Strategic Analysis

Nepal being a poor landlocked country with a fragile and unstable political system, major external powers providing aid and assistance to Nepal tend to carry an influence on domestic politics, foreign policy, and the socio-economic agenda of the government. These powers have divergent interests and do not coordinate their policies towards Nepal. While some external forces like the United States and China have hidden political and strategic interests, some others like the European Union are engaged in humanitarian issues.

• Nihar R. Nayak |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

The paper attempts to examine diverse challenges to the making of the new Afghan National Army (ANA), and its future prospects. The issue assumes significance as the Taliban shift battle lines outside the Pashtun areas and there is growing difference among Western countries regarding the means and approaches to be used to stabilize Afghanistan. The paper is broadly divided into four sections. The first section seeks to identify and critically examine the role played by key institutional structures responsible for the training and mentoring of the new national army.

• Vishal Chandra |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

The Indian culture and civilization embodies a unique blend of peace and conflict trajectories. This historical legacy has indubitably moulded the course of our policy and action. However, there are aspects which are queried and contested. For instance, how do we reconcile the ambiguities and opposing claims on peacefulness in Indian lineage? The paper reflects afresh on some of these lingering contestations and decodes the historical transferences in the subcontinental thinking and popular imagination.

• Priyankar Upadhyaya |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

Choking the flow of funds to terrorists is one of the vital aspects of combating terrorism. While its importance has been realized post 9/11 by the international community, counter measures for terrorist financing remain largely ineffective. In India, more resources and effort need to be devoted to launch a financial war against terrorists. In this context, the article attempts to establish the significance of emerging challenges in denying funds to terrorists globally and recommends a focused national response by outlining an integrated strategy.

• S. K. Saini |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

The Northeast, strategically important yet economically underdeveloped, has been witnessing spurts of road building activities since independence. The need to establish connection with the rest of India following partition, the Chinese aggression, economic development, and trans-border connectivity are some of the main drivers which have been impelling the central government to construct roads in the region since independence.

• Pushpita Das |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

The 12th Malaysian general elections have been significant in more ways than one. Most importantly, the opposition unity combined with the grievance vote of the ethnic minorities challenged the United Malays National Organisation hegemony long prevalent in Malaysian politics. The Bersih rally and Hindraf agitation that saw large-scale mobilisation before the elections also points to the active participation of civil society.

• Pankaj K Jha |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• P. Stobdan |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Meena Singh Roy |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Ruchita Beri |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Arvind Gupta |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Abanti Bhattacharya |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Jagannath P. Panda |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

• Gunjan Singh |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

The emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign independent republic and the manner in which it so emerged has radically altered the relative position of the Great Powers in South Asia. The change has been particularly remarkable for the two Super Powers, though the other three Great Powers also have been affected in one way or the other by the developments of 1971.

• Sisir Gupta |
• January 2009 |
• Strategic Analysis

A military-backed caretaker government supported by the international community assumed power in Bangladesh on January 11, 2007, promising a corruption-free and clean democratic environment to usher in a new era in politics. It has introduced a series of electoral reforms and has taken action against the 'corrupt'. As Bangladesh is poised for parliamentary elections by the end of December, doubts remain about whether politics in Bangladesh will change for the better, however.

• Smruti S. Pattanaik |
• November 2008 |
• Strategic Analysis

Many scholars assume that the European model of Realpolitik will prevail in Asia as the dual rise of China and India reorders regional politics. Others predict that Asia's China-centric tradition of hierarchy will reassert itself. But Indians look as much to 19th century US history as to any European or Asian model. Indeed, successive prime ministers have explicitly cited the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervention in hotspots around the Indian periphery. The Monroe Doctrine, however, underwent several phases during the USA's rise to world power.

• James R. Holmes , Toshi Yoshihara |
• November 2008 |
• Strategic Analysis

Chinese military modernization and its resulting aggressive posturing have serious implications for Asian stability and Indian security. This article is an attempt to understand the main security challenges from a Chinese perspective; the kind of responses, especially military, that China has undertaken; and the way Chinese military strategy has evolved from Mao's People's War days to a modern hi-tech military force today.

• Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan |
• November 2008 |
• Strategic Analysis

This paper is an endeavour to appraise the importance and 'value' of India-US defence exercises for Indian policy makers. It examines their dividends, costs, and pitfalls. The paper argues that such combined exercises are not only useful in functional terms but are also necessary. While such exercises are invariably embedded in inter-state relations and grand-strategic issues, in this case the paper confines itself to operational and military-strategic issues.

• Gurpreet S Khurana |
• November 2008 |
• Strategic Analysis

Improved India-Vietnam relations are guided both by their common historical experiences and their mutual concerns in the post-cold war context. Both have suffered aggression from China in the past and had good relations with the former Soviet Union. In fact, India was the only non-communist country to recognize the unified Vietnam and, ever since, they have had a friendly relationship, one that has stood the test of time. However, in the post-cold war context the shadow of China looms large over this relationship.

• Pankaj K Jha |
• November 2008 |
• Strategic Analysis