opportunities for global conglomerates in China and the naïve expectations that China would transform itself to a liberal market economy by joining WTO.

The Chinese Shadow on India’s Eastward Engagement: The Energy Security Dimension

Securing energy supplies is vital for India, the world’s second most populous country, home to 1.38 billion people having a median age of 28.1 and where some seven million youth enter the workforce every year.

Any discussion about India’s energy security would have to factor in China, the world’s most populous country. Its 1.41 billion people have a median age of 37.4 and about nine million youth were expected to enter China’s workforce in 2021.

Procuring S-400: Changing Dynamics of Foreign Relations

Despite looming threats of US sanctions, India has received the first of five S-400 air defence weapon systems from Russia. It will be interesting to see how this deal will affect India’s relationship with the US. Will the US impose sanctions as it has done on other countries dealing with Russia or will it choose to spare India, looking at the balance of power in the South Asian region and counter China’s increasing hegemony in the region? The US so far remains non-committal on whether it will waive sanctions on India under CAATSA.

The Mekong Is Flowing Ahead of the Brahmaputra: An Analysis of the Hydro-Political Behaviour of China and India

This article analyses the hydro-political behaviour of riparian countries in the Mekong River Basin (MRB) vis-à-vis India’s attitude towards the Brahmaputra and upstream China. It analyses transboundary water cooperation in the MRB and the active participation of the stakeholders and then compares it with the Brahmaputra River Basin (BRB). It argues that the water management practices in the MRB are comparatively more ‘effective’ while the BRB is receding in this regard.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda: The Unbreakable Relationship

After the Taliban successfully took control of Kabul through diplomatic and intimidatory means, which included using force and striking deals with warlords and local military commanders, it has reached out to other states for recognition.1 The Taliban realizes that without international recognition it would be difficult to achieve both domestic and international legitimacy.

The Myanmar Coup: Evolving Ethnic Rebel Politics and Civil Resistance

Myanmar has been in a turmoil since the Tatmadaw (country’s military) ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and seized power in February 2021.1 The coup took place hours before the new parliament could convene following the 2020 general elections. The junta has detained her since then and reimposed military rule after running a short experiment under a power-sharing arrangement with the National League for Democracy (NLD).2 There are concerns that Myanmar could morph into another Syria with widespread displacement and hunger, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counterterrorism between the Wars: An International History, 1919–1937

The 11 September 2001 attacks in the US changed the course of world history and made Al-Qaeda a state-like actor in international affairs, thereby confounding a core Realist idea. The event also increased interest in terrorism studies, creating two competing schools of thought within it, the classical and the critical school. The debates between these two broad perspectives have led to many fruitful advances and insights concerning the motivations, methods, and impact of both terrorism and counter-terrorism.

A Russian Revisionist Strategy on the Rise?

This article deals with the Russian Revisionist Strategy, the redistribution of power and the changes that this policy might bring. Accordingly, it examines whether this hypothesis is correct. NATO’s policy and the wars in Crimea, Georgia, Syria and the current one in Ukraine are the case studies that the article analyses. It discusses how Russia aims to restructure the regional and global system by forming strategic arcs and ‘pincer movements’ from the North Sea to the Middle East via the Caucasus Region. The war in Ukraine is at the epicentre of the Russian revisionist strategy.

Republic of Korea, Indo-Pacific and the Emerging Regional Order:Engaging without Endorsing

Despite being a key stakeholder in the emerging regional order, South Korea’s approach to the Indo-Pacific has been a policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’. It entails a cautious engagement with Indo-Pacific initiatives of different countries under the ambit of ‘New Southern Policy’ without endorsing the concept or articulating the Korean position on the Indo-Pacific regional construct.

Strategic Universality in the Axial Age: The Doctrine of Prudence in Political Leadership

The debate on the epistemological significance of leadership versus domestic politics or strategic culture remains fervent in modern International Relations. We suggest that there is a consensus found in classical Greek and Chinese texts about the core elements of realism and the consequentiality of political leadership on strategic choice.