Strategic Analysis

Arctic: The Next Great Game in Energy Geopolitics?

As global warming and melting of the ice is making the Arctic increasingly accessible, the region’s hydrocarbon riches are attracting international interest. Thus far, despite the presence of vast untapped energy and mineral resources, the Arctic is not considered a geopolitical hotspot. In fact, many of the Arctic states have dismissed the possibility of conflict over the region’s spoils due to the collaborative governance model that has been established.

The Polar Code and Arctic Navigation

The ongoing climate-induced changes in the Arctic have resulted in prospects for exploiting resources, use of the Northern Sea Route for movement of goods, and new destinations for the cruise liner industry. These activities have the potential to impact the fragile eco-system of the Arctic as well as the livelihoods of the indigenous people.

The Northern Sea Route: Smooth Sailing Ahead?

Transit traffic on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) has increased considerably in the last few years, in relative terms. There is no clear pattern of transit cargo on the NSR and little indication that cargo owners or shipping companies have committed themselves to use of this sea route for the longer term. An important exception to this picture is the Yamal LNG (liquefied natural gas) project, which will be based on year-round use of the NSR. Administrative procedures have improved and escort fees have become competitive, but are not transparent.

Asian Stakes and Arctic Governance

Building on stakeholder management theory, this article examines the salience of Asian stakes in three key areas of Arctic governance: management and use of natural resources; shipping; and environmental protection. The Asian states that are now permanent observers in the Arctic Council have significant stakes in Arctic governance, but their salience varies considerably across these issue areas.

Kautilya: The True Founder of Economics by Balbir Singh Sihag

Kautilya: The True Founder of Economics is a unique contribution to the subject of Kautilya’s Arthashastra (KA). Arthashastradiscusses at length governance, diplomacy, military science and political economy.1 However, never has such a strong case been presented for Kautilya’s inclusion in the economic community. Given the degree of quantitative sophistication that economic science has achieved in the 21st century, it is all the more difficult to introduce abstractions of Kautilyan thought within the modern economic framework.

China and the Environment: The Green Revolution by Sam Geall (ed.)

Propelled by its rapid economic growth, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is undergoing multitudes of transitions simultaneously. These transitions are substantially transforming state–society relations in China. The conventional wisdom about China in the reform era has been that the Communist Party of China’s (CPC’s) legitimacy to rule comes from its continued economic performance; in other words, the Chinese people will not bother with the kind of regime they have if they are well fed and their economic aspirations are taken care of.

India at Risk: Mistakes, Misconceptions and Misadventures of Security Policy by Jaswant Singh

This is Jaswant Singh’s eleventh known book, and here he keeps his focus on experiences rather than rhetoric to deal with the complex design of India’s security challenges. While relying judiciously on first-hand experiences, the author justifies his long eventful overtures in public life and also as an avid researcher, who has spent decades participating in and observing India’s security establishment from close quarters.

Deterrence Stability and Escalation Control in South Asia by Michael Krepon and Julia Thompson (eds.)

Ever since India and Pakistan went overtly nuclear in 1998, a plethora of studies by scholars, both from the subcontinent and outside, have pondered the issues of ‘deterrence stability’ and ‘escalation control’ in South Asia. While the majority of them extrapolated the Cold War type of scenario to the South Asian nuclear discourse, the book under review stands out—for not attributing ‘the primary dangers … to a lack of professionalism on the part of those responsible for nuclear stewardship’ (p. 9).

India and the Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies by Skand R. Tayal

At a time when the Republic of Korea (South Korea) occupies considerable space in India’s foreign policy, particularly in its ‘look east’ policy, it is incongruous that there is no corresponding awareness among the people about the country and the India–Korea relationship. Knowledge and understanding about the Korean peninsula and India’s engagement with the region are limited to academia and the miniscule endangered scholarly tribe in elite universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University or Delhi University.

India and the Allied Occupation of Japan 1945–52 by T.R. Sareen

Relying on a wide range of archival material, the author draws our attention in this thoughtful book to the lesser known yet rich historical dimension of India–Japan relations. He investigates the presence of Indian troops as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces (BCOF) in Japan during 1945–1947 and relates the fascinating story of Justice R.B. Pal’s dissenting judgement at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE). The author also explains why India did not sign the Japanese peace treaty at San Francisco in 1951 despite being sympathetic to its terms.