Strategic Analysis

The South Caucasus: Transition from Subjugation to Independence (Tracing India’s Footprints)

The South Caucasus region consists primarily of three countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The region finds scant attention in International Relations deliberations in India. It also lags behind in the foreign policy articulation of successive Indian governments despite being an energy-rich region and situated at the crossroads of Asia and Europe through which several important freight transit and energy corridors pass.

India Rising: A Multilayered Analysis of Ideas, Interests, and Institutions

For many years now, India’s position as a rising power has been a topic of discussion revolving around questions such as what are the factors that shape India’s conduct at the global level, and has there been any change in India’s foreign policy or is it marked by continuity? The book under review is a collection of essays by reputed scholars who attempt to answer such questions by assessing many important, yet complex issues of Indian foreign policy conduct at a microscopic level.

The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India

The author is eminently qualified to write the book under review, having been a distinguished member of the Indian Foreign Service during which period he served as Ambassador to China and eventually became Foreign Secretary. In the author’s words the underlying intent in writing the book is ‘… that the generations to come might benefit by learning about China from those who have dealt with the subject … the insights contained herein may prove helpful to them in their future dealings with the Chinese’ (p. 162).

Sunil Khatri
January 2022 |
Strategic Analysis

Russia-India: Strategic Partnership, Not Alliance

Taiwan’s striving for institutional recognition has made its campaign to obtain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA) a distinct case in international relations (IR). The first section briefly introduces framing as an analytical approach governing the arrangement of this research. The second section articulates how Taiwan’s utilization of framing has shaped public opinion and helped advance its interests. The third section adopts ‘a scorecard approach’ to evaluate Taiwan’s efforts to engage with the WHA comprehensively.

Digital Yuan (e-CNY): China’s Official Digital Currency

The Chinese Electronic Yuan, or the e-CNY, is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) sponsored by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The e-CNY is identical to the currency of China, the Renminbi (unit being yuan) and is a legal tender in the country. The PBOC has been actively testing the electronic yuan (e-CNY)—with a population of around 21 million participating in the tests as of June 2021. Moreover, China aims to extend the use of digital yuan worldwide and facilitate cross-border payments and tourism.

Indo-Bangladesh Talks on Sharing of the Ganga Waters

A major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh relations has been the question of sharing Ganga waters between the two countries. Though negotiations for the settlement of the problem have been going on for the last five-and-a-half years, a final agreement is still elusive. At times, it appeared that the two countries would not reach any agreement and the issue would affect their relations. Fortunately, the deadlock, which persisted for some time, was broken in April last. Now it appears that India and Bangladesh have been negotiating satisfactorily and a final agreement would be signed soon.

O.N. Mehrotra
January 2022 |
Strategic Analysis

What Can EAEU-India FTA Bring to Indian Industrial Development?

At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2017, the Minister for Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Veronika Nikishina and India’s Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman met to sign a joint statement on the start of negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and India.

Bangla Desh and Our Policy Options

It is necessary to have a detached and realistic assessment of the military situation in Bangla Desh. During the last one week, our press reports were over-optimistic and these reports need careful reassessment now.

State-Level Concept and Scope of Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement for Verification of Undeclared Nuclear Material and Activities

The safeguards verification measures of comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA) of non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS) with the international atomic energy agency (IAEA) for verifying presence or absence of undeclared nuclear material and undeclared facilities and activities using the provisions of Additional Protocol (AP) is well recognized. Recently, the IAEA has proposed State-Level Concept (SLC) for verifying the presence or absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in the state within the provisions of the CSA.

India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends

‘We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow’, thus spoke Lord Palmerston in 1848, then still the foreign minister of the United Kingdom.1 ‘Nations neither have enemies nor friends but only interests, the national interest’ is an aphorism which has been subsequently attributed from Winston Churchill to Henry Kissinger.