Strategic Analysis


‘Strategising’ the India-EU Partnership

India’s foreign policy, as in the case of any other sovereign state, aims at protecting and promoting the country’s ‘national interest.’ Strategic autonomy, which has been its defining value and goal, remains at the core of India’s global engagements. India maintains political, diplomatic, economic, strategic, science and technological, and cultural relations to achieve a stable, secure, peaceful, and prosperous India. The largest ‘democracy’ in the world, India, joins hands with the EU, the largest cluster of ‘democracies’ in the world.

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Quad and the Indo-Pacific: Examining the Balance of Interest Theory in Quad Coalition

In light of China’s rise, the Quad coalition has gained momentum in its efforts to maintain a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). While scholars have discussed the relevance of Quad, little work has been done to theorize the balancing behaviour of individual Quad countries. This article examines Randall Schweller’s Balance of Interest theory—which emphasizes the underlying ‘profit motives’ in alliance formations—in the Quad coalition.

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Colonialism Matters: Benefits of Metropoles with a Focus on India and Great Britain

The history of colonialism normally focusses on the socio-economic losses of colonies, and the benefits of metropoles are a much less-studied field. Our study indicates that the flow of resources, rent and personal wealth should not be downplayed as factors of economic growth in the key Empires, although information on most subjects is limited. This importance could be demonstrated (although not fully quantitatively evaluated) by India–United Kingdom relations before 1913.

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New Russia-West Confrontation: War of Attrition or Escalation?

The article analyses the ongoing Russia-West confrontation manifested mainly in the armed conflict in Ukraine, the world’s largest war of sanctions, a growing confrontation in cyberspace and politics, the erosion of the system of arms control treaties and a sharp reduction of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere. Russia and the West are fighting not only for influence in Ukraine but also over the future of international relations on a global scale in the coming decades.

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US Relations with China in Perspective

Ever since the communist victory and establishment of a People’s Republic (PRC) on the mainland, China has greatly influenced the basic tenor of American policies in Asia. For the United States, the fact of China going communist was indeed a traumatic experience as China had a special place in the American psyche.1 Historical links of trade, missionary activities, intellectual curiosity, extra-territoriality and war-time camaraderie had brought the US closest to China in Asia. These links disintegrated in the aftermath of the communist victory.

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The Future of Energy Consumption, Security and Natural Gas: LNG in Baltic Sea Region

Energy transition is defined as a structural change in energy balance when some fuels are replaced with others. This process of structural transition, however, does not lead to an ultimate replacement of fuel but a substantial reduction of its share. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is widely considered a transition fuel that will eventually lead to a shift to the renewable energy system. LNG provides an alternative to coal, oil, nuclear energy and pipeline gas, as it helps reduce carbon emissions.

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Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground

James Borton in Dispatches from the South China Sea primarily dwells on the interactions between humans and the environment in the South China Sea. Through his journalistic acumen, Borton intricately embarks upon anthropogenic catastrophes such as coral reef destruction, overfishing, illegal annihilation of sovereign territories, evolving environmental refugee crisis (both forced and motivated environmental migration), over-exploitation of resources by China to mention a few.

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Balochistan: In the Crosshairs of History

Balochistan is one of the most restive areas in Pakistan that has endured systematic and extraordinary suppression at the hands of the Pakistani State and its security forces. The Baloch form a distinct ethno-national identity, and dream of creating a Baloch nation-state, but this runs contrary to the overarching Pakistani identity and State, attracting their fury. The Baloch have struggled for decades for international recognition of their plight but have hardly received any support.

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Eastwards Ho? India’s Relations with the Indo-Pacific

Eastwards Ho? India’s Relations with the Indo-Pacific edited by E. Sridharan comprising 15 essays by renowned experts on Asian geopolitics, seeks to place India on the strategic map of the evolving Indo-Pacific region as an economic and geopolitical power. At the outset, the editor provides a succinct overview of economic integration in Asia, particularly of China with its neighbours reflected in a massive increase in bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

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