IDSA Task Force

The vision for the development of nuclear energy in India is not new. It dates back to pre-independence days. The nation had embarked on the development of large-scale infrastructure for nuclear power generation and building scientific-technological base for it. The process of the development of nuclear energy was, however, not smooth. It had to overcome enormous difficulties to reach the present stage. The obstacles it had to face were primarily due to the technology denial regimes adopted by various nations that either had the expertise or had harnessed nuclear energy.

Taking note of the strategic importance of India and Bangladesh for each other, the report cautions against complacency and argues that the Indian PM’s visit provides an opportunity to take India-Bangladesh relations to a higher trajectory and move towards a strategic partnership. The significance of strong India-Bangladesh ties goes beyond the bilateral context. Good relations between India and Bangladesh will have positive influence on the region. Regional countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand will benefit from trade and transit connectivity between India and Bangladesh.

The Report on Intelligence Reforms in India, advocates a paradigm shift towards holistic modernisation of the current Indian intelligence setup, by bringing in radical changes in the existing intelligence culture.

This report argues that Government and the private sector give cyber security some priority in their security and risk management plans, and do this jointly. Being a report that is addressed to the security community in the widest sense and intended to stimulate public discussion, it relies on publicly available information.

The report analyses previous deployments of the Indian military outside its borders, including in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO), evacuation of Indian citizens from conflict zones and in active operations like Sri Lanka from 1987–90 and the Maldives in 1988. It then examines the current capacity and trends for executing such operations. Finally, it makes recommendations not only for the Armed Forces but for other relevant agencies as well, such as the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, the National Security Council and the Cabinet Secretariat.

IDSA set up a Task Force to examine the issues concerning disarmament with Shri Satish Chandra, formerly India’s Ambassador to Conference on Disarmament and Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) as Chair. This report is the outcome of its deliberations. It seeks to examine the obstacles to nuclear disarmament and the manner in which they can be removed. It reiterates the dangers of the nuclear weapon states persisting with their current policies of privileging nuclear weapons in their security postures and neglecting their obligations under article VI of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

India is facing a serious water resource problem and as trends suggest, it is expected to become 'water stressed' by 2025 and 'water scarce' by 2050. Premised on this, this IDSA Report raises fundamental questions about the forces driving water demand and the political dynamics of riparian relations, both in terms of hindrances and opportunities, amongst states in the subcontinent.

Task Force report is an important contribution to religion and International Relations (IR). Two factors make Tibet important for India in today’s context: (a) the religious and cultural factors; (b) ecological factors. Report supports this with evidence. It argues that Tibet with Tibetan Buddhists provides better security than a Hanised Tibet. Key message is Tibetan refugees do not pose a security threat to India, however more transparent data base and cooperation with exiles on common religious issues is desired.