One of the successful manoeuvres China undertook (from the late 1970s and 1980s) for a seat at the global high table was the “polar” international structure. In the 1980s China projected a tri-polar power balance with the USA and the Soviet Union as the strong poles and China as the third pole weak but growing. This was the theory necessitated the two powers to strengthen China to maintain global stability.
President Xi Jinping appears to have taken full control of the PLA, especially following the recent anti-corruption drive, bringing down heavy weight power centres in the armed forces. As chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), he made emphatically dear to modernize a military that can “fight wars and win wars”.
By 2010 China felt that it was strong enough to establish its own “Monroe Doctrine”. But it wanted in a manner, US blessings. A senior Chinese official indicated off the table to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Washington accept the South China Sea as China’s “core interest” that is, South China Sea was Chinese sovereign territory, and China would accept USA’s domination elsewhere. Clinton declined the proposal.
The old cold war between the US and the Soviet Union, or the NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, had some clear lines of division. China gradually moved from the anti-US camp to the anti-Soviet comp and in the course maximised its benefits, proving self-interest and not ideology was the essence.
In the past few years, resentment has been rising over the emerging Chinese hydro power projects in Tibet among India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and many other countries that share rivers originating in Tibet. Due to fears of potential water and energy stress/scarcity within China, these projects are critical to its economic development in the coming decades.
Natural resources are one of the primary determinants of any nation’s development. And the need for uninterrupted access to these resources has led to increasing competition among nation states. The present tug of war for resources in the Himalayan region is the most recent example of this. The Himalayan fresh water reserves are highly crucial for the sustenance of the region. The Himalayas is the source for the Indus, Ganga, Yarlung, Yangtze, Yellow, Mekong, and Nuijang rivers.
The bilateral relationship between states is one of the most important aspects in International Relations. Relations between India and China have geared up since the last few years. To continue the improved relations, it is of pivotal importance for China to prioritize engaging with the changing leaderships in India.
The internet has become the primary medium of communication in the era of globalization, which is highly dominated by the information and communication technologies. The internet – network of networks – deals with massive data which is transmitted over secure as well as insecure channels and media. The security requirement of data is determined by the value or importance of data.
The ISIS – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, previously called al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and currently called the Islamic state (after declaring Iraq a ‘Caliphate’) – has become a major non-state player in the conflict in Iraq as well as Syria. The organisation, which has its origins in Iraq, had shifted its base of operations to Syria when the civil war began in the country to oust the Assad regime.
The much touted US pivot/re-balance to the Asia-Pacific has drawn considerable flak of late. From the Syrian chemical weapons use to Russia’s revanchism, the questioning of America’s leadership has seen the pivot naysayers become louder. President Obama has firmly recognized the limits of American power.
