Uzbek Elections 2016: Personal observations of an itinerant traveller The voting booth was a good metre high with glass on one side, so that one can see that the voting papers are not tampered with. Shriniwas Kelkar | December 28, 2016 | IDSA Comments
Leadership Change in Uzbekistan: An Election Observer’s Impressions While it was difficult to delve into the depth of the country’s internal dynamics, the overall impression one got was that the democratic process is making marked progress, albeit as per Uzbekistan’s own political ethos and traditions. P. Stobdan | December 26, 2016 | IDSA Comments
China’s First Cyber Security Law China has justified the passage of the new law as an ‘objective need’ for national security considering its large cyber infrastructure and its vulnerabilities. Abhishek Pratap Singh | December 23, 2016 | Backgrounder
The Creation of New Districts in Manipur: Administrative Necessity versus Naga Territorial Aspirations While the Manipur government’s decision to create seven new districts has come in the wake of popular demands for improved administrative efficiency, there has been fierce opposition from Naga bodies which view it as an attempt to divide the Naga people Pradeep Singh Chhonkar | December 23, 2016 | IDSA Comments
The State of the Smaller Latin American Air Forces While the larger air forces are capable of sustaining their existing and future inventories for some time to come, the combat assets available to the region’s smaller air forces are facing a problem of pending obsolescence. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj | December 22, 2016 | IDSA Comments
Japan’s Trump Dilemma In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president, Japan is weighing the geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the new economic and security policies that his administration may adopt. Titli Basu | December 20, 2016 | IDSA Comments
Indian Army’s Approach to Counter Insurgency Operations: A Perspective on Human Rights The Indian Army has undertaken sub-conventional operations, especially counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism for over 60 years. During this period, there has been an evolutionary shift in its approach to such operations. Vivek Chadha | | Occasional Papers
Political Fallout of the Creation of New Districts in Manipur While the creation of seven new smaller districts has led to agitations by the United Naga Council, efficiencies in administrative tasks should be obtainable with district headquarters closer to the respective inhabitants. Gautam Sen | December 16, 2016 | IDSA Comments
Indigenous Historical Knowledge: Kautilya and His Vocabulary (Volume II) Publisher: Pentagon Press This book is the second in a series of three volumes on “Kautilya and His Vocabulary” as a part of the “Indigenous Historical Knowledge” project undertaken by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. These volumes aim at initiating the study, internalisation, spread and consolidation of Kautilya's Arthashastra in the strategic domain. The four focus themes in the three volumes are foreign policy, intelligence, war and internal security as they relate to contemporary times. ISBN 978-81-8274-866-8, Price: ₹ 695.00 E-copy available P. K. Gautam , Saurabh Mishra , Arvind Gupta | | Book
The Role of Media in Promoting Regional Understanding in South Asia Publisher: Pentagon Press This book collates a wide spectrum of views across South Asia, including Myanmar, and debates the role of media in forging regional understanding and goodwill. The media's role in South Asia is essentially conceived as state-centric, adhering to the standard templates of nationalism. This inherent tendency has, at times, cost neutral and balanced coverage of events and issues. The contributors to this volume acknowledge the potential of the media as an institution which could/should, in addition to its routine reportage, focus on regional issues of common interest and promote regional understanding. ISBN 978-81-8274-868-2, Price: ₹ 995.00 E-copy available Priyanka Singh | | Book
