Revisiting India’s Nuclear Doctrine: Is it Necessary? “Credible minimum deterrence” is the cornerstone of India’s nuclear doctrine. It, used in conjunction with the concepts of “No First Use” (NFU) and “Non Use” against non nuclear weapon states, clearly indicates that India envisages its nuclear weapons as only a deterrent and not as a means to threaten others. Satish Chandra | April 30, 2014 | Issue Brief
Naval symposium in China: Decoding the outcome The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) is a small but positive sign towards better communication channels between navies to reduce tension in the seas. But for CUES to become a reality many issues need to be resolved including the time frame for implementation. Sarabjeet Singh Parmar | April 29, 2014 | IDSA Comments
UNSCR 1540: A decade of existence The success of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 should not make the international community overlook persisting problems. The objective of the 1540 is to internationalise WMD security by targeting the entire supply chain. Rajiv Nayan | April 28, 2014 | IDSA Comments
The Indian Navy’s ‘China’ dilemma The naval exercise at Qingdao does not detract from the fact that the India-China maritime relationship is essentially an uneasy one. Each side is uncomfortable with the other’s presence in its own theatre of nautical influence, but both recognise the other’s dominance in their respective maritime ‘backyards’. Abhijit Singh | April 28, 2014 | IDSA Comments
Geneva agreement on Ukraine: Can it defuse tensions? While the ‘compromise’, as put forth by Russia is a welcome development in so far it helps to diffuse the potential confrontation yet it does raise two pertinent questions: What made the key players arrive at such an agreement? And can this deal be implemented? Rajorshi Roy | April 24, 2014 | IDSA Comments
Foreign Direct Investment Policy 2014: Status Quo for the Defence Sector One of the provisions in the policy is that in the Information & Broadcasting and the Defence sectors, where the sectoral cap is less than 49 per cent, the company would need to be ‘owned and controlled’ by resident Indian citizens and Indian companies, which, in turn, are owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens. This is a virtual impossibility. Amit Cowshish | April 23, 2014 | IDSA Comments
Where is Ukraine headed to? It is unlikely that Russia has serious plans to invade Ukraine and there is no reason to believe that EU or even US really wants a war. Yet, US, and perhaps Russia too, are prepared to play brinkmanship and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that there can be a war that nobody wanted. K. P. Fabian | April 23, 2014 | IDSA Comments
China’s 2014 Defence Budget: An Assessment Following on Xi Jinping vision of ‘fight war, win war’, the Chinese military spending is shifting towards higher technology weapons and equipment and training and also illustrates its aim to institute reforms related to troop’s operational commands, organisation and training. M.S. Prathibha | April 21, 2014 | IDSA Comments
For Now, it is Ballot over Bullet in Afghanistan It is not merely about change in leadership; it is about ushering the country into a ‘decade of transformation’. The most immediate challenge before the incumbent government and the relevant election and security institutions is to sustain and strengthen the people’s engagement in the process. Vishal Chandra | April 18, 2014 | IDSA Comments
The New Soldier in the Age of Asymmetric Conflict, by Rumu Sarkar Asymmetric warfare has existed from the time of the famous tale of David and Goliath. Post-World War II, the world has witnessed these conflicts in Vietnam, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The United States (US) is currently the sole superpower, and even countries with strong armed forces are developing asymmetric capabilities to respond to military threats posed by the US. Countries like China, Russia, Israel, Syria and India have to respond to asymmetric challenges which require innovative tactics in comparison to regular conventional warfare. P. K. Chakravarty | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies