China 2013: One Year Rule of President Xi Jinping—An Assessment It is a matter of widespread belief that on assumption of supreme power, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s overall ambition was to emerge as an iconic figure in the same league as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. At the very outset, Xi realised this would necessitate the elimination of any political challenge and his first step was therefore to consolidate an unassailable position within the Standing Committee of the Party Politburo (PBSC). To achieve this objective, Xi chose to emulate some of the policies and methods of the late Mao Zedong, albeit with modern underpinnings. R. S. Kalha May 2014 Strategic Analysis
Revisiting India’s Nuclear Doctrine: Is it Necessary? “Credible minimum deterrence” is the cornerstone of India’s nuclear doctrine. It, used in conjunction with the concepts of “No First Use” (NFU) and “Non Use” against non nuclear weapon states, clearly indicates that India envisages its nuclear weapons as only a deterrent and not as a means to threaten others. Satish Chandra April 30, 2014 Issue Brief
Naval symposium in China: Decoding the outcome The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) is a small but positive sign towards better communication channels between navies to reduce tension in the seas. But for CUES to become a reality many issues need to be resolved including the time frame for implementation. Sarabjeet Singh Parmar April 29, 2014 IDSA Comments
UNSCR 1540: A decade of existence The success of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 should not make the international community overlook persisting problems. The objective of the 1540 is to internationalise WMD security by targeting the entire supply chain. Rajiv Nayan April 28, 2014 IDSA Comments
The Indian Navy’s ‘China’ dilemma The naval exercise at Qingdao does not detract from the fact that the India-China maritime relationship is essentially an uneasy one. Each side is uncomfortable with the other’s presence in its own theatre of nautical influence, but both recognise the other’s dominance in their respective maritime ‘backyards’. Abhijit Singh April 28, 2014 IDSA Comments
Geneva agreement on Ukraine: Can it defuse tensions? While the ‘compromise’, as put forth by Russia is a welcome development in so far it helps to diffuse the potential confrontation yet it does raise two pertinent questions: What made the key players arrive at such an agreement? And can this deal be implemented? Rajorshi Roy April 24, 2014 IDSA Comments
Foreign Direct Investment Policy 2014: Status Quo for the Defence Sector One of the provisions in the policy is that in the Information & Broadcasting and the Defence sectors, where the sectoral cap is less than 49 per cent, the company would need to be ‘owned and controlled’ by resident Indian citizens and Indian companies, which, in turn, are owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens. This is a virtual impossibility. Amit Cowshish April 23, 2014 IDSA Comments
Where is Ukraine headed to? It is unlikely that Russia has serious plans to invade Ukraine and there is no reason to believe that EU or even US really wants a war. Yet, US, and perhaps Russia too, are prepared to play brinkmanship and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that there can be a war that nobody wanted. K. P. Fabian April 23, 2014 IDSA Comments
China’s 2014 Defence Budget: An Assessment Following on Xi Jinping vision of ‘fight war, win war’, the Chinese military spending is shifting towards higher technology weapons and equipment and training and also illustrates its aim to institute reforms related to troop’s operational commands, organisation and training. M.S. Prathibha April 21, 2014 IDSA Comments
For Now, it is Ballot over Bullet in Afghanistan It is not merely about change in leadership; it is about ushering the country into a ‘decade of transformation’. The most immediate challenge before the incumbent government and the relevant election and security institutions is to sustain and strengthen the people’s engagement in the process. Vishal Chandra April 18, 2014 IDSA Comments