Strategic Analysis

Chinese Foreign Policy: An Introduction by Marc Lanteigne

Chinese Foreign Policy: An Introduction by Marc Lanteigne
Routledge, London, 2009, pp. xii + 163, $39.95, ISBN 9780415465236

An Indian Perspective on United States Africa Command (AFRICOM)

AFRICOM is a new institution representing the new manner of US engagement. This is different from the EU model of engagement and comes at a time when India and China are seen as important partners of Africa. This paper is written to provide an insight into AFRICOM from an Indian perspective of Africa. This differs from the EU view and also from Africa's own response. US policy towards Africa consists of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) + AFRICOM; whereas AGOA is better understood, AFRICOM is not. This paper proposes to fill some of the gaps in its understanding.

Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia by Ali Riaz

Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia by Ali Riaz
Rutgers University Press, NJ, 2008, pp. 320, $59.95, ISBN 975-0813543459

India’s Diplomatic Infrastructure and Software: Challenges for the 21st Century

Changing World Order: India, EU and US—A Trialogue by B. Krishnamurthy and Geetha Ganapathy-Doré

Changing World Order: India, EU and US—A Trialogue by B. Krishnamurthy and Geetha Ganapathy-Doré
Shipra Publications, New Delhi, 2009, pp. 342, Rs. 950, ISBN 9788175415355

Obama’s Policy towards East Asia

President Barack Obama's foreign policy orientation towards East Asia seems to be characterised by continuity rather than change, and is not so very different from that of his predecessors. With Japan and South Korea, Obama is trying to revitalise bilateral alliances. With China, he continues on his predecessor's policy of greater engagement, though he has offered some concessions during his visit to Beijing in November 2009. However, North Korea remains a real and huge challenge for Obama to test his engagement in East Asia.

Pranamita Baruah , Rajaram Panda , Shamshad A. Khan |
May 2010 |
Strategic Analysis

Journeys to Empire: Enlightenment, Imperialism, and the British Encounter with Tibet, 1774–1904 by Gordon T. Stewart

Journeys to Empire: Enlightenment, Imperialism, and the British Encounter with Tibet, 1774–1904 by Gordon T. Stewart
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2009, pp. 280, $33, ISBN 978-0521735681

Constitutional Impasse in Gilgit-Baltistan (Jammu and Kashmir): The Fallout

The legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is part of Jammu and Kashmir that is under Pakistani occupation, has remained undefined in successive Pakistani constitutions. Pakistan governs the region with ad hoc presidential ordinances, resulting in transitory political arrangements. It was Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who first introduced the so-called Northern Areas Governance Order of 1994, after shelving the draconian and inhumane Frontier Crimes Regulation, with which Pakistan ruled the region like a colony.

Bhabha’s Relevance to India

Bhabha and his Magnificent Obsessions by G. Venkataraman
University Press, Hyderabad, India, first printed 1994, reprinted 1997, 2004, 2005, 2009 (twice), pp. 206, Rs. 200, ISBN 978-8173710070

India–Bhutan Relations: From Developmental Cooperation to Strategic Partnership

The India–Bhutan relationship is perhaps the only bilateral engagement in South Asia, yielding high dividends to both parties. While Bhutan all through the years has appreciated India for its economic assistance, India, for its part, has been sensitive to Bhutan's developmental needs. The relationship has helped Bhutan shape a unique developmental trajectory based on gross national happiness. Bhutan's economy has grown substantially in recent years. However, the development cooperation between the two countries can be effectively divided into three significant waves.