India’s response to Pakistan henceforth will have to form a ceaseless continuum from the local response to the global. At the local level, India’s response would have to be methodically splintered between external threats from across the border and the consequent internal security situation generated in the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) due to Pakistan’s cross-border shenanigans. At the global level India should relentlessly strive to strengthen and institutionalize its anti-terror narrative.
Pakistan as Proliferator of Terrorism
Pakistan, on realising that she would not be able to defeat India in a conventional war, decided to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to avenge her defeat by India. The concept of non-state actors was started by the US, when she poured billions of dollars of arms and resources to Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Russians in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Islamic Identity
Since 12 May 2017, WannaCry has claimed over 300,000 victims across 150 countries. Dubbed as one of the biggest ransomware attacks, WannaCry has unveiled a new face of crime in the digital age. But, more than a criminal activity, the malware has been a nuisance as it has disrupted numerous businesses and organizations worldwide. The malware exploits vulnerability in the Server Message Block (SMB) service of Windows operating system, published by “The Shadow Brokers” in April.
The US-led Iraqi invasion of 2003 under the pretext of thwarting an ongoing Iraqi quest for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) turned into a major debacle when the operations concluded with no evidence to prove their war objectives. Although the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom were embarrassed with the mishap, their respective intelligence agencies had to shoulder the criticisms for providing flimsy intelligence on which the decision to intervene was made.
India was a saviour for every Maldivian on 3 November 1988. The timely intervention by India helped the Maldivian President and the country as a whole to survive a coup by around 80 Sri Lankan terrorists. The Indian Army’s 6 Parachute Regiment landed within hours of an SOS call, even without having the maps of Malé. The coup was quelled within two days and normalcy was restored. India’s actions received international accolades.
Kim Jong Un is strengthening clandestine networks in Japan, the United States and South Korea.
Ms. Dhanasree Jayaram, Project Associate, Manipal Advanced Research Group (MARG), Manipal University and Editorial Coordinator, Science, Technology & Security forum (STSforum) interviews Ms. Veena Nayyar on China’s troubled economic future. Ms Nayyar provides an overview of the economic indicators that point towards a decline in China’s economy as well the structural and societal barriers to its future growth. She throws light on the economic shifts in China and what these portend for the future of the country.
As India aspires to become a power to reckon with, there exists an imminent need to bridge the foreign policy gap between its politico-strategic and economic priorities. From this standpoint, Iran is an important country in India’s radar screen that deserves far greater attention than it already receives. The takeaways from strengthening multi-level ties with Iran far outweigh the risks and downsides associated with its apparent pariah status in the international geopolitical paradigm.
Defying the constant warning from the international community, including its ally China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also called North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and launched several long-range rockets including the latest Pukguksong-2[1] in violation of Security Council resolutions.[2] As a result, North Korea has faced severe economic sanctions.
