Illicit Drug Trafficking and Financing of Terrorism: The Case of Islamic State, Al Qaeda and their Affiliate Groups The revenue generated from the drug trafficking business constitutes a fifth of the organised crime revenues, with annual worldwide value of the trade estimated to be around $650 billion. As the trafficking of drugs provides a lucrative opportunity, transnational terror groups such as Al- Qaeda, the Islamic State and their affiliates are increasingly using illicit drug trade to fund their expenses and operational costs. Further, with the increasing surveillance of the funding routes of terror by the security forces, the traditional sources of revenue have dried up. Yashasvi Chandra | January-June 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
Influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan on Japanese Maritime Strategy The Imperial Japanese Navy’s (IJN) resurgence during the Meiji Restoration was challenged by the absence of maritime capability and an equivalent strategic underpinning. In turn, the IJN reached out to Western navies to develop its capability and establish its maritime moorings. The musings of Alfred Thayer Mahan served to fill this void. The IJN studied Mahan’s tenets and became particularly fixated on certain ideas which fuelled their tactics and hardened their war plans. Himadri Bose | January-June 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
United Nations Peace Operations: Personal Experiences and Reflections We are passing through a decisive stage in the history of the international system. The threat of war between great states, or nuclear confrontation between major powers, is well behind us and, in fact, fading in our memory. However, new and diverse forms of threats, some clear and present, others only dimly perceived, are testing our resolve and questioning the validity of our existing mechanisms. Developments at the international level over the last two decades have exposed deep divisions within the membership of the United Nations (UN) over fundamental policies on peace and security. Satish Nambiar | January-June 2020 | Journal of Defence Studies
NRC Will Make India-Bangladesh Relations More Sustainable The issue of illegal migration in India-Bangladesh relationship cannot be swept under the carpet. It will be better if both sides look at the issue dispassionately especially when the trust levels are high. Anand Kumar | January 08, 2020 | IDSA Comments
Mitigating Fear and Regaining Trust: How to Understand China’s Response to COVID-19 Introduction There is a long history of human fears toward infectious disease and it doesn’t necessarily disappear with the development of medical science. The ancestral fear toward infectious diseases plays… Continue reading Mitigating Fear and Regaining Trust: How to Understand China’s Response to COVID-19 XIE Chao | January-June 2020 | CBW Magazine
Italy’s COVID-19 Crisis and Response After eight weeks of lockdown, Italy has gradually started to reopen. Positive cases and death numbers have begun to decline, albeit slowly, and caution, social-distancing, patience, and perseverance will still… Continue reading Italy’s COVID-19 Crisis and Response Chiara De Cuia | January-June 2020 | CBW Magazine
Asia between Multipolarism and Multipolarity Publisher: KW Publishers This book aims to map the Asian power trajectory and the continent’s contemporary journey towards greater multipolarity. This volume examines the impact of plurilateral and multilateral dialogues and cooperative mechanisms on Asia’s security and economic architecture. It is based on the proceedings of the thought-provoking 20th edition of the Asian Security Conference which was held from March 26-28, 2019 at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. ISBN: 9789389137439 , Price: ?.1280/- E-copy available Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy , Jagannath P. Panda | | Book
The Indian Military and Social Change Over the years, the Indian Army has been engaged in two important roles: external defence and the maintenance of internal security. As the Army’s emphasis has shifted from the latter to the former its structure and organization has changed; for structure and strategic role are immutably interlinked. New equipment has made the army more mobile, it is stationed primarily in forward positions, and recruitment is no longer based upon political loyalty. Stephen P. Cohen | January 2020 | Strategic Analysis
In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba The basic goal of states in an anarchical international system is survival. One of the best ways to ensure survival is to maximize security through self-help. States engage in self-help in a panoply of ways, like military modernization and arms build-ups. Pakistan’s collaboration with the menagerie of non-state actors can be seen as a self-help strategy for countering a conventionally superior India, while at the same time pursuing vital domestic and foreign security objectives. Syed Eesar Mehdi | January 2020 | Strategic Analysis
Active Defense: China’s Military Strategy since 1949 The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has undertaken its most elaborate reforms since the past 30 years under President Xi Jinping. The current PLA restructuring since 2016 aligns with China’s broader regional and global interests. President Xi has set 2020 as the deadline for the PLA to achieve mechanization, 2035 for informatisation and 2049 to make the PLA into a world-class army. Just a year before PLA’s first deadline, M. Taylor Fravel’s book Active Defense is a timely intervention to understand China’s changing military approaches and strategies. Suyash Desai | January 2020 | Strategic Analysis
