This article explores the drivers of North Korea and Iran’s nuclear aspirations and behaviour by employing the theoretical prisms of ‘security dilemma’, ‘regional security complex’ (RSC) and ‘social constructivism’. It argues that ideational values and interests are shaping Iranian and North Korean nuclear aspirations and behaviour. Conversely, the absence of positive inter-subjective understanding of the US and its allies regarding Iran and North Korea is influencing their nuclear non-proliferation policy towards these states.

• Shaheen Akhtar , Zulfiqar Khan
• September 2014
• Strategic Analysis

At first glance, there was no coherent regional and international response to the transitions triggered in the Arab world since December 2010 as external players, both regional and international, had to confront with unceasing alarm the rapidity of change threatening to unravel in critical Arab states. However, as events in the region progressed, a pattern emerged to the external responses, one that was as predictive as it was differentiated.

• Melissa Cyrill
• July 2014
• Strategic Analysis

The winter of 2011 was a dramatic period for air power in Mediterranean Europe and India. Operation Unified Protector (OUP), the successful North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) offensive aerial campaign that paved the way for a regime change in Libya, involved two platforms that had been shortlisted for the largest fighter aircraft deal of recent times.

• Arjun Subramaniam
• May 2014
• Strategic Analysis

Democracy has spread spontaneously and swiftly in an area of the world generally thought to be immune to political changes: West Asia and North Africa (WANA). An incident of common occurrence in Third World countries—a policeman extorting money from a fruit vendor—sparked this surge for democracy, which spread rapidly from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea in some two months. On December 17, 2010, a fruit vendor, Mohammed Razzack, set himself on fire to protest against a policeman extorting money from him.

• Bharat Wariavwalla
• May 2014
• Strategic Analysis

The conflict in Syria is inexorably turning into a quagmire as more entities get dragged into the sludge. From a hands-off policy to one of humanitarian support, the West has progressed to arming rebels, while Russia has shown that it is determined not to let down its ally by continuing arms shipments to the Assad regime.

• Manmohan Bahadur
• January 2014
• Strategic Analysis

In Afghanistan, the third Great Game is still on. The end of US–NATO combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 will be read by many as ‘Obama’s Vietnam’, but the retention of a small number of troops and several military facilities by the US in that country will be a source of worry for countries such as Russia, Iran and Pakistan who are concerned about US motives and moves in regard to the region, especially Central Asia’s energy resources which are already a target of international competition.

• J.K. Baral
• November 2013
• Strategic Analysis

In more than three decades, ever since the Islamic-oriented National Order Party was formed in 1969, Turkish politics has been analysed by many in terms of two straitjacketed views: Islamists trying to capture power on the one hand, and on the other hand the secularists or the state elite, with the help of the military, struggling to keep the country’s political orientation towards the West to protect Turkey as a secular state. This image of Turkey has created some confusion among strategic analysts abroad in understanding Turkey and its policies.

• Mehmet Ozkan
• September 2013
• Strategic Analysis

While oil and gas industries are already well established in Siberia and Alaska, the melting of the Arctic ice cap is opening up new areas of the High North to hydrocarbon exploration. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Arctic is expected to hold about 22 per cent of the world's undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional oil and natural gas resources (about 13 per cent of undiscovered oil reserves, 30 per cent of natural gas, and 20 per cent of natural gas liquids).

• Åshild Kolås
• July 2013
• Strategic Analysis

It was the privately-sponsored Russian expedition to the North Pole in August 2007 that opened a new competitive era in Arctic geopolitics, and the technologically elegant PR-trick with planting the flag into the crisscross point of meridians on the depth of 4,261 m produced a resonance that distorted strategic thinking about, and political interactions in the Arctic region.

• Pavel K. Baev
• July 2013
• Strategic Analysis

Trade has been the dominant factor in India's relationship with Saudi Arabia, with the import of oil being a major component. India views Saudi Arabia as a country with which it can forge security ties in order to deal with terrorism, piracy and criminal elements. Diplomatically, it could be a gateway for India into the wider Arab and Islamic world. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has reciprocated India's initiatives relating to issues of mutual interest. Although some hurdles remain, it is time for both countries to work towards building a strong strategic partnership.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• March 2013
• Strategic Analysis

The Arab Spring was ignited by an undeniable human security goal of achieving freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to live in dignity. This article analyses how human security concerns have figured in the Arab Spring and shaped its course.

• Mohammed Nuruzzaman
• January 2013
• Strategic Analysis

Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran and the United States have been locked in a bitter conflict. Although it has not yet degenerated into a war, as has been the case with some international conflicts, isolation of the Islamic government has become the basic objective of US foreign policy towards Iran. US policymakers maintain that economic sanctions can force the government of Iran to change its policy on many international issues.

• Mahnaz Zahirinejad
• January 2013
• Strategic Analysis

In the two decades since the end of the Cold War, the Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as one of the two most debated, contested and commented upon foreign policy issues in India. The other has been the US. The US has remained the pre-eminent global player, following the disintegration and demise of the USSR. Despite its preference for multi-polarity, India, like many other countries, had to recognise the new US-dominated world order and calibrate a policy that was radically different from the one it followed during the Cold War era.

• P. R. Kumaraswamy
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

Political tensions and rivalry between Iran and Israel have cast a shadow over India's bilateral relations with both these countries. While one offers energy security, the other provides military–security capability towards ensuring greater Indian influence in the Middle East. Conscious of their relative advantages and challenges, India has managed to maintain a fine balance in its relations with Iran and Israel.

• P. R. Kumaraswamy
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

Most of the discourses on India–Iran relations are either focused on cultural and civilisational links with Iran or its relevance as an energy-rich nation. Its transit potential in providing India with access to Central Asia has not received adequate attention.

• Meena Singh Roy
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

India's relationship with Iran has been uneven owing to external factors. This article traces the role of the Pakistan factor in this relationship, wherein the religious identity of a fellow Islamic nation, the strategic outlook towards Afghanistan, and energy relations between the three countries are discussed. The article outlines the Pakistani primacy in the India–Iran strategic relationship and showcases how Afghanistan is the glue for India–Iran relations despite the breaks in their continuing relationship.

• Siddharth Ramana
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

This article looks at relations between Iran and India, with a focus on energy, in the past as well as currently. It will examine the state of the energy sector in Iran in light of the US-sponsored sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic and the Iranian threat to close off the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. It will analyse what this portends for Iran's position in the international oil and gas market, and the impact this may have on larger India–Iran relations, given that energy is a core factor in their bilateral ties.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

Efforts undertaken to address concerns generated by the Iranian nuclear issue have primarily followed a dual-track approach made up of punitive non-proliferation and economic sanctions at the multi-lateral and unilateral levels and diplomatic-political engagement across the bilateral, tri-lateral and multi-lateral spectrum. These have, however, not been successful in ‘forcing’ cooperation from Iran on core issues of concern, including in such activities as the stopping of uranium enrichment activities.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

India's ties with Iran have become an irritant in the India–US relationship. Several scholars have alleged that the US is influencing India's Iran policy. This article examines three cases in which the US is said to have influenced India's position: the Iran–Pakistan–India (IPI) pipeline; India's votes against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency; and the Reserve Bank of India's guidelines of December 2010, which stopped oil payments to Iran through the Asian Clearing Union.

• Uma Purushothaman
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

For the longest part of the two decades since the end of the Cold War, there were mostly Indian perspectives, rather than debates, on Iran and bilateral relations. Domestic debates on Iran began in 2005 and continued until mid-2008, reaching a crescendo during this period and dissipating soon after. The debates, when they took place, were not about influencing the government's Iran policy.

• Atul Mishra
• November 2012
• Strategic Analysis

Israel and UAE have laid a strong foundation for their relationship by signing the Abraham Accords. While both are prioritising economic cooperation and exploring opportunities in other key sectors, how they build convergences over complex regional issues remains to be seen.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• July 12, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The formation of a new coalition government may have ended the two-year-long stalemate in Israeli politics, but considering its razor-thin majority in the parliament and notable differences of opinion among various constituent parties, its sustainability remains to be seen.

• Jatin Kumar
• July 05, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The tenure of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's President is not likely to be a smooth sail, considering the immense challenges that lie ahead on both domestic and foreign policy fronts.

• Prabhat Jawla
• June 25, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The recent protests in Oman over economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic pose a major economic and political challenge for Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said, the new ruler of Oman.

• Lakshmi Priya
• June 25, 2021
• IDSA Comments

While Ankara can take respite in President Biden’s decision to continue discussions on contentious issues, it would have to invest more diplomatic capital to overcome the challenges facing its relations with the US.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• June 21, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The expected victory of a hardline, conservative candidate in the forthcoming Iranian presidential elections could become a hindrance to fulfilling the country’s economic agenda and lead to greater domestic instability.

• Nagapushpa Devendra
• June 03, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The political deadlock in Israel is set to continue, with Netanyahu failing to garner adequate support and Yair Lapid facing the deadline of June 2, 2021 to cobble together the necessary support to form a coalition government.

• Jatin Kumar
• May 28, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia mediated by Iraq may help in the de-escalation of regional tensions.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• May 25, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The Israel-Hamas clash diminishes prospects for the revival of the peace process and strengthens Hamas’ position as the preeminent Palestinian faction.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• May 25, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The attack on former Maldivian President and current Speaker of the Majlis, Mohammad Nasheed, on May 6, 2021 has brought to attention the country’s tenuous political stability, compounded by the problem of Islamist radicalisation.

• Adil Rasheed
• May 20, 2021
• Issue Brief

The growing ties between China and Iran can have challenges for India’s relations with Iran and interests in the Persian Gulf region. Nonetheless, it is unlikely to seriously affect India-Iran bilateral ties that remain robust and have withstood challenges earlier.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar , Lakshmi Priya
• April 30, 2021
• Issue Brief

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Mauritius on February 22-23, 2021 strengthens India’s partnership with the key Indian Ocean island country across the economic, health and security spheres.

• Ruchita Beri
• March 30, 2021
• IDSA Comments

Even as he continues to work towards reviving the Ottoman glory and ‘Ittihad-I Islam' (‘Unity of Islam’), there are significant limitations in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pursuing his Islamist approach to statecraft abroad.

• Kushal Agrawal
• March 17, 2021
• Issue Brief

Sadyr Japarov was sworn in as the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on January 28, 2021, after months of political upheaval.

• Aditi Gupta
• February 16, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) remains an inadequate and ineffective instrument to pursue regional security.

• Agarwal, Rajeev
• February 01, 2021
• IDSA Comments

Even as Kazakhstan is making slow but steady progress towards further democratisation and openness of its political system, jostling by elites to secure their positions ahead of the ultimate exit of first President Nursultan Nazarbayev from the political scene, is set to grow.

• Ashok Sajjanhar
• January 22, 2021
• IDSA Comments

India and the GCC countries should further strengthen cooperation in the fields of healthcare, education, defence and niche areas like space exploration, artificial intelligence, cyber security, bioinformatics, and renewable energy.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• January 15, 2021
• Issue Brief

Even as the Al-Ula summit has set a positive tone for the restoration of unity in the GCC, a high level of commitment is required by all parties to bridge the trust deficit.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• January 12, 2021
• IDSA Comments

It remains to be seen to what extent Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan’s recent efforts to mend broken regional ties and address concerns over domestic policies will succeed.

• Adil Rasheed
• December 23, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Disagreements on cabinet positions continue to hamper the formation of a new Lebanese government, even as the country is going through socio-economic turmoil, compounded by the pandemic and the Beirut port blast.

• Jatin Kumar
• December 14, 2020
• IDSA Comments