Even as a stalemate continues to dog the Naga peace process with no headway in sight, the development that has stolen the show is the coming over ground of a goodly group of insurgents from the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Saoraigwra) (NDFB(S). Billeted until recently in Myanmar’s Taga area abutting the Chindwin River, the …
Opinion
Time to Choose Sides in Indo-Pacific Cold War
It is imperative for India to choose either the US or Chinese side in matters military. The Atlantic Alliance became the cornerstone of US foreign policy since 1945, with the consequence that Russia (then the USSR) once again displaced Germany as the prime threat. As a consequence, numerous technology control regimes began to get …
Will Internal Protests hurt India’s Foreign Policy Interests?
The current protests against citizenship issues are serious and the Government has to find a way to reassure the minorities that citizenship will not be made contingent upon belonging to a particular religion. The perception that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is the first step towards turning India into a “Hindu Rashtra” has given the …
Soleimani Must be Smiling at Trump
There is a certain inevitability in the chain reaction caused by Soleimani’s killing. President Donald J. Trump has based his policy towards Iran on the postulate that an economic strangulation of the country would lead to bloodshed on the streets and a Ceausescu-style meltdown of the clerical regime that has enjoyed full power in …
Tsai Ing-wen Wins a Second Term!
The re-election of Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic People’s Party (DPP) as the President of Taiwan on 11 January 2020 is nothing short of historical. Tsai won the re-election with a 57.1 percent of votes and a clear majority. Since Tsai came to power in 2016, Beijing had undertaken concerted efforts to limit the …
Kim Jong Un Prepares ‘Deadly Deterrent’ against US First Strike
In the calculation of military planners advising the DPRK leadership core, a second strike by North Korea that reaches Guam and Tokyo is enough to deter a US-Japan pre-emptive attack on North Korea, although ‘reaching the eastern shores of the continental US remains the objective’ of Kim’s missile program. Those in touch with the …
Threats to India’s Coastal Domain: Need for a Security Revamp?
The coastal boundary of India is considered to be among the longest in the world, one which is currently linked with the emerging geopolitical shifts in the Indo-Pacific, mainly due to the recent geopolitical ‘rivalry’ between the US and China.There are nine states and four Union Territories (UTs), with a coastline extending up to 7,500 …
Hypersonic Weapons: Re-emergence of Strategic Instability?
China has displayed its hypersonic weapon system to the world during the military parade held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The display is meant to demonstrate China’s capability to compete with other great powers, Russia and the United States (US), in developing hypersonic weapons. India too …
India and U.S. on the Cusp of a 21st Century Security Alliance
If the U.S.-India relationship is to move into high orbit, there will be need for India to begin a process of replacement of Russian weapons platforms with U.S. alternatives, now accessible to India where they were out of bounds in the past. Just as the US and China arrived at a historic understanding in …
Trump-Modi-Xi Ties Set to Define the Coming Decades
In the case of US, India needs to be forthcoming on security matters, while being tough on commercial issues. In the case of China, India needs to be firm on matters concerning security, while ensuring leeway in purely commercial fields. The clay mountains of Shaanxi province are a universe away from New Delhi, where …