Labour’s Downhill Journey in Israel Israel’s Labour party has been going through turmoil since losing monopoly over power in 1977 and is unable to regain its erstwhile pre-eminence and even relevance. P. R. Kumaraswamy July 24, 2017 IDSA Comments
Russia & Chemical Weapons Destruction In a historic announcement on 27th September 2017, the Russian Federation declared the complete destruction of its huge Cold War-era chemical weapons stockpiles.1 The Russian announcement has been greeted with… Continue reading Russia & Chemical Weapons Destruction Kapil Patil July-December 2017 CBW Magazine
Ricin: Feral Wolf to Hunting Dog! History Ricin is a protein, naturally synthesized by the castor bean plant. The castor bean contains 3- 5% of Ricin in it. It was discovered by Stillmark first in 1888… Continue reading Ricin: Feral Wolf to Hunting Dog! Mrinmayee Bhushan July-December 2017 CBW Magazine
India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947–1971, by Arjun Subramaniam In this first of two volumes, Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam offers excellent and concise histories of India’s wars and military operations, starting with the rescue and partial liberation of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48 from depredating Pakistani irregulars and ending with the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan’s genocidal rule. Based on published material available, and supplementing it with interviews, Subramaniam’s India’s Wars provides a layered perspective on the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of these wars and operations. S. Kalyanaraman July 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
Transfer of Defence Technology: Exploring the Avenues for India India has been the recipient of transfers of defence technology predominantly through the licensed manufacture mode which, while being cheap and easy to implement, has some major limitations. This article looks into alternate modes of technology transfer and explores additional possibilities through a broad perspective on technology development. It also attempts to assess the relative strengths of each mode, the challenges in implementation and indicate a way forward to meet suitable national goals. Kevin A. Desouza July 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
Public–Private Partnership for MRO in Defence: Application to Aerospace and Land Systems This article examines the various aspects of employing public–private partnership (PPP) for carrying out maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities for aerospace and land forces in India. PPP in MRO is expected to increase the uptime of the existing equipment, and enable their full exploitation. It would enable harnessing the efficiencies of the private sector while using the resources existing in the public sector. The broad concepts and operational philosophy of MRO for defence equipment are also covered. Chandrika Kaushik July 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
The Protracted Brazilian Crisis In the backdrop of various corruption scandals marring the political scenario in Brazil, the 2018 general elections will probably be marked by uncertainties and contradictions of the competing coalition politics. Erik Ribeiro July 21, 2017 Issue Brief
Quantum Computing and its Impact on Cryptography Advances in technology has brought into focus the need to have double assurance on data security, especially with the world moving from classical to Quantum Computing, which latter has the power to unlock the toughest of cyber-locks. Kritika Roy July 19, 2017 Backgrounder
China-Pakistan Water Axis on the Indus Consisting of five major hydropower projects including the Diamer Bhasha Dam, the North Indus Cascade will cut across Gilgit Baltistan as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Priyanka Singh July 19, 2017 Issue Brief
War Crimes, Atrocity and Justice, by Michael J. Shapiro Human history has been witness to many war crimes and atrocities. But it is only in the twentieth century that one sees institutionalised, global attempts to fix responsibility for such crimes and to bring justice to the victims of such unspeakable, horrific crimes against humanity. However, most would agree that these attempts have hardly made a huge difference either in getting justice for victims and giving them closure or in deterring such crimes. Through War Crimes, Atrocity, and Justice, Michael J. Uma Purushothaman July 2017 Journal of Defence Studies