The Border Defence Cooperation agreement and its future The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China is expected to revive the bonhomie between Indian and Chinese armed forces to the level of previous decade but it does not guarantee the incidents of incursion at the Line of Actual Control will not be repeated. However, it provides for an institutional mechanism to deal with the incursion issues.… Read More »Another gimmick

Changing dimensions of India-Russia defence ties During the 21st October 14th annual summit in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of the historical bonhomie in bilateral defence cooperation and talked about the significance of this in the privileged strategic partnership. India still depends a lot on Russia for critical technology support in many sensitive areas of weapons developments. The Russian diplomats and the leaders are right in pointing out that no… Read More »Traditional partners

Bangladesh liberation war trials and its impact The trials in Bangladesh for the war crimes committed during the country’s liberation war of 1971 have brought Bangladesh back to a crossroads, exposing the underlying tensions in the country. Deadly violence erupted on the streets as the controversial International Crimes Tribunal sentenced the country’s top Islamist leaders and wartime head of the Jamaat-e-Islami to life sentences and imprisonment. Although the current situation is a daunting reminder of… Read More »Delayed justice

Political future of Cambodia The recent developments in Cambodian politics signal a troubled future for the country’s already volatile political legacy. Although the recent national elections declared yet another victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian National Party (CNP), that has maintained its grip on power for two decades, there seems to be a break in the status-quo as the result has been challenged by the return of Cambodia’s veteran politician Sam Rainsy, head… Read More »Strong grip

Changing equations of India-Pak relations Efforts to normalize relations between India and Pakistan have once again been initiated with Track-2 and back channel diplomacy. With the return of Nawaz Sharif as the third time prime minister in mid May, the civil society in Pakistan, which realizes the cost of anti India atmosphere in the country, has pinned high hopes on his desire and political will to move forward on normalizing relations with India. The international… Read More »High expectations

Afghanistan in post 2014 and India’s options The year 2014 is going to be very crucial for the people of Afghanistan. The developments over next one year will have far reaching consequences not only for the country but for the entire South and Central Asia; also the rest of the world will not remain unaffected. The mandarins in the office of the National Security Advisor are weighing the pros and cons of various policy options… Read More »Striking a balance

India-China defence relations Seven years after the last Indian defence minister visited China, A K Antony landed in Beijing in the first week of July 2013 with a welcoming discordant voice from one of the retired Chinese Generals who warned India not to provoke problems at the LAC. Though the shrill voice was not stoutly rejected by the Chinese foreign or defence ministries, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman clarified with a mild denial that Major… Read More »Trust deficit

Bhutan and China’s diplomatic engagements Bhutan is finally awakening from its long, tranquil sleep and slowly facing the realities of geo-strategic politics and international relations. Squished in the middle of the two Asian giants- India and China, the tiny, peace-loving nation is slowly embracing democracy and diplomacy. The process can be overwhelming for a country that gives importance to Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product and believes in maintaining happiness over securing strategic interests.… Read More »First move

Unrest in Turkey may impact balance of equations The anti-government protests in Turkey have posed a grave challenge for Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan’s grip on power. Its ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is being accused of pushing conservative and Islamic influenced policies under the leadership of an authoritarian Prime Minister even though it is a secular republican democracy. The unrest has been on for a month and the movement shows no sign… Read More »Spilling wider

China’s strategic relations with Sri Lanka China has further strengthened its strategic grip over Sri Lanka, as the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his May end visit to Beijing, his sixth after the elimination of LTTE leaders and hardcore cadres, sealed fresh agreements to deepen Chinese involvement not only in training Sri Lankan defence forces and other areas of defence cooperation but also expanded its arms in the port sector from Hambantota to Colombo. Hambantota, which… Read More »Strengthening grip