China’s Changing Worldview Recent Chinese writings indicate that the Chinese see themselves as a major player in international affairs. They see the global economic crisis as an historic opportunity to redefine the Chinese role. The following is a summary of broad points made in recent Chinese writings on a variety of international issues. Arvind Gupta August 04, 2009 IDSA Comments
For an Indo-Pak strategic dialogue forum India is taking its time to reopen the dialogue process with Pakistan that has been suspended since 26/11. The meeting between Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s President, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Yekaterinburg in June had opened up possibilities of resumption. However, the joint statement following the one-on-one session between the two prime ministers at Sharm-el-Sheikh ran into rough weather. Ali Ahmed August 04, 2009 IDSA Comments
Between 2015 and 2050: Considerations in Negotiating a Date for an Indian Grand Strategy Project Security planners often grapple with the question of how far out they should be looking and planning, and it is not a problem to take lightly. Many believe that as the pace of technology quickens and the number of possible interactions in a globalized, flattened world increase, the real horizon of meaningful forecast moves ever closer. But in my view that only forces us to look farther out, to things that seem distant today, but can be anticipated, and to take a longer view. Peter Garretson August 03, 2009 IDSA Comments
Political convulsions in Japanese politics Since the early 1950s, two factors have remained constant in Japan - the political domination of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the continuation of the Japan-US security alliance. The first factor is expected to undergo a change as the LDP is likely to give way to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the forthcoming elections for the lower House. Given this prospective political change, one might see a perceptible shift in Japan’s foreign policy, particularly its relationship with the US. Pranamita Baruah , Shamshad A. Khan August 03, 2009 IDSA Comments
Aerial Terrorism Aerial terrorism is gradually emerging as a potent form of terrorism capable of causing significant damage to human life and infrastructure. Aircrafts and UAVs can be easily used as guided missiles to target key locations and installations; and more importantly, to communicate a political message. Dealing with such threats can be difficult as it becomes complicated to fully understand the nature and scope of unconventional acts of terrorism. Ajey Lele , Archana Mishra July 2009 Journal of Defence Studies
Critical Defence Technologies – The DRDO Perspective DRDO has been the torchbearer of the defence research and development in the country. It has been responsible for identifying critical technologies, working out modalities for technology development and identifying partners for technology acquisition. The author argues that the government along with several other stakeholders such as the Services and the industry need to play an important role in the technology development and production. It is emphasised on successful research and development which requires steady funding and incentives for scientific talent. Nabanita R. Krishnan July 2009 Journal of Defence Studies
An Editorial and Its (Mal) Contents An editorial in the New York Times on July 18, 2009 ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to India - ‘Secretary Clinton goes to India’, has generated a lot of interest. S. Samuel C. Rajiv July 25, 2009 IDSA Comments
Why Uighurs did not get support from West Asia? The recent clashes that occurred between the Uighur Muslims and the Han Chinese workers in a toy factory and the subsequent spread of violence throughout the Xinjiang Uighur region have elicited strong responses from around the world. The clashes led to the death of over 184 people and left hundreds injured. The issue has also drawn world attention for the way it has been handled by the Chinese government. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan July 24, 2009 IDSA Comments
Jakarta Blasts and Jemaah Islamiyah Indonesian police confirmed on July 19 that the twin blasts at the Ritz Carlton and Marriott Hotels in Jakarta two days earlier, which left nine people dead (including two suicide bombers) and more than 50 injured, was the handiwork of Jemaah Islamiyah. This shows that terrorism and terror networks are still existent in Indonesia, a nascent democratic country with the largest Muslim population in the world. These blasts are meant to create panic and show that the nebulous terror groups like Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) are trying to come out of their oblivion. Pankaj K Jha July 23, 2009 IDSA Comments
The Strategic Aspect of Migration from China’s North-East to Russia’s Far East In a conference on socio-economic development in Kamchatka Kray in 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that if Russia does not step up the level of activity of its work in the Russian Far East (RFE), it may risk losing territory. The tone of his remarks was ‘unprecedented’ and reminiscent of former President Vladimir Putin’s even more direct and straightforward warning, who observed in 2000 that “if the authorities failed to develop the region, even the indigenous Russian population will mainly be speaking Japanese, Korean and Chinese in a few decades.” Prashant Kumar Singh July 23, 2009 IDSA Comments
