Internal threats to national security have assumed centre-stage in the debates on Indian security. They have a pan-Indian presence and are no longer confined to India’s north and north-eastern frontiers.

The United States faces a budget crisis of proportions with no precedent in its recent history. The country’s economic dominance since the end of World War II has supported a military posture with global reach and influence.

The changing security environment calls for re-fashioning the use of hard power, which may have to be managed differently in the future.