Strategic Analysis

Closure of the Pakistan-Based A.Q. Khan Network Case: A Hasty Burial?

North Korea’s and Iran’s showdown with the US and the West on the nuclear proliferation issue are closely related to their dubious proliferation connections with the Pakistan-based A Q Khan...

Agni-III

On July 9, 2006, the long awaited Agni-III ballistic missiles test finally took place. This was the first test of this version of Agni designed with a range of 3,000...

Dragon in the Savanna: China’s Rising Influence over Angola

China’s relations with Angola have traditionally been friendly due to the fact that both countries were and still are ruled by Marxist Leninist regimes, but until recently the PRC’s presence...

Rise of Islamic Forces in Somalia

Somalia has entered into a new period of crises with the rise of Islamic forces in the country. After months of fierce fighting, on June 4 this year the militias...

Dangerous Symptoms

When noted journalist Bertil Lintner first broke the story in April 2002 about the growth radicalism in Bangladesh, it was ridiculed and dismissed as a malicious story. There was complete...

North Korea: The Final Frontier?

The Guerrila Dynasty – Politics and Leadership in North Korea by Adrian Buzo, I.B. Tauris & Co., London, 1999 Price: GBP: 12.95 pp. 323 North Korea in the World Economy

Defence Economics: Core Issues

Defence can seldom ignore the standard economic problem—the need to make critical often hard resource choices. Yet the output of defence studies focuses almost entirely on professional and strategic issues,...

Regional Implications of the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Pakistan

Muslims comprise the second largest population after Hindus in South Asia. They are, however, not a monolithic community. The rise of religious fundamentalism in Pakistan and the official patronage it...

Islamist Extremism: Challenge to Security in South Asia

Emergence of radical and extremist Islamist movements has proved to be a major source of instability in South and Central Asia. Radical Islamist groups emphasise that political power is indispensable...

K. Warikoo |
January 2006 |
Strategic Analysis

Balochistan: Continuing Violence and Its Implications

State-building efforts in Pakistan have been increasingly come under challenge from ethno-national movements. The current spate of insurgency in Balochistan is a product of repressive policies coupled with historical grievances...

Alok Bansal |
January 2006 |
Strategic Analysis

Warlords, Drugs and the ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan: The Paradoxes

The US-led ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan has led to the re-establishment of the warlords, and has failed to adequately address the issue of drug menace in an effective manner....

Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka: Seeking a Transformative Way Out

The long drawn out ethno-political conflict in Sri Lanka has been accepted as a serious challenge for scholars, activists, peace-makers and the expanding international community of professionals engaged in conflict-resolution/...

Pakistan and Regionalism

Regionalism has not been a very successful endeavour in South Asia so far. What has gone wrong? Regionalism can be approached from both functional and neo-functional approaches. While functionalism is...

Sumita Kumar |
January 2006 |
Strategic Analysis

Making Sense of Regional Cooperation: SAARC at Twenty

The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) completed two decades of its existence in 2005. Yet it has only made modest progress in achieving its regional goals. The reasons...

Shaping Security in India’s Maritime East: Role of Andaman & Nicobar

Complex and amorphous threats confront India’s security environment in its maritime East. India has very high stakes in the Bay of Bengal and its adjoining seas. The confluence of vital...

China’s Foreign Policy Challenges and Evolving Strategy

The end of the Cold War, the September 11 terrorists’ attacks, preponderance of US power and globalisation have shaped the present world order and posed new opportunities and challenges for...

Domestic Politics in Taiwan and Its Impact on Cross-Strait Relations

Electoral politics in Taiwan reflects the popular ambivalence in articulation of its political and national identity. This ambivalence is testing the strength of nascent domestic democratic institutions. Taiwanese democratisation has...

Sonika Gupta |
January 2006 |
Strategic Analysis

The Future of Euro-Atlantic Institutions

Reinventing the Past

Nepal: The Continuing Imbroglio

The deeply troubling situation in Nepal is marked by three discernible trends. First, is the collapse of the ceasefire and commencement of violent activities, including strikes, blockades and attacks by...

Arun Sahgal |
January 2006 |
Strategic Analysis

Danish Caricatures: Freedom of Provocation

The unprecedented worldwide protests and street demonstrations against the publication of a series of satirical cartoons by a Danish newspaper have become a topic of intense debate over the limits...