Publication

Negotiating with Pakistan

Sometime last June, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wrote to Yahya Khan, President and Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan, about the need for normalizing lndo–Pak relations, which have been in deep freeze since the war of 1965. Kewal Singh, who bore the letter, came back from Rawalpindi with undue optimism because no sooner had he mentioned a probable positive Pakistani response, than Rawalpindi reacted adversely. Once again, Foreign Minister Dinesh Singh voiced his optimism after a recent meeting with Pakistani diplomats at the UN, and Pakistan promptly came out with a totally opposite interpretation on the talks, even before he returned home. The Statesman of 10 July 1969 rightly gave the warning that ‘it is very easy to read too much in airport statements’. However, it would be rash to conclude from these two episodes that the Indian diplomats were so naive as to fall easy prey to Pakistan’s bluff and bluster. Nevertheless, it was not adequately appreciated that contradictions of a compulsively anti-India foreign policy operates far more sharply under Martial Law than during any other regime. No wonder, contacts between Indians and Pakistanis have been reduced almost to nothing by Yahya Khan removing the last operative contact of exchange of books and journals between the two countries.

J.D. Sethi |
May-June 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Pakistan’s Air Power

Born of the partition assets of the pre-partition Indian Air Force, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) came of age towards the end of the fifties when, through free-supply of modern jet aircraft by the United States under the Mutual Security Agreement which Pakistan signed with the United States in May 1954, the PAF was transformed into an all-jet air-fleet. Since then, in instalments, Pakistan had received from the United States directly, or through their common military allies, fighters, fighter-bombers and bombers sufficient to form and equip about 10 combat squadrons, comprising 200 modern aircraft.

S. B. Guha |
May-June 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Challenges to Deep-Decarbonization to Achieve Net Zero for India: A Review

Achieving net-zero emissions is essential to limiting global warming, and India’s role is critical given its size, developmental needs, and rising energy demand. This article reviews recent academic and grey literature to identify key challenges to deep decarbonization in India, with a focus on the near term. It introduces a conceptual framework that groups these barriers into three broad categories: techno-economic, governance and institutional, and socio-economic and political economy. Within this structure, it analyses sector-specific obstacles in power, industry, and transport. The review highlights cost and financing barriers, regulatory and institutional limitations, and complex socio-political trade-offs. The article concludes by identifying opportunities for targeted interventions and outlines research and policy gaps that need urgent attention to ensure India’s transition to net zero aligns with its development priorities.

Economy, Efficiency, and Equity: Significance of Gender-Balanced Militaries in the Global South

The economic viability of ‘ideas’ is one of the primary driving forces in the policy landscape worldwide, and this principle needs to be employed in the service of gender equity and empowerment. This article makes a case for gender-balanced militaries via the efficiency, economy, and empiricism arguments. By looking at examples from South Asia, India in particular, the article demonstrates that interventions in gender balance are beneficial for the militaries in the Global South in both the short and the long term. Such interventions also allow the Global South to align their strategic goals with their socio-economic agenda.

Landscaping Renewable Energy in Changing Dynamics of World Energy: India’s Response

Energy security and climate change are prime concerns worldwide. Every nation has its own Nationally Determined Commitment, and it aspires to achieve net zero in a specific time frame. India too targets to achieve Net Zero by 2070. The large-scale exploitation of renewable energy can help to achieve Net Zero. The share of renewable energy in the total primary energy is expected to be more than 35 per cent by 2035. It has also been pledged that 40 per cent of the country’s electricity would be generated from non-fossil fuels, such as wind and solar. In response to the changing world energy dynamics, India has started positioning itself and accordingly implemented various policies and strategies.

India-Oman Space Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges

Countries like the US, China, Russia and France are significantly increasing their space programme budgets. West Asian countries like the UAE and Oman are investing in space programmes and collaborating with India to develop space technology. This research explores India-Oman space cooperation and its implications for West Asia’s regional space security objectives and politics. The article argues that India and Oman have the potential to forge a robust space cooperation through strategic capabilities despite challenges due to competition and policy gaps. The research undertakes a descriptive and analytical approach followed by policy recommendations and relies largely on primary resources.

Samruddhi Pathak , Alvite Singh Ningthoujam |
May-June 2025 |
Strategic Analysis

Rediscovery of the Chola Dynasty – A Review of Lords of the Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire

The Chola Empire, a dominant South Indian dynasty that thrived between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, has captivated the attention of historians for over a century. The Empire is often celebrated for its administrative innovations, military conquests, naval expeditions, economic prosperity, and cultural achievements. Over time, various historians, both Indian and Western, have offered diverse interpretations and assessments of the Chola legacy. While early historians like K.A. Nilakanta Sastri laid the groundwork by celebrating the grandeur and efficiency of the Chola State, later scholars such as Burton Stein and Romila Thapar have provided more critical and nuanced readings. The Cholas are now seen not merely as conquerors and temple-builders but as complex agents of social, economic, and cultural change.