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.

NATO Eastward Expansion and Russian Security

The United States of America (USA) and its military allies made various attempts and agreed on a mechanism of consultation between representatives of members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia before taking the decision on expansion of NATO eastward in view of Russia’s objection to such a move. But they failed to nullify Russia’s national security concerns and apprehensions which emerged because of the proposed NATO expansion.

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.

China’s Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage

One of the major drivers of China’s growth has been technological advancements either through indigenous innovations or technology imports through legal, illegal and extra-legal means. Gradually, the Chinese thought process has given way to the idea of technological dominance to challenge the great powers including the United States. The volume China’s Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage edited by William C. Hannas and Didi Kirsten Tatlow with contributions from seventeen specialists reflects upon China’s rise as a neo-totalitarian technological power.

The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India

The author is eminently qualified to write the book under review, having been a distinguished member of the Indian Foreign Service during which period he served as Ambassador to China and eventually became Foreign Secretary. In the author’s words the underlying intent in writing the book is ‘… that the generations to come might benefit by learning about China from those who have dealt with the subject … the insights contained herein may prove helpful to them in their future dealings with the Chinese’ (p. 162).

Sunil Khatri |
January 2022 |
Strategic Analysis

Russia-India: Strategic Partnership, Not Alliance

Taiwan’s striving for institutional recognition has made its campaign to obtain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA) a distinct case in international relations (IR). The first section briefly introduces framing as an analytical approach governing the arrangement of this research. The second section articulates how Taiwan’s utilization of framing has shaped public opinion and helped advance its interests. The third section adopts ‘a scorecard approach’ to evaluate Taiwan’s efforts to engage with the WHA comprehensively.

Digital Yuan (e-CNY): China’s Official Digital Currency

The Chinese Electronic Yuan, or the e-CNY, is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) sponsored by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The e-CNY is identical to the currency of China, the Renminbi (unit being yuan) and is a legal tender in the country. The PBOC has been actively testing the electronic yuan (e-CNY)—with a population of around 21 million participating in the tests as of June 2021. Moreover, China aims to extend the use of digital yuan worldwide and facilitate cross-border payments and tourism.

Indo-Bangladesh Talks on Sharing of the Ganga Waters

A major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh relations has been the question of sharing Ganga waters between the two countries. Though negotiations for the settlement of the problem have been going on for the last five-and-a-half years, a final agreement is still elusive. At times, it appeared that the two countries would not reach any agreement and the issue would affect their relations. Fortunately, the deadlock, which persisted for some time, was broken in April last. Now it appears that India and Bangladesh have been negotiating satisfactorily and a final agreement would be signed soon.

What Can EAEU-India FTA Bring to Indian Industrial Development?

At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2017, the Minister for Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Veronika Nikishina and India’s Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman met to sign a joint statement on the start of negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and India.

Bangla Desh and Our Policy Options

It is necessary to have a detached and realistic assessment of the military situation in Bangla Desh. During the last one week, our press reports were over-optimistic and these reports need careful reassessment now.