Chinese Checkers in the Himalayas: Revisiting Sino-Indian Relations P. Stobdan | September 2008 | Strategic Analysis
China’s New Submarine Base at Hainan: Analyses of Recent Media Reports Gurpreet S Khurana | September 2008 | Strategic Analysis
Consumers’ Cartel No Panacea to Resource Nationalism With the price of oil crossing $110 a barrel, the oil-importing countries' concerns have been mounting. Not surprisingly, the issue of whether the time is now ripe for energy consuming countries to take measures to counter the producers' growing clout is being discussed, including the formation of a consumers' cartel, to force exporters to bring down prices. Shebonti Ray Dadwal | September 2008 | Strategic Analysis
LTTE Woos Tamil Nadu LTTE Political Head P. Nadesan’s recent call to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi to “turn into a supporter of LTTE struggle” in an interview to ‘Kumudam,’ a Tamil weekly, is an example of the outfit’s efforts to woo Tamil Nadu and Karunanidhi in particular. It also underscores the importance of Tamil Nadu for the LTTE at a time of its most pressing crisis. Of late, the Tigers seem to have increased their dependence on, and activities in, Tamil Nadu, which they consider to be a rear base. M. Mayilvaganan | August 29, 2008 | IDSA Comments
Shanghai Co-operation Organisation: Countering NATO’s Move The August 28 SCO summit in Dushanbe will be viewed with keen concern by most international watchers. It comes on the heels of China’s successful conduct of the Olympics and Russia’s military assertion in Georgia. Both Russia and China have been keenly nurturing the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation as an exclusive nucleus to undercut the US strategic outreach. P. Stobdan | August 26, 2008 | IDSA Comments
Georgian Crisis will have adverse impact on Russia’s relations with the West Russian military operations in Georgia and the finalisation of agreement between the US and Poland on the stationing of missile interceptors in Poland are two developments that are likely to have far-reaching but adverse impact on Russia’s relations with the West. Arvind Gupta | August 25, 2008 | IDSA Comments
Is Expansion on the SCO Agenda? The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is no more a curiosity and has become an important element of contemporary international relations. Since 2005, it has emerged as an influential regional body in Eurasia impacting the political, security and economic developments in this region. The last SCO summit, held in Bishkek on August 16, 2007 focused on issues of countering terrorist threats, boosting security cooperation and developing energy resources within the SCO framework. The summit concluded by signing a treaty on “good-neighbourly relations, friendship and cooperation.” Meena Singh Roy | August 22, 2008 | IDSA Comments
What is wrong with India’s Defence Industrial Policy? The above question arises in the context of publicly known government plans of arms procurement amounting to over $64 billion1 as part of the modernisation programme of the armed forces. The majority of these acquisitions will obviously be from abroad and will be concluded in the next five years or more. N. Neihsial | August 22, 2008 | IDSA Comments
