Publication Filter

What is Russia up to in the Middle East?

Russia’s military intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015 is seen as a significant milestone in the geopolitics of the Middle East. By establishing stakes on the ground, the Kremlin, which had been virtually absent from the region since the breakup of the Soviet Union, has reinserted itself as a key actor in shaping the region’s strategic landscape. In doing so, it has also pulled itself back into the global geo-strategic consciousness.

Pakistan Army: Institution that Matters

Described variously as a ‘garrison’ or ‘praetorian’ state’, Pakistan is the only country in South Asia that has been under military rule for almost three-quarters of its sovereign existence. Even after the restoration of civilian rule, the Pakistani military has continued to call shots on the key domestic and foreign policy issues.

A life in diplomacy

This is a candid, stimulating, and highly readable account of Ambassador Maharaja Krishna Rasgotra’s diplomatic life, and through it, also of the evolution of Indian foreign policy since 1947. The bonus for the reader is to have a balanced reflection on India’s diplomacy, peppered with pertinent narratives and observations about important events and personalities.

Xi Jinping’s Control of the Chinese Army

Since taking over power in 2012, the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s key initiative has been to make the Communist Party of China (CPC) relevant in the function of China’s political system. However, when Xi Jinping argues for a ‘unified and absolute leadership of the Party, it has become co-terminous with his absolute control of the Party. What does this centralisation of power signify? Given this context, it is imperative to question under whose control is the Chinese Army. That is, does CPC as an organisation hold absolute command over the PLA or it is Xi Jinping who controls it?

Economic Security: The Missing Link in India’s National Security Architecture

A flurry of changes in India’s national security apparatus in the recent past have been the subject of public discussion. These include the constitution of a Defence Procurement Committee under the chairmanship of the National Security Advisor (NSA), the replacement of the Cabinet Secretary with the NSA as the head of India’s Strategic Policy Group (SPG), and the appointment of three new Deputy National Security Advisors (Dy. NSAs), and a Military Advisor (only the second such appointment in a period of four years). Further, the mandate of the Dy.

The Quest for Federalism in Myanmar

The question of autonomy or self-determination in Myanmar goes back to the country’s pre-independence era. It is an important historical issue which unified and divided the country. The idea of forming a union government that would grant equal status to all citizens brought together different ethnic groups at the Panglong conference in 1947. However, the country’s conflicts remain and efforts are on to address the decades-old problems. One possible solution widely discussed is federalism.

Thucydides: Quoting and Misquoting

The Peloponnesian war was fought from 431 to 401 BC between the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta and the Athenian Empire, known as the Delian League led by Pericles, the ruler of Athens. In the initial phase of the war, Thucydides (460–395 BC) was removed from command by the Athenian government after he failed as the commanding general to prevent a Spartan occupation of Amphipolis. He was exiled for 20 years. This came as a blessing in disguise for the scholar in him. The exiled general now had the scholarly atmosphere of solitude to write his book as the war was fought.

Food Security in India: Evolution, Efforts and Problems

This article examines India’s efforts to achieve food security. It traces the problem, from the inadequate production of food grains during colonial times, to the challenges of procurement, storage and distribution of cereals in post-independence India, after achieving self-sufficiency in food production. The establishment of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and its evolution into the Targeted PDS and the National Food Security Act are outlined. The role of the Food Corporation of India and the efforts to improve it, are discussed.

D. Padma Kumar Pillay , T.K. Manoj Kumar
November 2018
Strategic Analysis

Security Challenges and the Management of the India–Myanmar Border

Being highly porous, poorly guarded and located along a remote, underdeveloped, insurgency-prone region and proximate to one of the world’s largest five opium producing areas, the India–Myanmar border is vulnerable to the activities of insurgents and drugs and arms traffickers as well as criminals. Although the Indian government has been alive to the threats that emanate from a poorly guarded India–Myanmar international border, its attention towards the problem has been woefully inadequate.

Transformation of Indo-Bangladesh Relations: From Insecurity to Cooperation in Northeast India

Bangladesh and India are enjoying increasingly close relations in the latter’s northeastern region. This represents a transformation in the two countries’ past relationship, which was characterised by suspicion, distrust and insecurity. This recent change, which began with the arrival of Bangladesh’s current regime in 2009, has resulted in a sense of cooperation, mutual interest and connectivity. This article aims to explain this transformation.