Strategic Analysis

The Fractured Himalaya: India, Tibet, China, 1949-1962: Nirupama Rao, The Fractured Himalaya: India, Tibet, China, 1949-1962, Viking (Penguin), Gurugram, 2021, 609 pp., Price: INR 999.00 (Hardback), ISBN: 9780670088294

The Fractured Himalaya covers India-China relations during the initial 13-year period (1949–1962) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The author, Nirupama Rao, a former member of the Indian Foreign Service, served as Ambassador to China, thereafter as Foreign Secretary of India and eventually became Ambassador to the United States. Post-superannuation, she received the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship following the Meera and Vikram Gandhi Fellowship at Brown University, to conduct research on Sino-Indian relations. The author’s credentials have equipped her adequately to write this book.

Assessing the China Factor in the India–Australia Strategic Partnership after COVID-19

The article argues that India and Australia have a significant role to play amidst China’s expanding maritime footprint in the Indian Ocean and growing influence in the South China Sea. With worsening relations between India and China as well as Australia and China, both New Delhi and Canberra have been deepening their connections, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.