Spotlights

Colonel Commandants: An Archaic and Parochial Institution

Colonel Commandants: An Archaic and Parochial Institution

By: Maj Gen Mrinal Suman | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 20 Oct , 2014

The concept of Colonel Commandants (Col Comdts) dates back to the 17th century when Colonels (both in rank and appointment) were the original owners and field commanders of their units...

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The Rajapaksa Model of Combating Terror

The Rajapaksa Model of Combating Terror

By: VK Shashikumar | Issue: Vol 24.4 Oct-Dec 2009 | Date: 16 Oct , 2014

Mahinda Rajapaksa, President, Sri Lanka spoke to VK Shashikumar of the Indian Defence Review on a range of issues on August 7, 2009, in an exclusive interview. The Rajapaksa Model of combating...

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India's Strategic Missiles

India's Strategic Missiles

By: Arun S Vishwakarma | Issue: Vol 22.1 Jan - Mar 2007 | Date: 15 Oct , 2014

The Agni series of strategic missiles were developed as part of Integrated Guided Missile Programme (IGDMP). The IGDMP was launched in 1983 to achieve self-sufficiency in missile capability, with...

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Nuclear Non-Proliferation in Iran

Nuclear Non-Proliferation in Iran

By: Anant Mishra | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 13 Oct , 2014

With the advent of the Cold War, states’ possession of nuclear weapons and the capacity of these weapons to inflict catastrophic damage on enemies became a primary concern for the maintenance...

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The Indian Atom Bomb

The Indian Atom Bomb

By: Air Marshal RK Nehra | Issue: Book Excerpt: Hinduism & its Military Ethos | Date: 08 Oct , 2014

On 11 and 13 May 1998, India crashed into the exclusive and elitist club of the ‘Nuclear Haves’, with five nuclear blasts; the whole country was euphoric. Pakistan responded on 28 and 30 May...

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Sardar Patel’s Foreign Policy

Sardar Patel’s Foreign Policy

By: Prakash Nanda | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 06 Oct , 2014

Now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that the country “acknowledges” the contributions of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel towards...

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The forgotten hero of Punjab – Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

The forgotten hero of Punjab – Jassa Singh Ahluwalia

By: Sumant Dhamija | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 06 Oct , 2014

The year was 1762.  In a forgotten corner of the world, Punjab was fighting for her freedom. Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani), lord of Punjab whose vassal included the Mughal emperor in Delhi and the...

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Xi in India: a thorny route at home?

Xi in India: a thorny route at home?

By: Claude Arpi | Issue: Courtesy: http://claudearpi.blogspot.in/ | Date: 27 Sep , 2014

There are two ways to look at an event, especially a State visit by a foreign dignitary: it can be described as a resounding success, a game-changer, or it can be seen as a missed opportunity, a...

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Israel Palestine and the divine intervention

Israel Palestine and the divine intervention

By: Anant Mishra | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 26 Sep , 2014

In the 7th Century, the Arab conquest of Palestine assimilated its inhabitants (who are today known as the Palestinians). In the year 1516, the land was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. In 1831,...

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Where was India’s Tibet Policy?

Where was India’s Tibet Policy?

By: Claude Arpi | Issue: Book Excerpt: 1962 and the McMahon Line Saga | Date: 22 Sep , 2014

China Invades Tibet: ‘The Gods are on Our Side!’ Before studying a non-existent India’s Tibet Policy, it is necessary to go back to the Fall of 1950. Before this, the Indian Government had...

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Tiered Border Defence against China

Tiered Border Defence against China

By: Special Correspondent | Issue: Vol. 29.2 Apr-Jun 2014 | Date: 18 Sep , 2014

On balance, the prospects of Sino-Indian conflict remain. What appears certain is that China’s aggressive stance and the initiation of conflict will be aimed at undermining India’s status as...

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China's Threat Perception

China's Threat Perception

By: RSN Singh | Issue: Book Excerpt: Asian Strategy and Military Perspective | Date: 17 Sep , 2014

Ancient China, was unparalleled in matters of strategic thinking, defence technology and organisation of Armed Forces, but became extremely inward looking by the 16th century, and was thus...

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Nepal is the new Chinese colony

Nepal is the new Chinese colony

By: Claude Arpi | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 12 Sep , 2014

The Chinese are slowly invading Nepal. Last month, AFP reported that ‘China eyes India trade by boosting spending in Nepal’. The news agency stated that China’s ambassador to Kathmandu was...

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Elusive Peace in West Africa and Sahel

Elusive Peace in West Africa and Sahel

By: Anant Mishra | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 11 Sep , 2014

The Sahel is a word derived from the Arabic word ‘Sahil’ meaning shore. The region, characterized as a semi-arid belt of barren, sandy and rock-strewn land, stretches approximately 3860 km...

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Israel's Threat Perception

Israel's Threat Perception

By: RSN Singh | Issue: Book Excerpt: Asian Strategy and Military Perspective | Date: 10 Sep , 2014

Israel’s geo-political location is a security nightmare for Israeli defence planners, given the hostile or potentially belligerent neighbourhood on each of its flanks. Nevertheless, for the US...

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The WhatsApp Soldier

The WhatsApp Soldier

By: Ganapathy Vanchinathan | Issue: Courtesy: CLAWS | Date: 06 Sep , 2014

The army has been in the news over the last fortnight, and again for all the wrong reasons. These include an incident regarding the functioning of the Army Wives Welfare Association, and a...

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Defence Industry of Pakistan

Defence Industry of Pakistan

By: RSN Singh | Issue: Book Excerpt: Asian Strategy and Military Perspective | Date: 30 Aug , 2014

After partition, Pakistan did not inherit any military production facilities. In 1951, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory was established at Wah cantonment to produce small arms, ammunition and...

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The Great Upsurge of 1857: Historical sites in Meerut Cantonment

The Great Upsurge of 1857: Historical sites in Meerut Cantonment

By: Dr Amit Pathak | Issue: Vol 25.3 Jul-Sep 2010 | Date: 26 Aug , 2014

Meerut Cantonment The British formally arrived in Meerut in 1803, through a treaty with the Marathas. The cantonment of Meerut was established in 1806 with specific strategic interests including...

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The situation in Syria: Then and Now

The situation in Syria: Then and Now

By: Anant Mishra | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 25 Aug , 2014

The wave of Arab unrest that began with the Tunisian revolution reached Syria on March 15, 2011, when residents of a small southern city took to the streets to protest the torture of students who...

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