Publication Filter

Decoding Pakistan’s Cartographic Aggression Against India

Territorial disputes between India and Pakistan got a new dimension with the release of a new political map by the latter on 4 August 2020, apparently in response to India’s move to administratively reorganize the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Widely described as ‘cartographic aggression’ against India, the new map lays claim over many parts of India. The article traces the historicity of map-making as a nation-building project for Pakistan and seeks to decipher the strategic objectives behind this move.

Irrawaddy Imperatives: Reviewing India’s Myanmar Strategy

Irrawaddy Imperatives has hit the stands at a time when one needs to remind Indian policy planners—now wholly focused west on Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover—that Myanmar is an equally, if not more important, neighbour saddled with an equally serious crisis, which may have a much more adverse impact on India’s ‘Act East’ policy.

India’s Stance on the ‘Asian NATO’: Between ‘Status’ and ‘Security’ Dilemmas

‘Security’ and ‘status’ complexities are critical impediments for any state’s foreign policy; and India is no different. This article argues that as the China threat looms large, New Delhi will not be in complete repudiation of an ‘Asian NATO’ (or “Indo-Pacific NATO”), despite strategically refraining from being party to a definitive military alliance and an age-old non-alignment principle. However, India’s support will be contingent on the future trajectory of its ties with Beijing.

The South Caucasus: Transition from Subjugation to Independence (Tracing India’s Footprints)

The South Caucasus region consists primarily of three countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The region finds scant attention in International Relations deliberations in India. It also lags behind in the foreign policy articulation of successive Indian governments despite being an energy-rich region and situated at the crossroads of Asia and Europe through which several important freight transit and energy corridors pass.

India Rising: A Multilayered Analysis of Ideas, Interests, and Institutions

For many years now, India’s position as a rising power has been a topic of discussion revolving around questions such as what are the factors that shape India’s conduct at the global level, and has there been any change in India’s foreign policy or is it marked by continuity? The book under review is a collection of essays by reputed scholars who attempt to answer such questions by assessing many important, yet complex issues of Indian foreign policy conduct at a microscopic level.

The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India

The author is eminently qualified to write the book under review, having been a distinguished member of the Indian Foreign Service during which period he served as Ambassador to China and eventually became Foreign Secretary. In the author’s words the underlying intent in writing the book is ‘… that the generations to come might benefit by learning about China from those who have dealt with the subject … the insights contained herein may prove helpful to them in their future dealings with the Chinese’ (p. 162).

Sunil Khatri |
January 2022 |
Strategic Analysis

Russia-India: Strategic Partnership, Not Alliance

Taiwan’s striving for institutional recognition has made its campaign to obtain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA) a distinct case in international relations (IR). The first section briefly introduces framing as an analytical approach governing the arrangement of this research. The second section articulates how Taiwan’s utilization of framing has shaped public opinion and helped advance its interests. The third section adopts ‘a scorecard approach’ to evaluate Taiwan’s efforts to engage with the WHA comprehensively.

Lebanon: A Country Stuck in Multiple Crises

Prolonged political crisis, social unrest, pre-existing economic misery, and outbreak of a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and the Gulf countries have left Lebanon in a debilitated state. Systemic reforms to tackle the economic, political, diplomatic and humanitarian challenges, are the need of the hour.

Jatin Kumar |
January 01, 2022 |
IDSA Comments

Digital Yuan (e-CNY): China’s Official Digital Currency

The Chinese Electronic Yuan, or the e-CNY, is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) sponsored by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The e-CNY is identical to the currency of China, the Renminbi (unit being yuan) and is a legal tender in the country. The PBOC has been actively testing the electronic yuan (e-CNY)—with a population of around 21 million participating in the tests as of June 2021. Moreover, China aims to extend the use of digital yuan worldwide and facilitate cross-border payments and tourism.

Indo-Bangladesh Talks on Sharing of the Ganga Waters

A major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh relations has been the question of sharing Ganga waters between the two countries. Though negotiations for the settlement of the problem have been going on for the last five-and-a-half years, a final agreement is still elusive. At times, it appeared that the two countries would not reach any agreement and the issue would affect their relations. Fortunately, the deadlock, which persisted for some time, was broken in April last. Now it appears that India and Bangladesh have been negotiating satisfactorily and a final agreement would be signed soon.