Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
मनोहर पर्रिकर रक्षा अध्ययन एवं विश्लेषण संस्थान

Strategic Analysis

Decision Making for Defence

 The aim of this article is to examine in comparison with some other modern parliamentary democracies, India’s decision making process and organizational structure in the overall realm of national security,* and to suggest where appropriate, how our system might be improved. This comparative study will encompass the relevant national security machinery in the US, France, Britain and India. Read More

Ayub’s Foreign Policy: From Alliance to Equidistanc

 The departure of President Ayub from the Pakistani scene after a decade of almost unchallenged supremacy provides us with an opportune moment for the evaluation of his contribution in the sphere of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Like every other sphere of Pakistani life, the foreign policy of Pakistan, as it has developed over the last decade, has been primarily the handiwork of President Ayub. Read More

The Antarctic Regime: Conflict and Change at the Frozen Frontier

 The management and utilization of a number of resources of the planet earth, over which no single nation has exclusive jurisdiction, have given rise to a number of knotty problems, usually termed as issues of ‘Global Commons“. A number of these issues have come to the fore in the global agenda in the 1970s.Footnote1 The creation of acceptable norms, procedures, rules, and institutional structures to manage these resources has proved to be legally complex and politically contentious. Read More

The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War | Nicholas Mulder, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2022, 416 pp., Price: US$ 24.00 (Paperback), ISBN: 9780300270488

 The Economic Weapon came at a time when Western policymakers were struggling to sanction one of the world’s largest economies, Russia, over the war in Ukraine. Nicholas Mulder, an Assistant Professor of modern European history at Cornell University, traces the evolution of the ‘economic weapon’ or what is now referred to as ‘economic sanction’, since its origin in 1914 until the foundation of the UN. In Prof. Mulder’s view, the role of the economic weapon was not given its proper space in World War history. Through the historical account, the author explores how the emergence of the economic weapon during wartime and especially during peacetime played a role in shaping the currents of various events. Read More

Thirty Years of ASEAN-India Relations: Towards Indo-Pacific | Prabir De (ed.), KW Publications, New Delhi, 2023, 608 pp., Price: Rs. 1,380 (Hardcover), ISBN: 978-93-94915-25-1

 From the Look East Policy (LEP) adopted by the Government of India in 1992 upto 2022, for 30 years, India’s partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has deepened in three areas: politics and security, economy, and socio-culture. The Modi Government’s stress on the Act East Policy (AEP) has bolstered the partnership, connecting value chains and achieving milestones like the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) launched in 2020, supported by e-commerce and digital connectivity. The ASEAN and India today present a combined population of over 1.8 billion, about a quarter of the world, and a total GDP of US$ 3.8 trillion. Read More

Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade | Elizabeth O’Brien Ingleson, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2024, 352 pp., Rs. 2,440.66 (Hardcover), ISBN 9780674251830

 The US-China trade relationship has dominated global discourses and impacted global trade. Elizabeth O’Brien Ingleson’s Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade, is an insightful take into the origins of this relationship. The book explores the pivotal events that shaped the US-China relationship, examining the dynamics of the 20th century and its evolution over the years. Ingleson delves into the historical transformation of global trade, highlighting the convergence of US and Chinese interests, especially during the 1970s—a period marked by significant changes in their bilateral relations. She provides insights from both political and business perspectives, including engagements by respective bureaucracies and US business leaders. The book comprehensively covers the development of trade relations, the political transformations that influenced them, and the growing Chinese influence in US markets. Read More

The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi | T.V. Paul, Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 2024, 263 pp.,$25 (Hardcover) ISBN: 9780197669990

 T.V. Paul’s The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi provides a rigorous and thought-provoking examination of India’s long-standing aspiration for global recognition. As a distinguished scholar of International Relations, Paul blends historical insights, theoretical frameworks, and empirical data to explore India’s evolving status aspirations, geopolitical constraints, and internal contradictions. Read More

Negotiating India’s Landmark Agreements A. S. Bhasin, Penguin Random House, 2024, xiv–385 pp., ₹999.00 (hardcover), ISBN 9780143464983

 A. S. Bhasin’s Negotiating India’s Landmark Agreements traces the evolution of India’s foreign policy from Nehruvian idealism to pragmatic realpolitik through five pivotal treaties, such as the India–China Agreement on Tibet, 1954; the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, 1971; the Simla Agreement, 1972; India-Sri Lanka Accord, 1987; and the India-United States Civil Nuclear Agreement, 2008. Bhasin argues that these agreements reflect India’s strategic adaptation to geopolitical pressures, prioritizing national interest over ideological postures. Leveraging archival records and declassified documents, he reconstructs decision-making processes to highlight leadership, institutional dynamics, and external constraints. His methodology blends historical analysis with theoretical insights into statecraft, offering a nuanced critique of how domestic politics and global imperatives shaped India’s diplomatic identity. The book underscores treaties as milestones in India’s emergence as a pragmatic power in a contested world order. Read More

The Battle for the Soul of Islam: Defining the Muslim Faith in the 21st Century James M. Dorsey, Singapore, Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, 203 pp., EUR 12.99 (eBook), ISBN 978-981-97-2807-7

 Following the 9/11 attacks, the violent actions of extremist groups like the Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) brought global attention to Islam, particularly their violent interpretations. This ignited a discussion within the Islamic world to define Islam in the 21st century. In The Battle for the Soul of Islam: Defining the Muslim Faith in the 21st Century, journalist James M. Dorsey explores this ongoing ideological struggle. He highlights how Muslim nations compete to assert their versions of Islam to claim leadership in the Muslim world. This dynamic battle was complicated by the geopolitics of the Middle East and its economic resources, while being the cradle of the Abrahamic religions. Dorsey contrasts the self-serving agendas of autocratic Gulf monarchies with the more inclusive and reformist Islamic approach, championed by Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which advocates for a pluralistic interpretation of Islam. Read More

Before the West: The Rise and Fall of Eastern World Orders

 We can note the growing interest in researching so-called encounters in England and other countries of the Global West. In the academic milieu, such studies appear frequently and en masse. Parallely, there is large-scale interest in the so-called rethinking history studies, created to expand horizons and refute and modify the postulates that have grown over the centuries. In addition, research is actively developing within the methodologies of the Global History School, which is trying to extend the ‘Eurocentric’ and ‘West-centric’ understanding of the world. Read More

Pakistan’s Outreach to Bangladesh: An Analysis

 With the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August 2024, a newfound warmth in Pakistan–Bangladesh relations has come to the fore. On 7 August 2024, Pakistan issued a statement expressing solidarity with the people of Bangladesh (Momand Citation2024). Pakistanis who had once termed the separation of East Pakistan as ‘good riddance’ have suddenly become euphoric. There is a sudden spurt in interaction among diplomats, politicians and military officials and reported flow of even ammunitions and other defence material, suggesting the growing level of trust between the two countries. Read More

Power Geostructure in East Asia: Sub-Regional Shifts and Strategic Implications (1992–2023)

 The East Asian subregion has undergone profound transformations in its national power distribution since the end of the Second World War and especially, during the post-Cold War period. Several countries in the region, previously underdeveloped, have managed to emerge as powers of global relevance, while in the 21st century some of these same powers are declining or facing challenges to maintain their power. In a subregion of crucial strategic importance, these changes demand an analysis and update of the national power dynamics in East Asia. Read More

India’s Participation in the Quad: From Hesitation to Proactivity

 The ‘Indo-Pacific’ region has become one of the epicentres of global issues, with the emergence of multilateral mechanisms such as the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (Quad). This group comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States of America. India is considered to be the ‘weakest link’ in the Quad. However, this is only partially true. The authors of this article are of the view that, being the only country in the group that is not a formal US ally, India’s participation in Quad has been ‘different’ rather than ‘weak’ – moving from being hesitant to being more proactive, while maintaining its strategic autonomy. Read More

Regional Organizations and Maritime Dispute Resolution: Challenges in ASEAN and the Baltic Sea

 Academic research demonstrates that regional organizations have great influence in resolving maritime conflicts, as its members are immediately affected by contention in the region. However, regional organizations also face challenges stemming from the organization’s own mechanism, capacity, and role which reduces the regional organization’s active role in preventing and resolving conflicts. This article examines the case of the Baltic Sea and South China Sea regions, specifically, comparing, analysing challenges in maritime conflict resolution between the ASEAN and CBSS. Read More

Environmental Security Complex in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas: A Regional Perspective

 The Hindu-Kush Himalayas (HKH) mountains that sustain billions of livelihoods are facing transboundary environmental threats including climate change, natural disasters, air pollution, and food and water insecurity that transcend political borders. Environmental threats have, however, remained at the periphery of security discourse. By employing the ‘Theory of Regional Security Complex’ the article looks at the evolution of a security complex in the environmental sector and how it is projected to evolve further in the backdrop of increasing environmental insecurities. It argues for interdependence among States concerning transboundary environmental threats and situates the relevance of the environmental sector in the heavily politicized and militarized HKH. Read More

India in Global Climate Politics: Balancing Continuity and Change

 India has played a key role in international processes related to global environment and the climate crisis. The nature of India’s participation has gradually shifted—from being a defensive actor to one actively shaping global efforts on climate change. Yet, some elements of India’s climate policy have remained rooted in its original ideational values. Using the qualitative content analysis method, this article traces the evolution of India’s engagement with international climate diplomacy from Kyoto (1997) to Dubai (2023), with the goal of delineating its continuity and change. The article identifies three factors to explain these shifts—systemic change, institutional reform, and proactive leadership. Read More

What is the Great Powers Perspective on the International Order? Analysing the Content of US, Chinese, EU, and Russian Strategic Plans

 International order is one of the most important questions for scholars in the field of International Relations. Many efforts have been made to understand the nature and characteristics of global order, especially in recent years. This article attempts to analyse the strategic documents of four major powers (the United States, the European Union, China, and Russia) to understand and compare them. This research employs qualitative content analysis and coding techniques using MAXQDA2020 to examine the strategic documents of these powers and their perception of international order. The results of this research demonstrate that alliance is the preferred concept of the global powers. Read More
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