Strategic Analysis

Rediscovery of the Chola Dynasty – A Review of Lords of the Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire

The Chola Empire, a dominant South Indian dynasty that thrived between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, has captivated the attention of historians for over a century. The Empire is often celebrated for its administrative innovations, military conquests, naval expeditions, economic prosperity, and cultural achievements. Over time, various historians, both Indian and Western, have offered diverse interpretations and assessments of the Chola legacy. While early historians like K.A. Nilakanta Sastri laid the groundwork by celebrating the grandeur and efficiency of the Chola State, later scholars such as Burton Stein and Romila Thapar have provided more critical and nuanced readings. The Cholas are now seen not merely as conquerors and temple-builders but as complex agents of social, economic, and cultural change.

Geopolitical Dimensions of India’s Coal Transition

This study examines the complexities of India’s coal transition within the global energy landscape, where there is a persistent dominance of coal despite the increasing share of renewables in the energy mix. The article aims to situate winners of energy transition and observes how crises have impacted the transition trajectories of these countries. Evolving bilateral and regional relations with geopolitical winners illustrate India’s efforts to integrate advanced technologies for coal transition. The article highlights the necessity of balancing coal phase-down policies with technological advancements to meet developmental priorities and climate commitments.

Stranded in Legal Ambiguity: Gilgit-Baltistan’s Fight for Identity

This article examines the legal ambiguity surrounding Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), a disputed region administered by Pakistan, through expert interviews. It explores GB’s unclear status, tethered to the Kashmir issue, and Pakistan’s strategic perpetuation of this ambiguity to bolster its UN plebiscite stance, facilitate CPEC projects, and manage sectarian dynamics. Cosmetic reforms, like the 2009 Empowerment Order, fail to grant true autonomy, leaving locals disenfranchised. The study highlights local demands for provisional provincial status or self-governance, arguing that Pakistan’s dual rhetoric—claiming GB as integral yet disputed—undermines rights and fuels resentment, urging a re-evaluation of GB’s constitutional limbo.

India’s Evolving Approach Towards the Gulf: From Bilateralism to Regionalism

The Gulf and Indo-Pacific are the two strategic regions in India’s extended neighbourhood located, respectively, at the northwestern and southeastern flanks of the Indian Ocean and are key to the geopolitical competition between the United States (US) and China. As China is increasingly a challenge in India’s national security and foreign policy discourses, and the Indo-US partnership takes momentum, it might have implications for India’s approach to the Gulf region. Taking a neoclassical Realist frame of analysis, this article contextualizes the US-China tensions and India’s engagements with the Gulf and the Indo-Pacific regions to argue that the developments in the Indo-Pacific are an important factor to the shifts in India’s approach towards the Gulf.

Cyberwarfare in Post-Colonial States: An Analysis of China’s Apps Ban in India

Cyberwarfare has emerged as a critical dimension of modern conflicts, challenging traditional State-centric frameworks in international relations. As technology continues to advance, cyber attacks have the potential to cause significant disruptions to critical infrastructure and national security. This article examines how post-colonial vulnerabilities intersect with cyberwarfare, highlighting the interplay between State and non-State actors in hybrid warfare. Using China’s App ban in India as a case study, the article explores how colonial legacies exacerbate cybersecurity challenges in post-colonial States. It argues for a decolonized approach to war studies that integrates the roles of technology, culture, and governance in addressing evolving cyber threats, emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity and inclusive governance structures. By highlighting the inadequacies of current legal and policy frameworks, the study underscores the need for collaborative, inclusive strategies to counter cyber threats.

Sangit Kumar Ragi , Ningthoujam Koiremba Singh , Satish Irungbam |
March-April 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Beyond the Facade of Azadi: POK’s Struggle for Political Autonomy

The territories of the so-called ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’ (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), known together as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), hold immense geostrategic significance while remaining at the heart of a deeply contested political discourse within the broader Kashmir issue. Despite ‘AJK’s ostensible branding as ‘Azad’ or ‘free’ and GB’s glorification as Pakistan’s ‘crown jewel’, these characterizations obscure a reality of constrained autonomy, overshadowed by Islamabad’s overarching federal control and the formidable grip of Pakistan’s security apparatus.

India’s Roadmap for Small Modular Reactors

The Indian Union Budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 provisioned ₹ 20,000 crore for the Nuclear Energy Mission aimed at advancing research and development in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to operationalize at least five indigenously developed SMRs by 2033 (PIB Citation2025a). This is a part of the larger objective to instal 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, which currently amounts to a mere 8.18 GW, i.e., 1.74 per cent of India’s total electricity generation capacity. Moreover, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is actively designing three types of SMRs—Bharat Small Modular Reactor (200 MW), Small Modular Reactor (55 MW), and Gas-cooled high-temperature reactor meant for hydrogen production (PIB Citation2025b). The development of the SMRs will involve Indian private industry for the first time. Further, India is also collaborating with foreign companies in this endeavour. To address concerns raised by private players, the Government has established separate Task Forces to amend the AERB, Citation1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010. The budgetary allocation, a time-bound action plan to develop SMRs and the intended legislative changes show that the Government is serious about the development of SMRs. Against this backdrop, the Commentary tries to gauge the significance of the SMRs in India’s strategic calculus. How will the proposed amendments change India’s nuclear energy landscape? What are India’s global engagements in the field of SMRs? What are the challenges in the path of India’s acceptance of SMRs?

Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak , Bhawna Budhwar |
March-April 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Institutions, Journals and Discourse: Legacy of Strategic Analysis

Strategic thought has long found its sharpest expression in the in-house journals of leading policy institutions. These publications serve as repositories of insights, platforms for debate, and at times, instruments of influence. Strategic Analysis, the flagship journal of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), is a notable example, charting the trajectory of strategic scholarship in India.

Uttam Kumar Sinha |
March-April 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy

What are the domestic factors shaping India’s foreign policy? Where do the opportunities and challenges for India’s foreign policy come from? How can India navigate a tumultuous world where events within and beyond its control impact it? Ambassador Rajiv Sikri answers these questions in Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy, which builds on his previous book Challenges and Strategies: Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy (Sage Publications, 2009). Strategic Conundrums does not have a core argument but takes stock of Indian foreign policy developments since 2014, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power for the first time, while also analysing the trajectory of diplomatic relations with countries before 2014. The depth of analysis in the book, drawn from the author’s experience as a diplomat is evident in the analysis.

B. R. Neeraj |
March-April 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Voices of the Unvoiced: Women’s Struggle for Education in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Voices of the Unvoiced is a deeply moving and painstakingly researched book,Footnote1 which explores the various challenges faced by PakhtunFootnote2 women as they seek education in the culturally complex and war-torn province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. An academic treatise and personal testament, this book is the result of five years of intense research, including a doctoral dissertation and postdoctoral study. It combines feminist theory, socio-historical analysis, and ethnographic storytelling to highlight the tenacity and resilience of (Pakhtun) women in a patriarchal society. It offers a timely reflection on gender, education, and empowerment in a region grappling with the legacies of armed conflict and cultural conservatism.

Ashok K. Behuria |
March-April 2025 |
Strategic Analysis