Spotlights

Oli’s Visit to India: Is All Well?

Oli’s Visit to India: Is All Well?

By: Brig CS Thapa | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 18 Mar , 2016

India and Nepal share deep cultural and religious ties, yet certain events in the recent past have overtaken this age old close relationship. To put it succulently Nepal is overplaying the China...

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Chabahar: India's Opportunity to Connect with Afghanistan and Central Asia

Chabahar: India's Opportunity to Connect with Afghanistan and Central Asia

By: Brig NK Bhatia, SM (Retd) | Issue: Courtesy: CLAWS | Date: 17 Mar , 2016

Indian External Affairs Minister reiterated in a seminar in New Delhi recently that “connectivity today is central to the global process and particularly imperative for Asian growth and...

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China’s Defence Budget 2016: What it spells

China’s Defence Budget 2016: What it spells

By: Bhaskar Roy | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Analysis Group | Date: 16 Mar , 2016

On March 5, China declared one of its lowest increase in defence budget since it started modernization under Revolution in Military Affairs (RFA).  The increase of 7.6 percent, taking defence...

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Why ISIS can't make much headway with Muslims in India

Why ISIS can't make much headway with Muslims in India

By: Abhinav Pandya | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 15 Mar , 2016

Once, on a chilly, windy and snowy evening, my economics professor lectured us on the importance of asking the right questions. Failing to do so can trip up the brightest of minds, the greatest...

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UN is US – but what game is US playing with India?

UN is US – but what game is US playing with India?

By: Lt Gen Prakash Katoch | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 14 Mar , 2016

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s acting deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on March 4 “our good offices are available if both sides (India and Pakistan) were to request” mediation. Haq was...

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Union Budget 2016-17: Deciphering the Defence Budget

Union Budget 2016-17: Deciphering the Defence Budget

By: Gp Capt Vinay Kaushal (Retd.) | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 12 Mar , 2016

It probably is the first time that there was no mention of ‘Defence’ in the Finance Minister’s February 29 budget speech. To make the task of the strategic community tougher, the Demands...

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China’s Military Reforms: Is all Well with the PLA?

China’s Military Reforms: Is all Well with the PLA?

By: Brig Mandip Singh | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 11 Mar , 2016

The announcement of military reforms has been touted in the official Chinese media as a major transformational change in the history of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). While the...

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Biased Psyche and Unwillingness to Accept Reality Leading to Pakistan...

Biased Psyche and Unwillingness to Accept Reality Leading to Pakistan...

By: Adarsh Singh | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 10 Mar , 2016

The complexities of India- Pakistan relations have always been hard to comprehend and difficult to unravel. The genesis of the problem primarily lies in the Two Nation Theory propounded by the...

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Metamorphosis of the Defence Budget 2016-17

Metamorphosis of the Defence Budget 2016-17

By: Amit Cowshish | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 09 Mar , 2016

There was no mention of the allocation being made for defence for the coming fiscal in the finance minister’s budget speech on February 29. It would be pointless to second guess the reason for...

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How far will Pakistan use its Taliban Leverage?

How far will Pakistan use its Taliban Leverage?

By: Mahendra Ved | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 08 Mar , 2016

Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Affairs Advisor to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, has, for the first time by a top member of the establishment, acknowledged that Pakistan has influence over the Afghan Taliban...

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All About Pay and Perks: India’s Defence Budget 2016-17

All About Pay and Perks: India’s Defence Budget 2016-17

By: Laxman K Behera | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 07 Mar , 2016

“At a time when major powers are reducing their forces and rely more on technology, we are still constantly seeking to expand the size of our forces. Modernisation and expansion of forces at the...

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1971 War: The battle of Chicken's Neck

1971 War: The battle of Chicken's Neck

By: Maj Gen Sukhwant Singh | Issue: Book Excerpt: India's War since Independence | Date: 06 Mar , 2016

Defence of the politically important town of Jammu and the security of the lines of communication leading to and from it was entrusted to 26 Infantry Division. This sprawling town, on either side...

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Pakistan is the real bully in the South Asian region

Pakistan is the real bully in the South Asian region

By: Sobdar Baloch | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 05 Mar , 2016

The retired Pakistani generals who frequently appear on TV talk shows have been misleading the public opinion by trying to shroud the negative role of Pakistan and highlight all that which they...

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Defence Budget 2016-17: A Clear Message to the Armed Forces

Defence Budget 2016-17: A Clear Message to the Armed Forces

By: Air Commodore Ramesh Phadke | Issue: Courtesy: IDSA | Date: 04 Mar , 2016

At first I thought I had missed it but it soon became clear that the finance minister had in fact chosen not to mention the defence outlay in his long budget speech. There could be many reasons...

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High Time Siachen Dispute is Settled

High Time Siachen Dispute is Settled

By: Col (Dr) PK Vasudeva | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 03 Mar , 2016

Unfortunately, the death of the brave heart Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad 19 Madras who was rescued alive from under the 35 feet snow avalanche after five days has made the strategicians to...

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Why the PAK-FA May Win the Stealth Dogfight

Why the PAK-FA May Win the Stealth Dogfight

By: Rakesh Krishnan Simha | Issue: Courtesy: www.swarajyamag.com | Date: 02 Mar , 2016

The US and Russian fighter jet design philosophy diverge vastly when it comes to stealth. The Russians believe stealth cannot help win an air-battle, whereas the US have over-emphasised...

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Modest hike in the defence budget for FY 2016-17

Modest hike in the defence budget for FY 2016-17

By: Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 01 Mar , 2016

For the first time in recent memory, the words “defence budget” did not figure in the Finance Minister’s budget speech in the Lok Sabha on February 29, 2016. The norm has been for Finance...

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Cold Start: General KV Krishna Rao’s Greatest Legacy

Cold Start: General KV Krishna Rao’s Greatest Legacy

By: Rakesh Krishnan Simha | Issue: Courtesy: www.swarajyamag.com | Date: 27 Feb , 2016

General KV Krishna Rao, who passed away recently, was the progenitor of the Indian Army’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine. Rakesh Krishnan Simha reviews the good General’s path breaking idea and...

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Northern Areas in the Eye of a Storm

Northern Areas in the Eye of a Storm

By: Radhakrishna Rao | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 26 Feb , 2016

The proposed Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan has been widely perceived to be linked to Pakistan acting fast on the probe into the attack on Pathankot base of the Indian...

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Siachen Dilemma

Siachen Dilemma

By: Brig Pillalmarri Subramanyam | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 25 Feb , 2016

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Siachen Glacier which had taken the lives of ten brave soldiers of the Indian Army, the voices for demilitarization of Glacier have once again grown in...

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