James Hamill, Africa’s Lost Leader: South Africa’s Continental Role Since Apartheid James Hamill, in his book ‘Africa’s Lost Leader: South Africa’s Continental Role Since Apartheid” debunks the perception of South Africa as the undisputed leader of Africa and paints South Africa as nothing more than a fragile hegemon. He supports this by arguing that South Africa has been reluctant to assume a hegemonic role, for a range of historical and contemporary reasons. South Africa has generated significant resentment, suspicion and even outright opposition from other African states. It has been unable to popularise its ideals in Africa or build a consensus around them. Aarushi Vikram January-June 2020 Africa Trends
Rising US-Iran Hostilities: Implications for Africa Tension between the US and Iran escalated after the assassination of Iranian military commander, General Qassim Soleimani by the Trump administration on January 3, 2020. Tehran launched a series of missile attacks on a military base that hosts American troops in Iraq. This is the first direct engagement between both the countries since the naval battle precipitating the Vincennes event on July 3, 1998. Nagapushpa Devendra January-June 2020 Africa Trends
Russia’s Re-Engagements in Africa Africa is a geopolitical arena where many big powers have been engaging either due to their own strategic interests or due to the changing dynamics of geopolitics. Russia is no exception. Russia’s interests in Africa are mainly due to heavy investments in raw resource megaprojects and as one of the major suppliers of arms. However, Russia needs to unveil an ambitious and new vision that could satisfy the requirement of African countries and subsequently could be leveraged for tangible rewards for Russia, and the year 2019 set the tone for such actions. Kamala Kumari January-June 2020 Africa Trends
Soleimani’s Killing Redefines US-Iran Rivalry The situation in Persian Gulf has been on the boil with several tit-for-tat actions raising the chances of a direct confrontation. However, Iran will be cautious in choosing an all-out war given its vulnerabilities against the US military might. Md. Muddassir Quamar January 13, 2020 IDSA Comments
Biological Security and Health in the Post-pandemic World: The Infectious Disease Community’s ‘Mushroom Cloud’? The Cold-War During the cold war and for ten years thereafter, the United States of America (USA) and other countries developed physical and medical countermeasures to protect their military forces… Continue reading Biological Security and Health in the Post-pandemic World: The Infectious Disease Community’s ‘Mushroom Cloud’? David R. Franz January-June 2020 CBW Magazine
Human Capital for the Department of Military Affairs The creation of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Ministry of Defence portends better civil-military cooperation. That India’s civil-military cooperation was in need of structural reform was never doubted. Yet, the implementation of such reform lacked political will, faced bureaucratic resistance, and was stymied by elements within the armed services. Prakash Menon January-June 2020 Journal of Defence Studies
Illicit Drug Trafficking and Financing of Terrorism: The Case of Islamic State, Al Qaeda and their Affiliate Groups The revenue generated from the drug trafficking business constitutes a fifth of the organised crime revenues, with annual worldwide value of the trade estimated to be around $650 billion. As the trafficking of drugs provides a lucrative opportunity, transnational terror groups such as Al- Qaeda, the Islamic State and their affiliates are increasingly using illicit drug trade to fund their expenses and operational costs. Further, with the increasing surveillance of the funding routes of terror by the security forces, the traditional sources of revenue have dried up. Yashasvi Chandra January-June 2020 Journal of Defence Studies
Influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan on Japanese Maritime Strategy The Imperial Japanese Navy’s (IJN) resurgence during the Meiji Restoration was challenged by the absence of maritime capability and an equivalent strategic underpinning. In turn, the IJN reached out to Western navies to develop its capability and establish its maritime moorings. The musings of Alfred Thayer Mahan served to fill this void. The IJN studied Mahan’s tenets and became particularly fixated on certain ideas which fuelled their tactics and hardened their war plans. Himadri Bose January-June 2020 Journal of Defence Studies
United Nations Peace Operations: Personal Experiences and Reflections We are passing through a decisive stage in the history of the international system. The threat of war between great states, or nuclear confrontation between major powers, is well behind us and, in fact, fading in our memory. However, new and diverse forms of threats, some clear and present, others only dimly perceived, are testing our resolve and questioning the validity of our existing mechanisms. Developments at the international level over the last two decades have exposed deep divisions within the membership of the United Nations (UN) over fundamental policies on peace and security. Satish Nambiar January-June 2020 Journal of Defence Studies
NRC Will Make India-Bangladesh Relations More Sustainable The issue of illegal migration in India-Bangladesh relationship cannot be swept under the carpet. It will be better if both sides look at the issue dispassionately especially when the trust levels are high. Anand Kumar January 08, 2020 IDSA Comments
