Strategic Analysis

Regional Powers and Security Orders: A Theoretical Framework by Robert Stewart-Ingersoll and Derrick Frazier

Following the retreat of the global powers after the end of the Cold War, with the possible exception of the United States, the regional power structure has become increasingly important...

Deterrence during Disarmament: Deep Reductions and International Security by James M. Acton

In the current nuclear age, the concept of deterrence has assumed great significance, especially in the strategic community. As the use of nuclear weapons could have a greater adverse impact...

Water: Asia’s New Battleground by Brahma Chellaney

There is an ongoing debate about the nature of changing power equations (economic, political and military) among countries, with many scholars arguing that the power shift from the West to...

China and India: Great Power Rivals by Mohan Malik

Professor Mohan Malik teaches at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu and comes across as a typical academic and scholar—earnest, animated and absolutely convinced of the accuracy and...

Xinjiang and Chinese Rise in Central Asia—A History by Michael E. Clarke

The ethnic unrest in Xinjiang has been in the news for several years now. In 2009, nearly 200 people were killed in Han–Uighur ethnic clashes. Since then Uighur unrest has...

A Perspective on Defence Planning in India

The available literature on defence planning in India does not make for very encouraging reading. A few things stand out. Firstly, there is an acute dearth, if not almost complete...

India’s China Concern

China and India are two of the fastest growing economies of the world today. While it may seem like the proverbial hare and tortoise race, with China way ahead, there...

India–Australia Strategic Relations: Moving to the Next Level

This commentary attempts to put into perspective the recent developments in India–Australia bilateral ties. It argues that economic incentives and strategic calculations have compelled Australia to get closer to India....

The ‘New Silk Road’: India’s Pivotal Role

This commentary will begin by giving a background of the ‘New Silk Road’ and its different versions, moving on to a discussion of the geopolitical and economic factors related to...

India’s Options in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

In June 2011, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an influential Eurasian regional grouping consisting of Russia, China and four Central Asian Republics (CARs)—Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan—formally approved a ‘memorandum...

The Politics of the New Global Architecture: The United States and India

The nature of international politics is changing with respect to two key developments: the relative decline of the United States and the gridlock in major global international institutions like the...

US–India–China Relations in the Indian Ocean: A Chinese Perspective

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is becoming increasingly significant in the world arena, with the United States, India and China—the most important stakeholders in the region—playing substantial roles. Judging from...

The US–India Nuclear Agreement: Revisiting the Debate

The 2005 US—India nuclear pact created ripples of controversy and debates within in a short period of time. In the US, the nuclear agreement was weighed vis-à-vis the non-proliferation regime—does...

The Diamer Bhasha Dam in Gilgit Baltistan: India’s Concerns

This article is an attempt to understand India's concerns over the Diamer Bhasha dam project within the overall ambit of India's approach towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It makes a holistic...

Evaluating the Political and Economic Role of the IRGC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is Iran's most powerful security and military organisation, responsible for the protection and survival of the regime. Over time, the IRGC has attained a...

India’s Afghan Policy: Beyond Bilateralism

The India–Afghanistan relationship is not a simple bilateral engagement. India's Afghan policy is driven by, and is dependent on, many extraneous factors such as India's troubled relationship with Pakistan, its...

Securing Central Asian Frontiers: Institutionalisation of Borders and Inter-state Relations

This article develops the message that the artificially introduced administrative borders during the Soviet era, which were subject to the processes of re-delimitation after 1991, whether for reasons of security,...

Re-examining India’s Counterterrorism Approach: Adopting a Long View

This article looks at the status quo of Indian counterterrorism policy—which largely favours ‘physical’ or ‘hard’ measures—and proposes that the government adopt a more holistic strategy. Termed ‘Countering Violent Extremism’,...

Political Decision-Making and Nuclear Retaliation

Currently, India's nuclear doctrine is one of inflicting ‘unacceptable damage’ in case of nuclear first use against it or its forces anywhere. The problem with this is that at current...

Making the Law of the Sea – A Study in the Development of International Law by James Harrison

The cornerstone of international law is ‘applicability of law based on consent’. Being bereft of any legislative machinery to legislate international law in the international sphere, the statute of the...