In May 2017, some 1,200 delegates from 110 countries, including 29 visiting heads of state and government leaders, gathered in Beijing for China’s biggest diplomatic event, which was held to showcase the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) achievements to date, as well as draft some new ideas. The forum also formalised the US$50 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the BRI, projecting it as a game-changer for Pakistan’s economy.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal , Chithra Purushothaman |
• September 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

A dominant paradigm for militarised cyber operations, owing to a growing interest in such actions, is seeking an ability to strike back and launch cyber counter attacks immediately after being attacked. This commentary challenges view based on the argument that it leads to a contra-productive tit-for-tat game with no decisive or deterrent outcome. It argues that cyber attacks are information, which an initially passive targeted society can gather to refine and consolidate its cybersecurity and over time receive an advantage over the initial attacker.

• Jan Kallberg , Rosemary A. Burk |
• September 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

Contemporary scholarship working on Indo-Pak issues has tended to view Siachen as a bilateral issue, and therefore, not much literature has been generated analysing the conflict beyond this spatio-temporal realm. Stephen Cohen terms the battle over Siachen as a ‘struggle of two bald men over a comb’ and dismisses the conflict as militarily unimportant. Veteran journalist Myra Macdonald’s book Heights of Madness gives an excellent account of the Siachen saga from both Indian and Pakistani sides but does not provide any strategic evaluation of the conflict. Lt Gen.

• Prateek Joshi |
• September 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

South Africa arguably stands well above its regional counterparts in terms of soft power resources. This is not entirely unconnected with the uncalculated attempts by non-state actors to extend the reach of the country’s soft power status across the world. This article probes the contributions of the informal drivers of South Africa’s soft power. These ‘soft powered’ institutions and individuals (with no definite state affiliation) are critical contributors to South Africa’s soft power diplomacy.

• Olusola Ogunnubi , Oluwaseun Tella |
• September 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

India’s defence and security ties with West Asia has not been a recent phenomena but dates back to more than a century. Indian cavalry soldiers scripted a brave saga of courage and sacrifice in what perhaps may be described as the last cavalry charge in history. This unique cavalry action on September 23, 1918 comprising the Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers (as part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade) was tasked with capturing the port city of Haifa in present day Israel.

• N.A.K. Browne |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

Shimon Peres’ (then Foreign Minister of Israel) meeting with Eduardo Faleiro (then Indian Minister of State for External Affairs) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September 1992 was among the first ministerial-level contacts between India and Israel after the establishment of diplomatic relations in January of that year. Peres, whom I was to meet many times in the ensuing years in my various capacities, left a deep impression on me.

• Chinmaya R. Gharekhan |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

India’s burgeoning relationship with Israel since January 1992 is an exemplar of India’s post-Cold War foreign policy practice. From a relationship described as ‘stillborn for 40 years’ to the broad-spectrum partnership a quarter century later, India–Israel relations ties have developed well, pushed by a rapid expansion of defence ties. The growth of the India–Israel partnership is a testimony to the sagacity shown by Indian and Israeli leaders in steering the relationship forward, despite the baggage of a fraught and convulsive neighbourhood.

• Jayant Prasad , S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

Israel–China bilateral ties have witnessed significant growth since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in January, 1992. Both countries are currently investing their energies in realising the full potential of their on-going partnership in the innovation economy. Growing tourist linkages are another facet of the burgeoning relationship.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

To achieve strategically critical self-reliance in defence production, there needs to be a greater focus on co-development, co-production projects with important partners like Israel, with an essential emphasis on exports to third countries. For the full realisation of the potential of the India–Israel defence partnership, India on its part needs to strengthen elements of its procurement processes—including the proper implementation of laid down policies.

• Amit Cowshish |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis

As India’s Israel policy evolved over time, the US involvement in this bilateral relationship has been constant, albeit neither consistent nor direct. Breaking with traditional state-centric approaches, this article focuses on the key role played in shaping the nature of India–Israel ties by non-state and sub-state actors such as specific political personalities, for example Congressmen Emmanuel Celler in the 1940s and Stephen Solarz in the 1980s, as well as of pro-Israel interest groups based in the US, like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

• Nicolas Blarel |
• July 2017 |
• Strategic Analysis