IDR Blog
Coup D’oeil and Intuitive Decision Making
The more you read Clausewitz the more enamoured you get with his ideas. Coup d’oeil is one such idea which defines a great leader. Napoleon was the contrivable muse to which ‘On War’ may be dedicated to. This strange and relatively obscure French expression, which means literally ‘stroke of the eye’, when incorporated in military...
The Return of Red Genes in Tibet
China has found a new love for history. But it is history with strong Chinese characteristics, in other words, far from facts. As mentioned in my previous post, March 28, which marked the dissolution of the Tibetan Government in 1959, is now celebrated as Serf’s Emancipation Day. According to Xinhua, the Communist Party of China (CPC) “led...
India-Pakistan: Nuances and Structure of “Dispute Resolution”
Pakistan has made a strong pitch for “resolution of issues” with India. The diplomatic rhetoric commenced in early March, a little after re-commitment by the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGsMO) of the two countries to uphold the ceasefire agreement and protocols of 2003. This initiative was followed by a number of other actions...
Contemplation of Non-Kineticism and Military Capabilities
Are armed forces still the Profession of Arms? The profession of arms is unique because of the lethality of our weapons and our operations, the very core purpose and existential reason of which is to apply lethal force. Professional Soldiers (airmen and sailors) in India are volunteers, bonded with comrades in a shared identity of profession...
Erdogan’s Islamist Foreign Policy at the Crossroads
Even as he continues to work towards reviving the Ottoman glory and ‘Ittihad-I Islam’ (‘Unity of Islam’), there are significant limitations and vulnerabilities in Erdogan pursuing his Islamist approach to statecraft abroad. The Turkish President will have to choose between a pragmatic and an Islamist foreign policy. If the Turkish economy...