The Chinese Shadow on India’s Eastward Engagement: The Energy Security Dimension Securing energy supplies is vital for India, the world’s second most populous country, home to 1.38 billion people having a median age of 28.1 and where some seven million youth enter the workforce every year. Any discussion about India’s energy security would have to factor in China, the world’s most populous country. Its 1.41 billion people have a median age of 37.4 and about nine million youth were expected to enter China’s workforce in 2021. Madhu Nainan March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Procuring S-400: Changing Dynamics of Foreign Relations Despite looming threats of US sanctions, India has received the first of five S-400 air defence weapon systems from Russia. It will be interesting to see how this deal will affect India’s relationship with the US. Will the US impose sanctions as it has done on other countries dealing with Russia or will it choose to spare India, looking at the balance of power in the South Asian region and counter China’s increasing hegemony in the region? The US so far remains non-committal on whether it will waive sanctions on India under CAATSA. Richa Tokas March 2022 Strategic Analysis
The Mekong Is Flowing Ahead of the Brahmaputra: An Analysis of the Hydro-Political Behaviour of China and India This article analyses the hydro-political behaviour of riparian countries in the Mekong River Basin (MRB) vis-à-vis India’s attitude towards the Brahmaputra and upstream China. It analyses transboundary water cooperation in the MRB and the active participation of the stakeholders and then compares it with the Brahmaputra River Basin (BRB). It argues that the water management practices in the MRB are comparatively more ‘effective’ while the BRB is receding in this regard. Bhaskar Jyoti Deka March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Taliban and Al-Qaeda: The Unbreakable Relationship After the Taliban successfully took control of Kabul through diplomatic and intimidatory means, which included using force and striking deals with warlords and local military commanders, it has reached out to other states for recognition.1 The Taliban realizes that without international recognition it would be difficult to achieve both domestic and international legitimacy. Yaqoob-ul-Hassan March 2022 Strategic Analysis
The Myanmar Coup: Evolving Ethnic Rebel Politics and Civil Resistance Myanmar has been in a turmoil since the Tatmadaw (country’s military) ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and seized power in February 2021.1 The coup took place hours before the new parliament could convene following the 2020 general elections. The junta has detained her since then and reimposed military rule after running a short experiment under a power-sharing arrangement with the National League for Democracy (NLD).2 There are concerns that Myanmar could morph into another Syria with widespread displacement and hunger, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roshni Kapur March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Counterterrorism between the Wars: An International History, 1919–1937 The 11 September 2001 attacks in the US changed the course of world history and made Al-Qaeda a state-like actor in international affairs, thereby confounding a core Realist idea. The event also increased interest in terrorism studies, creating two competing schools of thought within it, the classical and the critical school. The debates between these two broad perspectives have led to many fruitful advances and insights concerning the motivations, methods, and impact of both terrorism and counter-terrorism. Georgi Asatryan March 2022 Strategic Analysis
A Russian Revisionist Strategy on the Rise? This article deals with the Russian Revisionist Strategy, the redistribution of power and the changes that this policy might bring. Accordingly, it examines whether this hypothesis is correct. NATO’s policy and the wars in Crimea, Georgia, Syria and the current one in Ukraine are the case studies that the article analyses. It discusses how Russia aims to restructure the regional and global system by forming strategic arcs and ‘pincer movements’ from the North Sea to the Middle East via the Caucasus Region. The war in Ukraine is at the epicentre of the Russian revisionist strategy. Yiannos Charalambides March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Republic of Korea, Indo-Pacific and the Emerging Regional Order:Engaging without Endorsing Despite being a key stakeholder in the emerging regional order, South Korea’s approach to the Indo-Pacific has been a policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’. It entails a cautious engagement with Indo-Pacific initiatives of different countries under the ambit of ‘New Southern Policy’ without endorsing the concept or articulating the Korean position on the Indo-Pacific regional construct. Jojin John March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Strategic Universality in the Axial Age: The Doctrine of Prudence in Political Leadership The debate on the epistemological significance of leadership versus domestic politics or strategic culture remains fervent in modern International Relations. We suggest that there is a consensus found in classical Greek and Chinese texts about the core elements of realism and the consequentiality of political leadership on strategic choice. Athanasios Platias , Vasilis Trigkas March 2022 Strategic Analysis
Japan: Kishida’s Balancing Act and Road Ahead Recent developments indicate that the pro-China lobby has turned weak within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The changed internal party dynamics is likely to immensely help Prime Minister Fumio Kishida carry forward his defence and foreign policy agenda. Abhijitha Singh February 25, 2022 IDSA Comments
