Editorial - Russia – Ukraine War: India’s Strategic Choices for Atmanirbharta
The twenty-first century being the century of reformations, developments, opportunities, technological advancements and aspirations, is surrounded by challenges like cyber threats, warfare, poverty, terrorism, climate change with adverse effects, which require cooperation on multilateral front. Read More
From “Estranged Democracies” to “Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership” – Expansion of Bilateral Constructive Engagement in India and United States Relations
Today, India – United States (U.S.) relationship encompasses the most intense bilateral engagement that India enjoys with any nation. India and United States have cemented their bilateral relations to new heights in trade, strategic cooperation and geopolitical negotiations in the last ten years. During the period of Donald Trump and Joe Biden India has been seen as the main contender of US pivot making in Indo-Pacific to counter China (Chattopadhyay, 2022). Read More
Latin America and Russia in the context of the events in Ukraine
Latin America witnessed frequent struggle for influence between the former Soviet Union, and the US. The latter always maintained an upper hand. The former Soviet Union exercised considerable influence over Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. With Cuba, the former Soviet Union offered massive aid and even installed missiles to defend itself against the US leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Relations with Nicaragua improved after 1979. In 1979 the Somozas ceded power to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua which led to greater Soviet-Nicaragua friendship, thus becoming a major irritant for the US. With Venezuela the US enjoyed satisfactory relations but with the onset of Chavez’s assumption of presidency in 1999, the US lost its influence gradually. Venezuela on facing harsh sanctions from the US turned towards Russia. Read More
Connecting the Missing Links in Northeast India: A Review of Bogibeel Bridge
Bogibeel rail cum road bridge across the river Brahmaputra near Dibrugarh was commissioned in December2018 and has completed three years of operation. The article examines both the domestic and international context of this project. Internal factors like the Assam Accord, various civil society initiatives, and government efforts play a significant role. The international context of reorientation of Indian foreign policy in the aftermath of the cold war in the 1990s and the rising belligerence of China which led to the Look East and Act East policies are analysed. The article focuses on the Bogibeel project with specific reference to the development of connectivity in the NE region as a part of Act East Policy. Further, it assesses the impact of the new bridge on connectivity in upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in its various dimensions such as a change in patterns of railway operations, road connectivity vis-a-vis ferry services, and impact on military related movements. Possible future development of inland water transport along NW2 is briefly indicated. Read More
India-Taiwan Strategic Engagements – A Discussion
India and Taiwan share relations predating to 1947. The relationship between the two was on hibernation for three decades. There are many hindrances to India-Taiwan Strategic Engagements and the most important is India’s adherence to one China policy. India-Taiwan shares many similarities, and the Look East Policy of India has opened a new window of opportunities between the two countries in terms of strategic engagements. This discussion paper takes a review of Indo-Taiwan relations in the last three decades and suggests the roadmap for future engagements between the two countries. Read More
The New World Order Post Russia – Ukraine War
“New world order’ is a phrase that finds its origins in the 14 points1 speech by then USA President Woodrow Wilson in August 1918, where he enumerated the guidelines for dismantling of European empires and the creation of new nation- states in the aftermath of the first World War, that commenced in July, 1914 and ended on the 11th of November, 1918. Referred to by contemporaries as the Great War2 belligerents included much of Europe, Russia, the United States and Turkey, with fighting also expanding into the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia. Read More
The Russia – Ukraine War: Implications For Global Space Race
Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war can be observed in all the significant domains in the geopolitics, where Outer Space is no exception. International collaborations are being in turmoil as space agencies grapple with the consequences of the war. This situation prompts the need to assess the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war in the space domain and ramifications for the global space cooperation. This article focuses on identifying the effect of Russia-Ukraine war on the global space cooperation, especially on the International Space Station (ISS). Read More
India and Israel in the Changing Indo – Pacific
Indo-Pacific as a single strategic construct has emerged into prominence and gaining momentum with its growing geo-economic and geopolitical significance. It’s home to major rising economies like China, Japan, India, Australia and 60% of maritime trade passes through the region. Therefore, the region has been turning into the geo-economic and geopolitical centre of gravity of the world. Read More
Book Review: India Versus China – Why They Are Not Friends
India and China comprise nearly forty per cent of the world’s population. Their relationship is vital for three billion people. It is also consequential for countries in the neighbourhood and for the world at large. Why have the relations between the two countries been troubled over sixty years? A war in 1962 was followed by decades of uneasy peace, but in the recent years, a number of serious military confrontations have underlined their huge and growing differences. After the war of 1962, the two countries had managed to preserve a high degree of military stability along the Himalayan Border. Then, in June 2020, a melee at Galwan in Ladakh left Indian and Chinese soldiers dead and injured. Six decades of relative calm between two countries collapsed in a matter of weeks. Read More
