India and the UAE: Progress towards ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ The way forward for New Delhi is to seize the momentum and develop a strategic partnership with the UAE to safeguard its core national interests while avoiding regional entanglements. Md. Muddassir Quamar July 05, 2018 Issue Brief
Return of the Persian Puzzle While it is necessary to identify and shore up the convergence of interest between India and Iran, it is equally important to recognize differences and pitfalls. P. R. Kumaraswamy July 05, 2018 IDSA Comments
Unmanned Trans-Atlantic Journey – A New Beginning Will the first-ever trans-Atlantic flight of a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle change the course of aviation and tilt the balance in favour of unmanned aircraft? Kishore Kumar Khera July 02, 2018 IDSA Comments
China’s contingencies and globalisation China’s Contingencies and Globalisation was initially published as a special issue of the Third World Quarterly and consisted of papers presented at the Seventh Annual Global Studies Conference at Shanghai University, in June 2015. The current volume has three sections. The first four chapters of the book focus on impact of globalisation on China; the second section consisting of three chapters examines the economic transformation of China after the opening up; while the last four papers concentrate on the broader themes of the changing society, religion and culture in China. Rajiv Ranjan July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Analysing China’s soft power strategy and comparative Indian initiatives Soft power has become a new currency of power in international relations. It assumes more significance with countries that are sovereign equals but vulnerable to dominance and hegemonic actions by powerful states in international system. Especially in countries that are extremely sovereignty-sensitive, actions through soft power becomes more acceptable as a means of intervention whether it is economic or cultural investment Of dominant powers. American soft power is much more about the attractiveness of America as a liberal democracy. Smruti S. Pattanaik July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Nexus of Global Jihad The emergence of Al Qaeda on the global stage marked a shift, in more ways than one. Amongst these, it was perhaps the ability to run a corporatised terrorist organisation, with global affiliates who owed allegiance to the mother ship, that set new standards for terrorism. This interlinked global footprint, of not necessarily like-minded organisations, presented a challenge to states, which were neither as quick to adapt, nor as willing to cooperate. Vivek Chadha July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Kautilya’s Arthashastra: an intellectual portrait: the classical roots of modern politics in India The generalist reader, as also those interested in indigenous historical knowledge, owes a debt of gratitude to Professor Subrata K. Mitra and Dr. Michael Liebig for bringing out this remarkable study. This is especially so since the IDSA has been investing for several years now in studying indigenous historical knowledge and its links to modern Indian political thought. Professor Mitra and Dr. Jayant Prasad July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Pashtun Nationalism in Search of Political Space and the State in Pakistan Pakistan is undergoing political turmoil once again. Once again an elected prime minister was first removed in July 2017, and then barred from fighting elections for life on April 13, 2018. Nazir Ahmad Mir July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Qatar Crisis and the Deepening Regional Faultlines In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar. They accused Qatar of supporting extremist and terror groups in the region, having close ties with Iran, undermining the security and stability of the Gulf region, and using the satellite television network Al Jazeera as a propaganda machine. They also put up a list of demands before Qatar, to be accepted within 10 days in order to end the boycott. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan July 2018 Strategic Analysis
Whither Oil Prices? India’s Choices President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has sent oil prices soaring again. Even prior to the May 8, 2018 announcement, after falling to below $30 a barrel in early 2016, oil prices were on the boil again, belying the projections of market analysts, including those of the respected International Energy Agency (IEA), that the era of $100 plus per barrel of oil was over. The projections were based on the assumption that nations would move increasingly away from oil—and coal—to meet their carbon mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement. Shebonti Ray Dadwal July 2018 Strategic Analysis