Assessing India’s Engagements in the INSTC and Analysing its Implications on India’s Commercial and Strategic Interests The INSTC formalised by India, Iran and Russia at the start of the new millennium to develope an alternative transport system linking India with Central Asia and Eurasia floundered for long due to scepticism and neglect by its member states. However, the withdrawal of the UN sanctions against Iran, the steady expansion of the Chinese influence in the region through the OBOR, and the urgent requirement of the land-locked Central Asian countries to gain maritime access offer new incentives for the member states to reinvigorate the project. Sanjana Gogna | January 2019 | Strategic Analysis
China’s Big Push for Solar Energy China has managed to establish an edge in solar energy manufacturing and technology, and any shift in its solar policy is likely to affect countries looking to increase their solar energy capacity. Chithra Purushothaman | December 31, 2018 | Issue Brief
Bangladesh General Elections 2018: What Next for the Opposition It remains to be seen whether AL in its third term will be able to address the issue of rampant corruption that has deeply permeated the governance structure as well as the issue of free speech that many believe the ICT Act has impaired. Smruti S. Pattanaik | December 31, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Bringing Capacity Building in Cybersecurity to the fore For a global build-up of cybersecurity, capacity building needs to be given much more importance than it has received till date. Cherian Samuel | December 26, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Xi Jinping’s Politics and What it Means for India There is a need to close the perception gap in India’s assessment of the state of Chinese politics, to distinguish between transformation and conflict, and respond accordingly. M.S. Prathibha | December 20, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Chemical Weapons Convention: Past, Present and Future The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. This convention came into force on 29 April 1997. This convention is the effort of some 20 years of negotiations at the Conference of Disarmament (CD). Ajey Lele , Natallia Khaniejo | | Occasional Papers
Defence Planning and Budget Dilemma The government decided to do away with the five year planning process in 2014. Therefore, there is no 13th plan. Despite this, MoD has gone ahead and formulated the 13th five year plan and submitted it to MoF for information only. Thus, the dilemma of defence planning and budget continues. Vinay Kaushal | | Occasional Papers
BIMSTEC: An Unprecedented Opportunity for Collaboration and Cooperation in Cyberspace The BIMSTEC region offers tremendous opportunities in the field of cyber space. However, the full scope of digital dividend can only be harnessed if the countries of the region are able to get their act together and work as a team at the earliest. Ashish Chhibbar | December 18, 2018 | IDSA Comments
Paris Call: Another Missed Call? Paris Call could be seen as a positive step towards finding a middle path between Western democracies and authoritarian regimes on the issue of cyber governance. Kritika Roy | December 18, 2018 | IDSA Comments
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Internal Armed Conflicts Publisher: Palgrave Pivot This book critically examines the possible dilution of the neutrality principle of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in internal armed conflicts. It begins with the proposition that the intervention of ICRC in internal armed conflicts led to compromises in neutrality, and questioned the autonomy and independence of the organization. The book also argues that the field operations of the international humanitarian organizations during internal armed conflicts are dependent on the authority exercised by the state in whose territory the conflict persists. The ICRC’s involvement in Sri Lanka and Sudan provides empirical support to validate these propositions and arguments. E-book ISBN:978-981-13-2601-1, Hardcopy ISBN: 978-981-13-2600-4, Price: E-book - $54.99, Hardcopy - $69.99 Rajeesh Kumar | | Book
