China: Sifting through Contradictions and Paradoxes

There has been a dominant narrative that China is peaking, has fallen off the miracle path, has an ageing population, burdened by high debt and a meddling government, all turning China into a fading power.[1] Indeed, China has a plateful of woes and

Does Absence of ‘War’ Mean Peace, in Indian context?

A narrow definition of peace is that it is opposite to concept of war, implying where there is no war, there is peace! Again, in a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a non-existence of war and freedom from fear of violence. The proposition

China: “Soft use” of “Hard power”

China’s geopolitical aims and global ambitions are not a secret. President Xi sees China the most pre-eminent power in Asia and eventually, the world, consolidating trans-continental routes and waterways, and assured political influence among large

Manipur Ethnic Clashes: Maintenance of Law and Order and Deployment of Army Columns

Dominant or major communities agitating for redressing their grievances, is not uncommon in India. Even before the ongoing Meitei-Kuki agitation in Manipur, Jats in Haryana, Patidars in Gujarat, and Marathas in Maharashtra have protested for varied i

Pakistan Army: The Nature of Change!

At his maiden press conference as the new Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, on 23 April 2023 said that the “…Pakistan Army was a “national army” and that all politicians and parties

Pakistan's Foreign Minister in Goa: Standard Case of Rigged Match and Theatricals

In dealing with Pakistan polity, theatricals meant largely for domestic audiences are intrinsic, for these are planned and executed to finesse. As history provides us with references, the systemic is rigged in a deep devious manner, like a child-like

Salami Slicing, Fait Accompli and Buffers: What Next?

The contradictions are stark. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has often opined that relations with China are not normal, because India will not agree to any attempt to change the Line of Actual Control (LAC) unilaterally. Stating again its oft

India Impacted by the Great Geopolitical Churn

Any attempt towards predicting the emerging world order is more likely to be incorrect. The geopolitical churn is so immense and future so fundamentally incomprehensible that it will be well served to desist from dire prognostications. The era is cau

Imperatives for Reconsideration of the Armed Forces Doctrines

Modern warfare dictates different Services and indeed different components of national power to be brought together intelligently to achieve unity of command and unity of effort. Modern warfare is also extremely complex, and no two wars can be stated

Disentangling the Perceptions of ‘Grey Zone Warfare’!

One of our most serious problems today is defining what war is. Historically, war and warfare have rigid definitions, and national security and military doctrines, the capabilities and structures are designed to respond to those definitions. Wars wer

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