State sponsorship of terrorism is a complex and often ignored subject in contemporary security studies discourses. As stated by the British military historian Adrian Weale and noted in the foreword of Islamism and Intelligence in South Asia, ‘[i]nternational terrorism rarely happens without a state sponsor, directly or indirectly’ (p. x). Covert and overt support to terrorist groups to fulfil the state’s interest was a feature of international terrorism in the 1960s and 1970s.

• Zainab Akhter |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

Europe is a vast expanse of land marked by diversity in terms of people, places, preferences, cultures and beliefs. Scholarly works, however, often reduce European plurality to one or a few countries and this becomes starker when studying the dynamics of India’s relations with the continent. Therefore, focusing on the European Union (EU) rather than Europe makes it more appropriate and fathomable when trying to understand contemporary Europe and the emerging contours of its relations with India.

• Shreya Pandey |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

The dissolution of the Soviet Union, conflicts in former Soviet republics and in the Balkans, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Arab Spring and the crisis in Syria, the war in Georgia and the confrontation in Ukraine—the last three decades have seen a series of events which affected the European security agenda. Since 1989, Russia has been participating in European affairs as a member of several forums and has been a party to multiple agreements.

• Aleksei Zakharov |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

It is not easy to turn somebody’s personal archive, even if it is well kept, into a book ? that too a biography ? without falling in love with the person, his times, the ideological cross-currents he swam with or against, and the historical significance of the character. Such efforts are really commendable when the person of the archives leaves an indelible mark as an ‘ideological beacon and moral compass’ to a leader of consequence, who steered a nation through one of the most tumultuous periods of its history.

• Ashok K. Behuria , Uttam Kumar Sinha |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

In the beginning of the second week of February 2019, Ladakh became the third division within Jammu and Kashmir to be demarcated as a separate administrative and revenue division, with Jammu division and Kashmir being the other two.

• Ramnath Reghunadhan |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

India’s international borders and disputed boundaries with its neighbours are guarded by five different Central Armed Police Forces, two Paramilitary Forces and the Indian Army.

• Vineet Gupta |
• March 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

India–Japan defence ties that began less than a decade ago have witnessed unprecedented progress. Until recently they were dominated by military exercises, training and regular dialogues, but now they are entering a new and crucial phase as they embark on ambitious joint research on advanced technologies and development of systems which will have considerable implications for their strategic partnership as well as to Indo-Pacific security. It is imprudent to surmise that this is entirely due to China; rather, a variety of factors are contributing to the burgeoning defence relations.

• G. V. C. Naidu , Ishida Yasuyuki |
• January 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

The INSTC formalised by India, Iran and Russia at the start of the new millennium to develope an alternative transport system linking India with Central Asia and Eurasia floundered for long due to scepticism and neglect by its member states. However, the withdrawal of the UN sanctions against Iran, the steady expansion of the Chinese influence in the region through the OBOR, and the urgent requirement of the land-locked Central Asian countries to gain maritime access offer new incentives for the member states to reinvigorate the project.

• Sanjana Gogna |
• January 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

Pakistan as a state has been in constant turmoil since its creation in 1947. Institutions of a modern, functional state could never take root in the country. Consequently, it has been the military that has dominated the politics undermining the space available for democracy and democratic institutions. The politics in Pakistan and the interesting trajectory it has taken since its inception has drawn the attention of many scholars who have analysed various aspects of Pakistan polity, its security dilemmas and its fractious relationship with its neighbours.

• Rajrajeshwari Singh |
• January 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis

This 652-page book has six main sections and in total 21 chapters, including the introduction and conclusion. The basic themes discussed in the book include the prevention and disarmament issues related to the Chemical and Biological Weapons and the possible role for arms control, the ongoing advancements taking place in the field of chemistry and biology and the role of civil society to address various challenges posed by such weapons.

• Ajey Lele |
• January 2019 |
• Strategic Analysis