IDSA Occasional Papers

Analysing China’s Digital and Space Belt and Road Initiative

The recently held second Belt and Road forum in April 2019 based on the theme “Shaping a Brighter Shared Future" gained considerable momentum in the world community. BRI has been an ever evolving concept that has changed considerably since its inception in 2013. It has generated a blend of optimism and consternation around the world.

Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Trends and Challenges

Pakistan's most critical foreign policy concerns in the last few years relate to the deadlock in relations with India and India's success in isolating Pakistan regionally and internationally due to its support for terrorism. The success of its peace overtures to Afghanistan are constrained by various complexities arising out of the unpredictable situation in Afghanistan and the role of external powers like the US, China and Russia in the ongoing peace process.

Chemical Weapons Convention: Past, Present and Future

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. This convention came into force on 29 April 1997. This convention is the effort of some 20 years of negotiations at the Conference of Disarmament (CD).

Future Warfare and Artificial Intelligence: Visible Path

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as the most disruptive technology of the current era and is advancing exponentially. AI is growing around the concept of machines acquiring human like intelligence for problem solving. Though still in early evolutionary stage, it is already changing the ways the day to day thing are being done.

Defence Planning and Budget Dilemma

The government decided to do away with the five year planning process in 2014. Therefore, there is no 13th plan. Despite this, MoD has gone ahead and formulated the 13th five year plan and submitted it to MoF for information only. Thus, the dilemma of defence planning and budget continues.

National Unity Government in Sri Lanka: An Assessment

At the close of two years, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Sri Lanka has failed to maintain the confidence and trust of the people it enjoyed during the first three months of its tenure. Having said that, political crisis or instability in Sri Lanka remains unlikely. The NUG is likely to complete its full term, but it will not be a cakewalk.

Hypersonic Weapons

Hypersonic weapons are weapons that move at speeds of Mach 5 or more. Presently, hypersonic weapon technology is a work in progress and these weapons are yet to become fully operational for military deployment.

India’s Relations with the Latin America-Caribbean Region: Prospects and Constraints

This paper seeks, from a Latin American perspective, to examine India's relations with the Latin America-Caribbean region. It makes a distinction between the hesitant and somewhat apathetic approach of the Indian government towards enhanced ties with the region and the rather more proactive and enthusiastic approach by the Indian business sector which has seen Indian trade with the region growing many fold and increasing at the same rate as China's.

Enhancing Energy Security in Rural Tanzania: Examples of Decentralized Rural Energy Approaches from India

This paper argues that decentralized electrification without local participation is unlikely to yield the desired nation-wide impact, especially for the rural communities. This suggests that the energy policy and institutional arrangements of Tanzania need to find more space for local community participation in rural electrification initiatives.

New Evidence on China’s Intent behind Its Approach to the Sino-Burmese Territorial Dispute 1954-1960

This paper features a detailed discussion of a speech by Zhou Enlai on July 9, 1957 which was meant to outline “New China's” approach to the Sino-Burmese border dispute. Hitherto available primary and secondary sources do not disclose much about the contents of this particular speech by Zhou.