Strategic Analysis

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Indo-Bangladesh Talks on Sharing of the Ganga Waters

A major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh relations has been the question of sharing Ganga waters between the two countries. Though negotiations for the settlement of the problem have been going on...