China has got biggest shock to its emerging global superpower image and faced international embarrassment when the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled recently that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea and that it had breached Philippine sovereignty by endangering its ships and fishing and oil projects in the energy-rich waters. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has issued a sweeping verdict in favor of the Philippines in… Read More »Maintaining peace in SCS

The Sultanate of Oman is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and is well-known for its open market policies and an investor-friendly regime. Owing to its strategic location of being in the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula, the country has enjoyed a historical significance in global maritime trade since the ancient times. Oman has a rich maritime history with evidences in historical discourses dating back to the first century AD when Yalainous,… Read More »India-Oman engagements

In order to strengthen India’s economic linkages, PM Mozdi recently travelled to four African nations, a direct indication of India’s shifting policy towards Africa and projecting itself as a trusted strategic partner of the continent. As it is evident that over the coming decade, global security challenges will necessitate combined efforts by states to manage threats and maximize opportunities. Among the most significant challenges that India and Africa will face in particular, are reforms in… Read More »Modi’s visit to Africa

As the churning in South China Sea gradually develops into a face to face rivalry between the big powers, India will soon have to take a call on the pressures being applied to come out openly whether they want to align with the big powers. That China has aggravated the tension in the region with unilateral militarization through new artificial air bases and missile squadrons is undeniable and well known along with India’s stand that… Read More »India’s cooperation in Pacific

If materialized, the creation of large-scale militias could plunge the country back into civil war, undo achievements in establishing conventional national forces, and divide the country into several fiefdoms controlled by militia commanders. Abdul Rashid Dostum, the current first vice president; Mohammad Mohaqiq, the deputy chief executive; and Atta Mohammad Noor, the governor of Balk province are some of the major politicians who have been publicly vouching for the rearmament of their loyalists. Reports from… Read More »Afghanistan needs military leadership

The International maritime fleet review, held on the vast expanse of the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Vishakhapatnam in February, showcased India’s naval might, represented by aircraft carriers and frontline warships, not only to all those who participated in the review, but to those also who were observing the review from open sources. The maritime review included naval representatives and ships from over 50 nations, who had good opportunity to interact with each… Read More »Maritime diplomacy

Recognizing the gravity of the deepening crisis in the South China Sea, the world’s leading western powers have recently begun to speak out. During their latest summit in Germany, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders underlined the “importance of peaceful dispute settlement as well as free and unimpeded lawful use of the world’s oceans, and expressed how they strongly oppose the use of intimidation, coercion or force, as well as any unilateral actions that seek… Read More »Threat to stability in Asia

The 16th India-Russia summit in Moscow cleared the path for a few more joint projects in defence sector. This helped Russia make an emphatic comeback as India’s trusted and strategic partner. The summit helped propel Russia in the top slot of India’s main defence partner. This was spearheaded by a Prime Minister who has in recent months shown much more proximity to the US and Western leaders. During the visit, the two leaders, Modi and… Read More »India-Russia military cooperation

As widely speculated the Narendra Modi visit to United Kingdom did not result in new contracts for Hawk trainers but the two sides signed a comprehensive defence and international security partnership which will tie the two nations in close security framework. For example the resolve by both countries to work together to promote a secure international maritime domain. Without referring to China this extremely significant paragraph applies to South China Sea, as both countries have… Read More »India-UK defense

India-Russia defence relations are set to receive a boost during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow in the third week of December. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has done the ground work during his early November visit to Moscow during which he discussed issues ranging from the lease of second nuclear submarine to Fifth Generation Fighter aircraft and manufacture of weapon systems and platforms in India. Lot of contentious issues, like the maintenance… Read More »Defence cooperation with Russia