South China Sea: India’s Maritime Gateway to the Pacific This article looks at India’s interests and strategy in the South China Sea (SCS). First, it highlights India’s maritime interests and discusses the relevance of the SCS to these interests. It then examines some key ingredients of India’s evolving policy initiatives in the region. The article argues that with a considerable expansion of India’s engagement with the South China Sea littoral states, India appears to be genuinely emerging as an indispensable element in the strategic discourse of this region. Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
National Security: Concept, Measurement and Management The concept of national security has often been taken to merely connote the preservation of sovereignty, territorial integrity and internal stability with the focus on the coercive power of the state. In today’s complex and interdependent world faced with many non traditional threats like pandemics, climate change, etc it must, however, be seen in a more holistic manner. Satish Chandra , Rahul K. Bhonsle | July 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Recent ‘Chemical Incidents’ in France and Taiwan While the attack on the chemical warehouse in France and the accident in the Taiwanese park are not cases of chemical terrorism in a classical sense, they can be analysed against the backdrop of a ‘chemical incident’. Ajey Lele | June 30, 2015 | IDSA Comments
A Tale of Two Disputes: China’s Irrationality and India’s Stakes In China’s foreign policy setting, the logic of ‘sovereignty’ and ‘history’ are employed or applied selectively as is evident from its reservation on India’s oil exploration in the South China Sea and its own plans to implement the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir despite India’s reservations. Rumel Dahiya , Jagannath P. Panda | June 29, 2015 | Policy Brief
Is it a Greek Tragedy or a European One? Do the successors of Monnet have the moral strength to move in the right direction rather than act like petty minded accountants who want to balance the books at any cost? K. P. Fabian | June 29, 2015 | IDSA Comments
Why are Southeast Asians lured to fight for the Islamic State? If the experience of the Afghan–trained mujahids is anything to go by, the threat posed by returnees from Syria and Iraq has the potential to be far more lethal especially since the numbers involved are much higher. Bilveer Singh | June 29, 2015 | IDSA Comments
The Modi factor in Central Asia Modi’s activism is welcomed in Central Asian countries, though they know that India has already missed the bus and it has a lot of catching up to do. P. Stobdan | June 24, 2015 | Issue Brief
Indonesian Military’s Role Enlargement in Counter-Terrorism While the Indonesian military played a crucial role in counter-terrorism since the late 1940s, the fall of Suharto in 1998 and democratisation led to the Police dominating this task, especially after the first Bali bombings in 2002. Lately, however, the Indonesian military has reclaimed part of this role, mainly due to the rising threat from the Islamic State. Bilveer Singh | June 24, 2015 | IDSA Comments
21st Century Proliferation and Tracking: Tackling Arms Proliferation in the Modern Conflict Landscape Time and again, civilian masses the world over have been at the receiving end of legions of conventional weapons systems leaving destructive direct and indirect consequences in their wake. The copious arms -and their ammunition- currently in circulation range from assault rifles, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft weapons to pistols, machine guns as well as missiles, grenades and other explosive ordnances. Sourabhi Mukherji | June 23, 2015 | Issue Brief
Adequate Empowerment of the Services and Financial Oversight Yet to be Achieved Converting the Services` HQs as departments of the government within the scope of Allocation of Business Rules, with responsibility to Parliament for obtaining defence appropriations, may be in the long-term interests of the country. Gautam Sen | June 23, 2015 | IDSA Comments
