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The Costliest Pearl: China’s Struggle for India’s Ocean by Bertil Lintner

The ‘string of pearls’ is a western narrative about China’s economic and/or military engagements with countries in the Indian Ocean littorals with a strategic outlook of encircling the Indian peninsula. Most of these engagements are established in locations overlooking the important trade Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The ‘string of pearls’ theory, enunciating an expansionist view of China in the Indian Ocean, is what makes Bertil Lintner’s book a knowledgeable read for Indo-Pacific watchers.

Learning from Russia: Comparing Russian and Chinese Military Reforms

Understanding the Chinese Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) has been a challenge for military thinkers and planners due to opacity and secrecy within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This article delves into the traditional relationship between the erstwhile Soviet (now Russian) and Chinese militaries and draw parallels between the two RMA. It argues that in many ways the Chinese RMA has followed the Russian RMA, which was driven by the latter’s experiences in modern wars in Georgia, Ukraine, Crimea, and Syria. The article concludes that the PLA has suitably modified the Russian military doctrines, reorganisation and restructuring as well as the induction of military equipment to suit the threats and challenges that confront it. Military thinkers and planners would do well to study the Russian RMA to extrapolate the future trajectory of the changes that are underway in the PLA.

FATF: In Need of Darker Shades of Grey

The three list categorisation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)—white, grey, and black—has been largely ineffective when dealing with jurisdictions like Pakistan. There need to be more gradations between the grey and blacklists as it may increase policy options and leverage.

India’s China Challenge by Ananth Krishnan

Ananth Krishan’s book, India’s China Challenge, is a notable examination of the challenge posed to India by the meteoric rise of China. Krishnan’s stay in China as a journalist for India Today and The Hindu, from 2008 to August 2018, and his knowledge of the Mandarin language have greatly enriched the depth of his examination of the subject. During his stay in China, he travelled to all but three of the country’s 33 provinces and regions, the China–India border in Tibet and Xinjiang, and the trading markets and factories of Guangdong.

Nuclear Attack Submarines: The Elixir for a True Blue-Water Navy

India’s tryst with its destiny for the twenty-first century will greatly depend upon how it prioritises its strategic necessities in the face of current Covid-19-induced economic crisis. While still on course to be the third largest world economy by 2050, India will need to ensure it has the essential tools—economic, military and diplomatic—by then to provide the necessary leverage as a great world power. Great thinkers have stressed and history has shown that maritime power is one such leverage.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR): Assessment of the Pakistan Military’s Discreet Propaganda Factory Post-1990

The ISPR was founded in 1949 as the public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. However, its role, responsibilities and activities have expanded notably over the last three decades. This article evaluates the role of the ISPR in cyber propaganda via print and electronic media after 1990s. It also sheds light on the ISPR’s youth-internship scheme and its plausible role in digital espionage. The main arguments in this article are derived from information available on official websites of Pakistan military, their local newspapers, and relevant social media platforms.