Obama’s Policy towards East Asia President Barack Obama's foreign policy orientation towards East Asia seems to be characterised by continuity rather than change, and is not so very different from that of his predecessors. With Japan and South Korea, Obama is trying to revitalise bilateral alliances. With China, he continues on his predecessor's policy of greater engagement, though he has offered some concessions during his visit to Beijing in November 2009. However, North Korea remains a real and huge challenge for Obama to test his engagement in East Asia. Pranamita Baruah , Rajaram Panda , Shamshad A. Khan May 2010 Strategic Analysis
Constitutional Impasse in Gilgit-Baltistan (Jammu and Kashmir): The Fallout The legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is part of Jammu and Kashmir that is under Pakistani occupation, has remained undefined in successive Pakistani constitutions. Pakistan governs the region with ad hoc presidential ordinances, resulting in transitory political arrangements. It was Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who first introduced the so-called Northern Areas Governance Order of 1994, after shelving the draconian and inhumane Frontier Crimes Regulation, with which Pakistan ruled the region like a colony. Senge H. Sering May 2010 Strategic Analysis
India–Bhutan Relations: From Developmental Cooperation to Strategic Partnership The India–Bhutan relationship is perhaps the only bilateral engagement in South Asia, yielding high dividends to both parties. While Bhutan all through the years has appreciated India for its economic assistance, India, for its part, has been sensitive to Bhutan's developmental needs. The relationship has helped Bhutan shape a unique developmental trajectory based on gross national happiness. Bhutan's economy has grown substantially in recent years. However, the development cooperation between the two countries can be effectively divided into three significant waves. Medha Bisht May 2010 Strategic Analysis
India and Bangladesh: The Road Towards Common Peace and Prosperity After a hiatus, relations between India and Bangladesh are back on track again. This period was ushered in with the Awami League government assuming power in Dhaka after the culmination of the much delayed ninth Jatiya Sangsad elections. The bilateral relations received a further boost with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's four-day visit to India on January 10, 2010. It was breakthrough visit for a number of reasons. Sreeradha Datta May 2010 Strategic Analysis
Issues and Prospects of the NPT Review Conference 2010 It is unlikely that the Revcon will be able to agree on a credible roadmap for nuclear disarmament although there may be some marginal progress on some issues. Arvind Gupta April 30, 2010 IDSA Comments
Impending Crisis in Nepal With Prachanda’s announcement that the Maoists intend to launch an indefinite nationwide general strike, a major crisis seems to be brewing in Nepal. Nihar R. Nayak April 29, 2010 IDSA Comments
The ICC’s Role in Sudan: Peace versus Justice In order for ICC jurisdiction to truly have a sway it needs to be credible as a deterrence mechanism, and it should keep track of the political strategies used by various actors to resist a tribunal. Mayank Bubna April 28, 2010 Issue Brief
Hughes, Christopher W., Japan’s Remilitarization Crippled by US drafted pacifist Constitution and growing pressure from the pacifist lobby within the country, Japan adopted a pacifist security policy during the Cold War period and various governments adopted policies such as ban on arms export and related technology, 1% GDP cap on defence spending, three non-nuclear principles and non- use of space for defence purposes. Shamshad A. Khan April 2010 Journal of Defence Studies
Integrated Network Electronic Warfare: China’s New Concept of Information Warfare The People's Liberation Army (PLA) considers active offence to be the most important requirement for information warfare to destroy or disrupt an adversary's capability to receive and process data. Launched mainly by remote combat and covert methods, the PLA could employ information warfare pre-emptively to gain the initiative in a crisis. Deepak Sharma April 2010 Journal of Defence Studies
Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India It has become almost a cliché to say that the LWE situation is the most serious internal threat facing the country. Naxalism has been operating in several parts of the country. It has been there from the late 60s and 70s and different parts of the country have been affected with different levels of naxal violence. It has been tackled in different ways in West Bengal, in Kerala, in Andhra and so on and so forth, Telangana situation was there earlier. A significant change came about with the merger of the Peoples War Group and the MCC to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. G.K. Pillai April 2010 Journal of Defence Studies
