Comment & Briefs

Israel’s influence on the new Trump Administration might clear the obstacles that have stood in the way of Honduras’ efforts to modernise its airforce

Regulated borders with greater emphasis on developing people-to-people contact and cross-border trade initiatives are likely to yield greater security benefits as against a closed border.

While certain changes in the format of the defence Demand for Grants have brought even more complexity to the task of estimating India’s official defence budget, the fact remains that there has only been a meagre increase of 5 per cent which is grossly inadequate to keep the Armed Forces in fighting form.

The Turkish republic stands at a crucial juncture today. The latest constitutional amendment will change Turkey’s 94-year old parliamentary system of government. As the constitutional amendment bill awaits referendum, serious questions arise about the direction in which Turkey is heading.

The reaction to President Trump’s utterances and avowed policies on the Mexican border wall and tariff has attracted strong criticism. It is surprising that Trump, who is known to view developments and decide on policies in transactional terms, appears short-sighted and unwilling to view the implications of his policies in a long-term perspective.

Budget is not just all about figures but also a statement of policy. The Defence Budget for 2017-18 contains no hint of any intention of the government to bring about a paradigm shift in the defence policy.

Suriname’s national army remains critically deficient in terms of air transport and maritime surveillance aircraft. It is an open question whether country’s armed forces will prove equal to the task of combating transnational organised crime.

If the defence expenditure relationship to the GDP of 1.65 per cent is maintained, we may see a budget estimate (BE) for defence expenditure of Rs. 285,000 crores, against the current year BE of Rs. 249,099 crores.

There is a need to go beyond stale issues and have a more meaningful and dispassionate discussion on how to make the best use of the allocations made for defence.

While the New Year attack in Istanbul underscores Turkey’s endemic vulnerabilities, India too needs to be on guard. Messaging by the ISIS is often followed by action.