Public Diplomacy in India’s Foreign Policy The last few years have witnessed an incredible change in global communications as well as politics. The proliferation of 24/7 news channels, the spread of the Internet and the ready availability of mobile phones with digital cameras are having a profound impact on the international media and on the manner in which governments formulate their media strategies. At the same time, global issues like terrorism, climate change or even multilateral trade negotiations have come to be closely intertwined with the domestic political agenda. Navdeep Suri | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security by Gregory D. Koblentz Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 2009, pp. 256, $35, ISBN 978-0-8014-4768-6 Monalisa Joshi | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
West Asia and Oil Politics Today hardly any part of the world is untouched by the interplay of oil and international politics. Consumers as well as producers are concerned about the impact of national and international events that increase or restrict the supply of energy. Given that the West Asian region holds the world's largest residual oil and gas resources, the article seeks to analyse the importance of West Asia in the context of the changing geopolitical situation and its impact on the current oil market. The article also focuses on the issue of the petrodollar and looks at its impact on the oil market. M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
Makers of Modern India by Ramchandra Guha Penguin Viking, New Delhi, 2010, Rs. 799, ISBN 9780670083855 Priyanka Singh | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
Taking the Arms Control Debate Forward: The Hague Code of Conduct and India This article evaluates the opportunities associated with The Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) for India. HCoC is a stand-alone agreement against ballistic missile proliferation. Since the 1974 Pokharan nuclear tests it has been tricky for India to get into the non-proliferation mainstream. The success of the 2005 Indo-US nuclear deal is a first step towards global acceptability of India's non-proliferation and disarmament policies. Now, it is important for India to start supporting the international norms which do not affect their strategic programmes. Ajey Lele | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
India and China – Neighbours, Strangers by Ira Pande (ed.), HarperCollins, India 2010, Rs. 699, ISBN 978-81-72223-960-2 Gunjan Singh | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
The GCC–Iran Conflict and its Strategic Implications for the Gulf Region Continuing conflict, competition and rivalry have been a regular phenomenon in the Gulf region over the past few decades. Among other reasons, the troubled relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Iran has been one of the major factors responsible for the present state of affairs in the region. The relationship has been marked by sectarian and ideological differences, clash of interests over the presence of the US in the region, concerns over the Iranian nuclear programme and territorial disputes between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prasanta Kumar Pradhan | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
The Frugal Superpower: America’s Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era by Michael Mandelbaum PublicAffairs, New York, 2010, pp. 213, ISBN 978-1-58648-916-8 Peter Maher | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
Energy Crisis and Potential in Bangladesh The present energy crisis in Bangladesh is partly due to over-dependence on gas which fulfils more than 70 per cent of its energy needs. The present gas deficit against the national demand on a daily basis is expected to increase further in the future. The crisis will deepen unless a greater share of indigenous coal is included in the energy mix. The geological and social constraints of an over-populated fertile agricultural land area remain an obstacle to large-scale coal mining and this has to be addressed rationally. Badrul Imam | March 2011 | Strategic Analysis
China’s Worried Response to the Uprisings in the Middle East The success of popular movements in the Middle East has raised the apprehensions of the Chinese Communist Party, which has been reminded of its own weakness. Gunjan Singh | February 25, 2011 | IDSA Comments