Strategic Analysis

Bose, beyond the ‘Mystery’

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has featured prominently in the news—and hence the public consciousness—only from time to time. As was often the case earlier, the recent prominence he has been given has been confined largely to the classified files concerning him and the mystery surrounding his death—reported or real. Although public and media activism can be credited for the pressure built up which led to the partial declassification of files, it is time now to go beyond these limited aspects of the life and times of a personality as great as that of Bose.

The Dalai Lama and Tibet’s Future

In an ominous way the Dalai Lama recently threatened to terminate the over 400-year-old spiritual lineage of his position, saying that Tibetans no longer require the authority of the Dalai Lama and it would be a shame if a ‘weak’ person succeeded him.

In 2011, he also gave up his political authority in favour of an elected leader among Tibetans living in exile. Seemingly, the motive for these measures was to forestall any alternative plan by Beijing to appoint a successor after him and challenge the authority of such an appointment if Beijing does so.

South Asia in Transition: Democracy, Political Economy and Security by Bhumitra Chakma (ed.)

Change is a constant, multifaceted and universal phenomenon which has been experienced at every stage of history. Change becomes transformative when it starts altering the basic nature of a system, heralding a new era. This has happened to the political maps of the world, bringing in societal and inter-state relationships. South Asia is no exception to this rule. It has witnessed many cartographic political changes over the centuries resulting in changes in culture, economy, governmental practices and inter-state relations.

China: Behind the Miracle by Sumita Dawra

China has experienced approximately double-digit economic growth for almost three decades since the opening of the economy in 1978 under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. It has been able to lift more than 624 million people out of poverty, per capita income has increased more than five times and human development indicators show rapid progress during the period. This achievement is unparalleled in history and it is highly unlikely that any country will be able to match the ‘Chinese miracle’. However, there are big question marks over the future trajectory of economic growth in China.

Thinking with Kissinger about World Order

In tranquil times or troubled times reflective persons have asked why our world is where it is today. E. H. Carr wrote about the troubled years between the two world wars. The years of the Soviet–American confrontation, made frightfully deadly by the possession of nuclear weapons by the two antagonists, prompted many scholars and statesmen to think of the different kinds of world order that could spare humanity a nuclear holocaust.

Sub-regionalism as New Regionalism in South Asia: India’s Role

India’s engagement with its neighbours received a policy reinvigoration after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government assumed power and announced its ‘neighbourhood first’ policy. The first sign of this policy was visible when Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited all the heads of state of the neighbouring countries for his oath-taking ceremony, on May 26, 2014. India’s interest and engagement with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has also intensified in the past few years – from being a reluctant player to driving the regional economic agenda.

India and Pakistan: Will They Move beyond ‘Sharing of Intelligence’?

Intelligence sharing by the Pakistani National Security Advisor (NSA) with his Indian counterpart in early March 2016 came up as an interesting outcome of the ongoing engagement between them since December 2015. Such exchange of critical information has raised the levels of expectation among the peaceniks in the subcontinent about the prospects of peace talks between the two countries, after a whole series of false starts since 2008.

Impact of Iran’s Return for the Oil Market and India

As was anticipated, the nuclear sanctions imposed against Iran were finally lifted on January 16, 2016 after it was certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran had met its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in July 2015 among six world powers.

Energy Interdependence as a Strategic Factor in the Post-Cold War Context

Energy, as a resource, has been considered only as a factor of complex geopolitical rivalries and geo-economic calculations globally. This article, on the other hand, attempts to analyse a parallel trend in the post-Cold War international scenario, a trend that shows how energy gains global relevance as a vector of alliance and a link for interdependence, and how economic and environmental challenges have become the compelling factors to push competitors to turn into allies and partners.

Explaining Non-Arctic States in the Arctic Council

How has the role of observers in the Arctic Council evolved and why is there increased interest in participation by states and international institutions? This article examines the influence and interest of observers in international institutions. The Arctic Council is an international institution founded in 1996 to promote Arctic environmental protection and sustainable development. Ultimately, observers are weak actors in the Council. Despite this weakness, actors seek to become observers for two reasons.

US Power and Influence in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Decline of ‘Alliance Mutuality’

Recently, the nature of the presence of the US in the Asia-Pacific has undergone significant changes. At least three developments—the rise of an economically and militarily resurgent China, a renewed counter-strategic approach by the US to rebalance its engagements with its close regional allies like Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Australia, and the US’ efforts to expand and extend strategic cooperation with India and Vietnam—show that there are new emerging differences between the US and its four major non-NATO allies in the Asia-Pacific.

The China–Pakistan axis: Asia’s new geopolitics by Andrew Small

‘“It is a little naive to think that the trouble with China was essentially due to a dispute over some territories. It had deeper reasons.”—Jawaharlal Nehru’ (p. 68).

‘“China has a good understanding of almost everything in Pakistan, political security or economic, that might affect the bilateral relationship, but there is one piece they just don’t get: Islam”—Pakistani Sinologist, Islamabad’ (p. 81).

Routledge handbook of Chinese media by Gary D. Rawnsley and Ming-yeh T. Rawnsley

In the last three decades, the Chinese economy and society have witnessed unprecedented change and development. Since the introduction of the economic reforms in 1978 under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, China has transformed itself from an agrarian, underdeveloped economy to become the second-largest economy in the world, also uplifting its large population out of poverty; 600 million have undergone this transformation.1 Economic reforms have had a very strong impact on many aspects of Chinese society. One sector which has faced massive change is the Chinese media.

Midnight’s furies: the deadly legacy of India’s partition by Nisid Hajari

In 2015, when India and Pakistan are into their 69th year of independence, this is an occasion to look back on the lost plot of their strategic engagements. The partition of an undivided India, built upon a malicious traction of ‘two-nation theory’ was further firmed-up with Pakistan’s dealings with its neighbourhood through a consistent conflict-ridden worldview. More so, this idea turned into action—and further obsession, when matters would relate to India.

Re-emerging Powers and the Impasse in the UNSC over R2P Intervention in Syria

The article examines the influence of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) members that acts as an important condition of success for implementation of the three-pillared Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle in case of Syrian conflict. Analysis has revealed two distinctive features of the BRICS’s positions. Firstly, BRICS has placed particular emphasis on there being a reasonable prospect of success before supporting intervention.

Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries: Nepal’s Transit Route Negotiations with India

There are multiple levels of relationship between India and Nepal. This article deals exclusively with their bilateral transit relations, focusing on their negotiations in the context of Nepal as a landlocked developing country (LLDC). While LLDCs consider their free access to the nearest seaport through a transit country as a natural right, the transit countries often bargain with them from a position of strength.

Modelling Multi-actor Security Dilemma

Regardless of the everlasting debate whether the nature of the international system is anarchic or cooperative, ‘security dilemma’ remains a well-known and oft-cited concept. Intimately connected to it is the phenomenon of the arms race, which continues to play a significant role in global affairs and in determining relationships among countries. The first part of the article follows a dynamic model which reproduces the behaviour of the Cold War bipolar arms race.

Significance of the November 2015 Myanmar Elections

Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide majority in the openly contested elections Myanmar held on Sunday, November 8, 2015.The NLD won a convincing majority with 255 seats in the lower house, 135 in the upper house and 496 seats in the state and regional legislatures. This paves the way for election of President of its choice and forming a government. The election had 33.5 million eligible voters (over 18 years) of Myanmar’s 52 million population.

Asian-African Century with Two Centres of Gravity: Reconciling the Potential of India with China, Already a Peer of the US

While China and the United States (US) have recognised the strategic significance of the re-emergence of Asia, India has yet to see itself as one of the two centres of gravity in Asia, as has been the case throughout civilisation, having close trade links with Africa.

India–Myanmar Relations: Changing Contours by Rajiv Bhatia

Myanmar is an underrated neighbour with the potential to influence India’s vital strategic and economic interests. To keep track of the pulse of the mystic nation that is India’s closest Southeast Asian neighbour demands not just a scholarly approach but an empathy and an emotional connect. Rajiv Bhatia’s book, India–Myanmar Relations, is timely as it comes during a period when Myanmar is going through a significant phase of transition. Myanmar today stands at a crossroads confronted by a combination of developments on the domestic, regional and global planes.