Troubled Waters: Exploring the Emerging Dynamics between Navies and Private Security Companies in Anti-piracy Operations The return of piracy to the Indian Ocean in modern times has culminated in the resurgence of the private violence industry in the maritime domain. For the first time in modern history, the private military security industry will work alongside traditional navies on the field. The dynamics between the two major security actors in the anti-piracy operations make for an interesting study. This article argues that there exists much potential for fruitful engagement between the two actors: PMSCs and navies. Riddhi Shah | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
Exploring Risks and Vulnerabilities: An Alternate Approach to Maritime Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region Maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has become a central consideration. Shared risks and common vulnerabilities for state and non-state actors, generated by traditional and non-traditional security challenges, converge to a significant extent at sea. Risk-based approaches offer the potential for regional and extra-regional actors to engage in a constructive and non-confrontational dialogue that can assist collective security cooperation. Lee Cordner | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
Vulnerabilities in the Capital Acquisition Process From the stage of inception of a procurement proposal till the signing of the contract, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) diligently follows a fairly elaborate procurement procedure for capital acquisitions, as also for revenue procurements. The purpose of laying down a procedure is to minimize discretion and bring in transparency at every stage to eliminate the possibility of undue influence on decision making. But this does not seem to have worked very well for the MoD as instances of corruption keep surfacing every now and then. Amit Cowshish | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
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
The New Soldier in the Age of Asymmetric Conflict, by Rumu Sarkar Asymmetric warfare has existed from the time of the famous tale of David and Goliath. Post-World War II, the world has witnessed these conflicts in Vietnam, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The United States (US) is currently the sole superpower, and even countries with strong armed forces are developing asymmetric capabilities to respond to military threats posed by the US. Countries like China, Russia, Israel, Syria and India have to respond to asymmetric challenges which require innovative tactics in comparison to regular conventional warfare. P. K. Chakravarty | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
Proxy Warfare, by Andrew Mumford, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013 Proxy war, over the centuries, has become a significant attribute in shaping the desired strategic outcome of a conflict through indirect engagement. History is strewn with numerous conflicts where proxy war has been used by states to achieve their strategic goals without committing their own troops, resources and finances. Although large research material is available on contemporary warfare, international relations and related security studies, there is, however, a void existing in analysing proxy warfare and its tenets. This book by Andrew Mumford is a serious effort to bridge this gap. Sanjiv Tomar | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
Red Revolution 2020 and Beyond: Strategic Challenges to Resolve Naxalism, by V.K. Ahluwalia, New Delhi: Bloomsbury Literature on the Maoist movement continues to pour in. The government too has officially described it as the biggest threat to the internal security of the country. No wonder that scholars of different hues are making their contribution. Prakash Singh | April 2014 | Journal of Defence Studies
India’s abstention in the vote against Sri Lanka at Geneva: Likely Implications Despite its abstention, India will continue to be evaluated negatively in Sri Lanka for its approach to the Tamil issue. Moreover, Colombo is also taking steps which may unnecessarily complicate bilateral relations. Smruti S. Pattanaik | April 16, 2014 | IDSA Comments
Venezuela’s Political Chaos: Flailing President and Strong Generals The country is witnessing protests which are the biggest in over a decade and will only worsen unless a political accommodation is arrived at soon. The efficacy of multilateral institutions like the UNASUR, not subservient to US interests, is also on test. Gautam Sen | April 16, 2014 | IDSA Comments
The Limits of French Military Intervention in Mali Containment of the terror threat in Sahel secures Europe, particularly its Southern parts; hence France has an interest in securing the region. However, France will not try to address the deep rooted political and socio-economic factors that are at the core of the Malian conflict as well as conflicts in other parts of Sahel. Nachiket Khadkiwala | April - June 2014 | Africa Trends
