India-US Ties: Need for Clarity, Balance

Doubts persist both in India and the United States on the substance of their strategic partnership. High-sounding declarations about the partnership being one of the defining ones of the 21st century, or one between “natural allies,” have not era....

National Security: Preemption is Viable and Valid

The Chambers Twenty-first Century Dictionary defines ‘preempt’ in the following words:- “To do something ahead of someone else and so make pointless an action they have planned”. Preemptive action is defined by the same dictionary as an atta....

1947-48 Indo-Pak War: Fall of Gilgit and Siege and Fall of Skardu

Part- I: Fall of Gilgit India has fought many conventional wars since independence; it has also been involved in fighting insurgency and proxy wars during this period. Many heroes that these wars produced have become household names. Howeve....

Quattrocchi is Dead But Ghost of Bofors is Still Around

The news of the demise of Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian businessman and close friend of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her late husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, last week has prompted some people to say that with his passing, the ....

Portents of Increased Terrorist Violence in J&K – Proactive Action Only Option

Sometime during the autumn of 2012, security forces homed on to a communication between a terrorist commander in the valley with his handler based in Pakistan Occupiued Kashmir (POK). The agitated handler was egging the commander to carry out some ac....

Uttarakhand Disaster: A Legacy of Environmental Destruction

June 2013 has been a month of catastrophe, trials and suffering in the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand. This is the region known as Devbhoomi, or the abode of the Gods, sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs alike. The source of the most sacred river....

Allahabad High Court Ban on Caste Rallies: A Wake Up Call

The recent Allahabad High Court verdict banning caste based political rallies in Uttar Pradesh has reignited the debate on the role of caste in Indian politics. The reactions to the court order were on expected lines with the national parties welcomi....

India’s Defence and Security Policies: Need to Learn Lessons from the Past

Have we learned any lessons from our experiences during the Nehru era and in subsequent years? Anyone looking dispassionately at our defence and security policies over the decades would respond only in the negative. India frittered away its militari....

Chinese Quest for Space Supremacy: Implications for India and the World

In a stunning demonstration of its growing prowess in the cutting edge space research and technology, on June 11, a Chinese Long March-2F rocket successfully launched the longest ever manned Chinese mission with its second woman astronaut among th....

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