China’s eagle eye on Arunachal Referring to India’s recent troop deployment in Arunachal Pradesh and the construction of a new airbase at Tezpur, Assam, Zhang Haizjou writing in China Daily on June 10, 2009 states that “India is attempting to extend its control over a disputed border area…” Similarly, Li Hongmei writing in the People’s Daily has held India responsible for hiking tension over Arunachal Pradesh by harbouring “awe, vexation, envy and jealousy – in the face of its giant neighbour” China. Jagannath P. Panda | July 10, 2009 | IDSA Comments
China’s Xinjiang Problem It all started on 26 June in the toy factory owned by the Hong Kong-listed Lacewood International in China’s Shaoguan city of Guangdong province. An official news agency wrote "Six Xinjiang boys raped two innocent girls at the Xuri Toy Factory." It was found to be a hoax, but the rumour spread quickly through the Internet sparking a deadly clash between the Uighur workers and Han Chinese who fought each other with knives and metal pipes in which two Uighur labourers were reportedly killed and 118 injured. P. Stobdan | July 09, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Indian Naval Strategy in the Twenty First Century Construed as expanding rings of expanding circles, India's maritime environs exhibit varying degrees of complexity and competitiveness. Each successive ring bears its own characteristics, opportunities, challenges and distinctive nuances. As India looks farther offshore, beyond its coastal or near-seas environment, it will encounter actors and forces that will neither bend wholly to its will nor reflexively push back. Contingency and context will thus characterise India's interactions with fellow maritime powers. Rahul Mishra | July 2009 | Journal of Defence Studies
The central debate in India’s civil military relations Critics have it that the last bout of reforms in India’s defence sector in the wake of Kargil has not been taken to its logical conclusion. There are two key areas over which there is considerable debate. One is the continuing absence of a Chief of Defence Staff, and the second is the cosmetic integration between the Ministry of Defence and the Service Headquarters. It is asserted that the latter is the result of bureaucrats protecting their turf in a perverse interpretation of civil control. Ali Ahmed | July 06, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Securing South East Asia: The Politics of Security Sector Reform Mark Beeson, who authored articles on Asia Pacific institutions and regional security along with Alex J. Bellamy who has written books on Kosovo and Security Communities, has written this book which discusses a very important subject of civil military relations in socio-political context. The authors have reservations for the book being classified under civil military relations because it comprehensively discusses the issue under Security Sector Reforms (SSR). Pankaj K Jha | July 2009 | Journal of Defence Studies
Talibisation of Pakistan: Implications for Jammu and Kashmir Taliban represent a present and clear danger to Pakistan. This is because, firstly, they seem to have finally lost faith in Pakistani commitment towards their cause and are not willing to accommodate any more its policy of running with the Talibani hare and hunting with the American hound. P. K. Upadhyay | July 02, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Finally, US action on Climate Change takes the first baby step The United States House of Representatives passed a landmark legislation H.R. 2454, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act," by a narrow margin of 219-212 on 26 June 2009. This bill requires the reduction of nationwide greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent of the 2005 level by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 through a "cap-and-trade" program under which companies would buy and sell emissions credits. The bill has more hurdles to cross before it becomes a law. Avinash Godbole | July 01, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Jamaat and its Agenda of Islamic State in Bangladesh The rise and growth of Islamist political parties in Bangladesh has been a cause of concern as these parties have the establishment of an Islamic state as their ultimate objective. Though some of these parties, especially the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, have tried to project themselves as 'moderate forces' and have participated in democratic elections, this article argues that the Jamaat is not a moderate force and has as its ultimate objective the establishment of an Islamic state, which does not go together with democracy. Anand Kumar | July 2009 | Strategic Analysis
A Q Khan Release and Non-Proliferation On February 6, 2009, the Pakistani judiciary acquitted Abdul Qadeer (AQ) Khan, the symbol of Pakistani involvement in clandestine nuclear commerce. Since 2004, he had been under house arrest after the proliferation network, linking several countries, including Pakistan, was uncovered. Though he has been put under ‘unspecified security measures’, yet the release of AQ Khan – dubbed by the United States State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid as a ‘serious proliferation risk’ – is considered to be a disturbing development for the non-proliferation regime. Rajiv Nayan | July 2009 | Strategic Analysis
Storming of Lal Masjid in Pakistan: An Analysis Religious places are being increasingly used by fundamentalists and terrorists as their hideouts and strongholds to propagate their subversive ideology and launch attacks. This has often compelled states to use the military to flush them out. This use of the army has far-reaching consequences and can even alienate the population. To check and prevent such adverse fallout, a state needs to take decisive action at an early stage. S. K. Saini | July 2009 | Strategic Analysis
