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While Australia-Indonesia ties are in limbo, it would make sense to deepen the Australia-India side of the triangle. Here the potential areas for action are maritime domain awareness, naval intelligence sharing, providing access to each other's naval facilities, and working together to improve the capacity of smaller states in the Indian Ocean.

This paper looks at debates from the days of the British Raj until now that have shaped India's strategic thought on Afghanistan. It highlights the impact of India's territorial construct on its strategic imagination and argues that India's Afghan policy is determined by its political geography. Afghanistan has proved to be a security lynchpin in South and A Central Asia over the last two decades. Home to a variety of militant networks with regi

The Sony hack is a textbook example of the fog of cyberwar. The whole incident is a telling manifestation of the many aspects of cybersecurity: the question of state behavior in cyberspace; the threat to business advancing public-private cooperation in combating such attacks; and the question of motive

East Asia has become an increasingly volatile region amid China’s posturing and territorial claims on land and in the sea. The US pivot to Asia, meant to contain China, is based on a slew of strategic partnerships with its regional allies and partners, such as South Korea. The US-South Korea relationship is an important pillar in checking China’s rise, but in recent years, Seoul appears to be gravitating towards Beijing. This brief se

The so-called ‘War on Terror’ launched by the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks in its soil has had far-reaching implications to the pursuit of peace across many parts of the world. One of the crucial areas where the war is being fought is Afghanistan, which has been both a breeding ground of terrorism and a victim of violent terrorist attacks itself. This brief analyses the role played by Japan, a major ally of the US, i

The Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) in the Indo-Pacific are a critical enabler of economic development and prosperity in the region but receive little policy attention. In an era of geopolitical contestation, with regional powers reluctant to exert military effort in preserving exclusive access in ‘contested’ spaces, joint military endeavours remain largely confined to non-traditional areas of security. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukr

Many of the phenomena go back to the financial crisis of 2008, the biggest shock to the global economic system since the 1929. Nine years after 1929, a nervous, pessimistic and Hobbesian world was plunged into war. 2017 is nine years after 2008.

Lasting solution is complex as there is a contradiction in the perception each side has of security

The ongoing global energy crisis has highlighted countries’ vulnerabilities to energy shocks due to an overdependence on fossil fuels. Clean energy sources are an ideal option for states looking to hedge against the risks associated with fossil fuels. Moreover, recent technological advances and falling costs have placed renewables at the centre of the global energy landscape. Developing countries are now on the cusp of a histori

Tensions are on the rise again on the Horn of Africa, as Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea discuss a potential collective security alliance against Ethiopia. This heightening of hostility could spawn proxy conflicts reminiscent of the Cold War

A performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2010-2011 revealed that while shipyards in the US, France, South Korea and Russia took between 66-84 months from the award of contract to the construction of a ship, in India, it took 116 to 120 months.

The tragic accident of Sindhurakshak should serve as a clarion call for the Navy and the higher defence establishment for introspection over the institutional inadequacies and the need for re-evaluating policy decisions. A refocused attempt to rectify the growing lack of underwater platforms and warship inventory is the dire need of the hour.

After the US withdrawal in 2014, the Taliban, with the help of Pakistan, could plan a low-key but protracted military push towards Kabul. Taliban's attacks in Kabul this year are an indication of this strategy which will push the region towards greater instability in the next one year.

Despite being the ‘factory of the world,’ many of China’s industrial sectors are energy-intensive and have low value-add. At the same time, global firms are increasingly moving towards sophisticated low-cost manufacturing techniques for higher productivity gains. As a result, the Chinese Communist Party is keen to upgrade the country’s industrial base to compete in the more advanced segments, such as information technology, through the �

A collusive relationship between politicians and Naxalites or the People's War (PW) and Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), which have merged on September 21, 2004, to form the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), is clearly visible in Bihar, as in several other parts of the country.

It is not often that China defends the rights of whistleblowers against the state and America finds itself defensive about internet freedom. That precisely is what Edward Snowden, the young American who has exposed the expansive cyber espionage activities of the National Security Agency in the United States against its own citizens and the rest of the world, has achieved.

It's pointless to blame Pakistan for successful terrorist strikes. What about the CCTVs that didn't work? The strategy of the new generation of terrorists is to keep the country forever in the terror warp, and they seem to be winning.

The recent US decision to blackball People¿s War (PW) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) may have revived interest in the naxalite movements, nearer home in India. While there can be no two ways about the State and the society fighting militancy, insurgency or terrorism, there is need to study the social causes and implications of such a trend. That way, we can reduce such incidents and instances, if not totally eliminate them.

Social mobility reveals the degree to which an individual’s starting point in life determines their chances in the future, and therefore the extent to which talent is rewarded with opportunity. A stronger association between one’s starting point and their outcomes in adulthood, indicates lower social mobility and less meritocracy. For India, realising the potential of its population will be a key driver of progress and growth. This brief expl

Despite testing and confirming the acquisition of Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEW)—an integral part of strategic defence systems that are an alternative to nuclear warheads—India remains in need of a more robust military space programme. The country’s principal rival in the space military arena, China, has significantly more expansive and diverse capabilities. Although KEWs as part of its counter-space programme are not a panacea for India’s

It will not be an exaggeration to say that almost all the countries in Africa face some form of conflict. Yet, most of them have managed to survive, and some—like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo—have even evolved into reasonably successful states. However, Somalia has not. What are the reasons for Somalia’s failure to survive? Did external interventions play a role? Was Islamophobia a contributing factor, and the inter-clan

South Africa’s Covid-19 responses are marred by policy paradoxes. How does a country with one of the most sophisticated health systems in Africa account for the highest number of Covid-19 fatalities? This brief argues that contemporary approaches to South Africa’s social, domestic, and foreign policy responses should be viewed through the theoretical lenses of racial capitalism—a racially hierarchical political economy constituting war, mil

Indian concerns over a 'rising China' is more about China's 'increasing influence' in the South Asian neighbourhood than over the possibility of a revived border episode or a return to war between the two Asian giants.

Both internal as well as external skepticism about the Rajapaksa government's warmth towards 'hard-line' countries like Pakistan, China and Iran is bound to grow with the impending visit of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmedinejad.

Pakistan is struggling with two monumental crises--one is political and another is terrorism. On the political front, there is a prolonged drift with PPP and PMLN not quite willing to move forward from their respective positions.

LTTE political chief P. Nadesan in an interview to a Tamil Weekly magazine urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi to assist them in their struggle for a separate Tamil Eelam. Expressing regret that India was supporting the war efforts of the Rajapaksa administration,

Darra Adam Khel a semi-tribal town located between Kohat and Peshawar in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) came under intense threat from militants when conflict broke out between militants and the Pakistan military in the last week of January.

After lying low for decades, the Sri Lankan Tamil issue made an entry into the native Indian Tamil psyche in a big way. The twin reasons responsible for such awareness among the Tamil population are--- first, the escalation of fighting in Sri Lanka where government forces seem to be getting an upper hand and second,

In response to India's (more particularly Tamil Nadu's) overtures to stop the Sri Lankan offensive against LTTE in their northern stronghold, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made it clear that his government was not going to stop its war against the Tamil Tigers midway, especially when its forces were just two kms short of Kilinochchi.

In a bid to pacify internal as well as external concerns, India decided to send relief supplies to the trapped Tamil civilians in the Wanni war zone through international relief committees like the Red Cross. The intervention is different in two ways from the earlier Indian interventions in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President unveiled the biggest ever war budget in the history of the country in view of the ongoing war with the Tamil Tigers. The budget has seen the massive rise of 7% in the war expenditure to a record 1.6 billion dollars in the year 2009.

The Taliban has renewed its activities in Peshawar. The Taliban militants and its allies have carried out a series of kidnappings and attacks on foreign nationals in the area recently to establish its presence, and taunt the Pakistan Army engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the nearby Bajaur and Mohmand.

Even as the war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan army is taking a heavy humanitarian toll, European Union decided to retain its GSP+ trade preferences for Sri Lanka till the time it completes its humanitarian probe in the troubled region.

Sri Lankan authorities considered 'hilarious' the ceasefire demand put forward by the LTTE, especially when it has only the few fighters left in an area which is less then 60 sq km. This week, LTTE requested the international community to bring

A suicide bomber believed to be from the LTTE Black Tiger suicide squad blew himself up inside a mosque killing nearly 14 people and injuring 20 others including a Postal Services minister Mahinda Wijesekera and Culture minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena during a congregation held to

In Sri Lanka, everybody is uncertain about the future. Nobody knows what happens next. Take for instance, the victory march of Sri Lankan Army (SLA) which was once again bogged down by the LTTE's resurgence. Though the week started with the forward march of the Sri Lanka defence forces after the killing of the three senior female LTTE leaders at sea including Lt. Colonel Kalai Arasi,

A ten-member parliamentary delegation from Tamil Nadu visited Sri Lanka and met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and discussed the resettlement of the 250,000 war refugees.

Several thousand Tamil refugees have started seeking asylum in Australia and Canada. Both the countries, however, are wary of accepting the asylum seekers for security reasons.

Sri Lankan authorities criticised the latest move by the international community, particularly the US, to 'interview' war hero former army chief General Sarath Fonseka about events that led to the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the death of its leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

In a move that was not unexpected, Sri Lanka's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Sarath Fonseka resigned from his post, which was created exclusively for him by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government soon after the end of the ethnic war.

Sri Lanka secured a major diplomatic victory when the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution backing its post-war plans for refugees. The UN resolution, which was passed 29 to 12 with six abstentions, urged support and assistance to Sri Lanka in its efforts to deal with large number of refugees.

Foreign aid reserves are at an all-time low in Sri Lanka. The island country requires foreign assistance to resettle millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and reconstruct war-ravaged areas of the northeast.

Exploring India's approach towards countering terrorism, Afghanistan's ongoing peace process and other recent developments from South Asia.

The week’s updates from South Asia.

A report by the Long War Journal has stated that the Taliban is now threatening five of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals.

Detritus of 1947 is being cleared. In Dhaka, Modi must unveil forward-looking economic agenda for region. A positive dynamic in the east may be extended to the north and the west.

The likely announcement by Philippine President Duterte of the Scarborough Shoal as an environmental marine sanctuary and off limits to fishermen could prove to be the first incremental step towards defusing the South China Sea disputes and in the process endow considerable strategic advantages to Beijing.

Geopolitics of South China Sea appears to be ever-changing with approach of the Philippines towards China assuming a shift under current President Duterte

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in government has adopted what it calls a “New Southern Policy”, and by most accounts, the strategy is aimed at strengthening the country’s relations with India. What is the rationale for South Korea’s current inclination towards India? This brief argues that the ‘China factor’ is playing a key role in this new approach: South Korea wants to diversify its foreign relations as it faces a dilemma over its econom

The self-goal could have been avoided, but the ruling party saw the emerging warning signals with eyes wide shut. Some party sections clearly felt they were clever enough to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, and that religious polarisation in domestic politics could work to electoral advantage even as the PM and his diplomats wooed the Muslim nations of the Gulf. Perhaps, they don’t recognise that we live in an interconnected world, w