Is It Time to Withdraw the Army from Kashmir? 2013 witnessed the highest ceasefire violations in eight years, accompanied by a sharp increase in security force casualties. Some sections within the media and intelligentsia have misunderstood the army’s presence in disturbed areas as a reflection of its vested interests. It is time that the reality of its role and responsibility are better understood. Vivek Chadha | December 13, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Who Sets the Agenda? Does ‘Prime Time’ Really Pace Policy? At a time when the country is seeing crises - political, social and moral, the role of the media is rising in perception as never before. But how much does 'prime time' in the era of 24 hour news coverage actually impact policy? This monograph unpacks the perceived influence of the media in specific foreign policy episodes and argues that while it has introduced accountability and real-time responses to issues, it still has not been able to establish long term policy impact. Shruti Pandalai | 2013 | Monograph
Gilgit Baltistan: Between Hope and Despair The monograph attempts to present an exhaustive account on Gilgit Baltistan (part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and now part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)) by contextualising it within the larger discourse on Kashmir. Priyanka Singh | 2013 | Monograph
Climate Change Narratives: Reading the Arctic In an interconnected world with interlinked issues, understanding Climate Change and the Arctic and exploring the intersection between the two is extremely important. The monograph addresses Climate Change as a security risk; as a geopolitical orientation and as an energy challenge, and maps the impact of these narratives on the Arctic. Uttam Kumar Sinha | 2013 | Monograph
Coastal Security: The Indian Experience This monograph aims at understanding India's approach towards coastal security as it has evolved since Independence. It describes the kinds of threats and challenges that India's coasts have been facing, or are likely to face in future. It critically analyses the various strategies and polices that the Indian government has devised over the years as a response to these threats and challenges. Pushpita Das | 2013 | Monograph
Chief of Defence Staff must be Appointed Immediately All major democracies have opted for the CDS and India cannot ignore it any further. In the prevailing battlefield milieu of joint operations, combined operations and even coalition operations, modern armed forces cannot be successful without a well-developed and deeply ingrained culture of jointmanship. Gurmeet Kanwal | December 12, 2013 | IDSA Comments
US Rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific: Implications for West Asia White House has sought to assuage the West Asian states’ feelings that the ties with Asia-Pacific would not be at their expense. On the other hand, there are strong prescriptions from within the US calling for quietly downgrading involvement in the sorry mess of West Asia as the problems there can at best be managed, but never solved. Gulshan Dietl | December 11, 2013 | IDSA Comments
China’s ADIZ: A Case of an Overreach? There is no doubt that this an audacious foreign policy gambit played by China. Un-named Chinese officials have been quoted in the Chinese press to say that China is willing to instigate strategic confrontation against Japan and are prepared for it to last a 'long time'. R. S. Kalha | December 10, 2013 | IDSA Comments
Iran Nuclear Deal: The Fine Print The November 24, 2013 Joint Plan of Action between Iran and its P5+1 interlocutors is the first agreement since November 2004 that contains Iran’s acceptance of certain short-term limitations on its nuclear programme. S. Samuel C. Rajiv , G. Balachandran | December 09, 2013 | Issue Brief
Cause and Effect of the ADIZ over East China Sea The primary aim of the ADIZ is to provide a lead time to the air force, in case of hostile aircraft intruding, and take appropriate actions to counter them. The establishment of the ADIZ in the East China Sea by China is a signal of its assertiveness and authority over the Senkaku/Diaoyu island and probably a readiness to escalate it. Naval Jagota | December 06, 2013 | IDSA Comments