Debating China’s ‘RMA-Driven Military Modernization’: Implications for India This article intends to examine the notion of 'Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA) in China and how the People's Liberation Army (zhongguo renmin jiefangjun) is thrusting RMA initiatives on its modernization programme. It sheds light on the issue of China's 'RMA-Driven Military Modernization' programme and situates the effect of these initiatives in the Indian context. Jagannath P. Panda | March 2009 | Strategic Analysis
Ethnic Life-Worlds in North-East India: An Analysis by Prasenjit Biswas and Chandan Suklabaidya Namrata Goswami | March 2009 | Strategic Analysis
Ascendancy of the Religious Right in Bangladesh Politics: A Study of Jamaat Islami The ascendancy of Jamaat Islami to power in a country that was born on the basis of secularism indicates the changing political dynamics in Bangladesh. Its syncretic tradition rooted in its language and culture limited Jamaat's success. Nevertheless, given the role the party played during the liberation war, its political ascendancy speaks of the changing political landscape. This article argues that though the party has exhibited some political success, it faces challenges from the secularists in the socio-cultural sphere, thereby limiting its growth and expansion. Smruti S. Pattanaik | March 2009 | Strategic Analysis
Talking to the Taliban: Will it Ensure ‘Peace’ in Afghanistan? The raging Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan underlines the limits of the use of military force. The lack of visible progress on the reconstruction activity and prevailing insecurity has alienated the Afghan populace in the remote villages of South and East Afghanistan. Given that the military option alone has limited utility in Counter-insurgency (COIN), there is a need to exercise an 'out-of-the-box' option to address the present stalemate. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza | March 2009 | Strategic Analysis
Violence in Pakistan: Trend Analysis January 2009 The first month of the new calendar year saw a reversal of the trend of declining casualties witnessed during the last three months, whilst the incidents of violence continued to rise constantly maintaining the trend of last three months. The withdrawal of ceasefire announced by the Baloch nationalist groups in September 2008, saw a sudden spurt in casualties in Balochistan. During the month the incidents of violence increased to 430 from 388 in December 2008. T. Khurshchev Singh , Alok Bansal | February 28, 2009 | IDSA Comments
India’s Confrontation with Terror: Need for Bold Initiatives Since 2001, Islamic terrorists have struck India with frightening frequency and ferocity. The most disturbing aspect of these attacks is that they have spread into the hinterland from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) which was the main focus of the terrorists in the late 80s and the following decade. Thomas Mathew | February 25, 2009 | Policy Brief
A.Q. Khan’s Acquittal Though anticipated, the timing of the Islamabad High Court’s verdict to release disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan from house arrest has surprised many, since it came days before the first ever visit by Richard Holbrooke, President Obama’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Zardari government has tried to play safe by citing this as a decision taken by an ‘independent’ judiciary. Such arguments are, however, unlikely to find many takers. A. Vinod Kumar | February 20, 2009 | IDSA Comments
Iran Enters the Space Arena One year ago, in February 2008, Iran launched a sounding rocket into outer space to mark the opening of its first space centre. This rocket essentially belonged to the ‘category’ of instrument-carrying crafts. Such crafts are designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during their sub-orbital flight. Within a year, on 3 February 2009, Iran successfully launched its first domestically manufactured satellite "Omid" (Hope), which was carried into space by the home-built Safir-2 space rocket. Ajey Lele | February 20, 2009 | IDSA Comments
