India’s Economic Opportunities and Energy Security: Analysing Prospects Within SAARC and Beyond It has been extensively debated whether India should prioritise relations with its immediate or extended neighbourhood. Put into the framework of energy security and competition with China, it will be argued that the recently signed South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) framework agreement can provide the basis and open up new opportunities for inter- and sub-regional energy co-operation in Asia. Anna Juhos | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Editorial Note 2015 is a very special year for the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, marking 50 years since it was established on November 11, 1965. Celebrating the landmark, the current issue of Strategic Analysis carries a section on ‘Fifty Years of IDSA and Strategic Thinking in India’. This section comprises reminiscences by authors who either headed the Institute or served as part of its faculty, about the Institute’s role in shaping strategic thinking and contributing to policy planning in the country over five decades. Editorial Board | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
IDSA’s Interface with Policy The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) can look back at its 50-year journey with satisfaction and pride. Undoubtedly a premier research institution in the country, it occupies a distinctive place in the community of prominent global think tanks as a leading centre for strategic research. Arvind Gupta | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict by Vipin Narang Vipin Narang offers a critical analysis of why states adopt certain strategies and postures over others and how these choices affect their ability to deter conflicts. With the world already into the second nuclear age, strategic equations are no longer defined by a ‘bipolar global superpower competition involving massive nuclear arsenals with the capability to destroy each other multiple times over’ (p. 1). Reshmi Kazi | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
My Years at IDSA This year, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses celebrates 50 eventful years of its existence. In my association with the Institute, between 2005 and 2011, an effort was made to strengthen the Institute’s overall capacity to contribute to strategic thinking in India. In this effort, I was ably assisted by the Institute’s scholars and my other colleagues. There was clear emphasis on institution building, rather than individual research efforts. N. S. Sisodia | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific by Robert D. Kaplan The South China Sea has been an area of intense focus in post-Cold War international affairs. The primary reason that explains the growing significance of the South China Sea in contemporary world politics is the regional tension and competition involving China and smaller adjacent countries around the sea. The engagement of the extra-regional powers, which has the potential to aggravate the situation, is another factor that compels International Relations (IR) practitioners to keenly watch the developments there. In this context, Robert D. Sampa Kundu | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
IDSA Years: A Personal Recollection It is a privilege to be invited to contribute to the special issue commemorating the 50th anniversary of the IDSA. The institution and the time span are respectively multi-hued and vast and the managing editor has thoughtfully suggested that I dwell on three aspects: my personal association with the institution; its major punctuations and contributions; and the way ahead, as it were—all from my limited perspective. C Uday Bhaskar | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Japan in Peril? 9 Crisis Scenarios by Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation For a long time Japan has upheld the values of pacifism, democracy and industrial and economic prosperity. However, protection of these values seems to be at stake now as Japan is grappling with a number of challenges on the domestic and foreign policy fronts. Various scholarly works have been undertaken to research these challenges. However, given the limited scope of these studies, they have so far failed to offer a comprehensive view of all the major challenges. This book rectifies that and offers an in-depth analysis of nine major challenges faced by Japan. Pranamita Baruah | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
The Original Gurukul of Strategic Analyses in Modern India: My Reminiscences of IDSA Established to fill a gap between policy research and policy innovation, the IDSA is the original gurukul of strategic analyses in modern India. My reminiscences of IDSA in the seventies are a décollage selected to share in a sense of national pride for witnessing some momentous events that became bench marks in shaping India’s defense posture. It (décollage) also expresses professional gratification for being a part of the IDSA faculty with K Subrahmanyam as its Director. Swadesh Rana | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
Rendezvous with Rebels: Journey to Meet India’s Most Wanted Men by Rajeev Bhattacharyya Rendezvous with Rebels is the passionate account of Rajeev Bhattacharyya’s daring journey to the rebel bases in Myanmar’s Sagaing Division where several separatist outfits from India’s troubled Northeast have established a presence. He stayed at the camp of the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) headed by chief of staff Paresh Baruah, who happens to be one of the most wanted men in India. Atul K. Thakur | September 2015 | Strategic Analysis
