President George W. Bush was the first US president to propose a two-state solution to the Palestinian–Israeli conflict when he addressed the UN General Assembly in November 2001. His administration also launched the road-map to help achieve this goal in April 2003 in collaboration with the United Nations, the European Union, and Russia, also known as the quartet.
First it was Arunachal Pradesh, then Sikkim, and now it is Ladakh. There has been a shifting pattern in Chinese mischief along the Indian borders. But more curiously, when reports of Chinese incursions hit the headlines, China denied them while India played them down.
In order to construct an operational nuclear device, terrorists need to obtain the requisite fissile materials - Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) or plutonium. It has been proved that, generally, it is much simpler to devise a crude nuclear bomb with HEU than with plutonium. Hence, terrorists can have 'reasonable confidence' in the performance of weapons-grade HEU bombs. The magnitude of the threat of nuclear terrorism from Pakistan's HEU-based nuclear weapons programme is assuming alarming proportions. However, adequate preventive steps can be taken to minimize the danger.
Militaries the world over need to study and understand lessons from the ongoing military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, and the new knowledge needs to be placed in context. Neglected military history itself provides enduring lessons. This article attempts to capture the trends and debates in the understanding of current warfare and outlines how lessons of war are interpreted with a focus on future trends in war-fighting. The article concludes with some policy suggestions and areas for further inquiry.
That two countries, India and the United States of America, with so much in common should have drifted apart for so long has baffled many. Of course, there are reasons for it, but there are equally compelling arguments in favour of forging better ties. Perhaps the most important factor contributing to the drift has been the inability of the two to identify common interests. Both have been seized by many misconceptions; both have tended to look upon their mutual relations in the context of third countries.
