Publication Filter

The Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

Although on the ground the areas of conflict are specific and do not cover the entire landmass as a map would indicate, the incoherence of the state’s response makes it appear that India is at war with itself.

Terrorist Attacks: How Long Should India just Wring its Hand in Despair?

There is a need to conclusively revisit the issue of India’s response, and other pro-active measures, to deter and forestall terrorist attacks in future.

OIC Astana Session: Emphasising Change and Action

Though the Astana meeting reflected a change in the OIC’s approach and understanding of the issues and problems of the Islamic world, lack of concrete action would lead to a further loss of credibility for the organisation.

No Time for Finger-Pointing: Taking a Long View after the Mumbai Blasts

Much has been written about terrorism and counterterrorism as forms of communication, but such analyses are usually jettisoned in the arena of “breaking news alerts” and real-time reporting.

China’s Strategic Vision and the PLA’s Rise

The aim of this paper is to examine the rising power of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in China’s strategic vision. Since the founding of new China in 1949, there have been instances of PLA leaders challenging the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership. But on each instance the Party prevailed emphatically. The dictum “The Party commands the gun, and the army protects the Party” is still very much in place. In the last two decades, however, the relationship between the Party and the PLA has undergone some significant changes.

India-Pakistan Dialogue: Cautious Optimism, Lots of Scepticism

Pakistan’s conciliatory approach towards India is tactical and could change rapidly if the army decides that its interests are better served through a more offensive posture.

The Last Space Shuttle Flight

The US is stopping the shuttle programme by design and not for want of technology or money; nor does discontinuing the space shuttle indicate that the US has lost the space race.

Ajey Lele
July 13, 2011
IDSA Comments

Chinese Anti Access Strategy: Conceptualising and Contextualising an Indian Version

The asymmetric military balance prevailing between India and China is likely to get accentuated overtime if effective political and military steps are not taken by to address the same. The paper looks upon the need to develop an asymmetric strategy by India to prevent domination by inimical or hostile adversaries. This paper attempts to examine the principles of the Chinese Anti Access Strategy and use that as a model to develop the contours of an Indian ‘Grand Strategy that entails developing military capabilities capable of inflicting damage and raising the cost of intervention.

Revolution in Military Affairs with Chinese Characteristics

While China’s interest in Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) dates back to the mid-1980s, the Western hi-tech precision military action in the 1991 Gulf War; the 1999 Kosovo war; the 2003 Iraq war and the continuing Afghan campaign have all convinced it to opt for the RMA, albeit within the limits of Chinese technology, organisation, and defence budget.

An Ocean at The Intersection of Two Emerging Maritime Narratives

This issue brief delves into the pragmatic motivations undergirding India and China’s “will to the sea”, before examining on a more conceptual level how New Delhi and Beijing have drawn on the old in order to buttress the new, most notably through the crafting of two maritime narratives.