COMMENTARIES
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Modi and the Boundary Question: Will History Repeat Itself?
Stephen Westcott · 13 May, 2015 · #4873 · Commentary
While negotiations during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming China visit, expected to occur on 14-16 May, will mostly focus on deepening economic ties and reducing the trade deficit, there is growing speculation that there will b...
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The Strategist
China: The January Storm
Vijay Shankar · 12 May, 2015 · #4872 · Commentary · Column
Mao launched his ‘Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution’ on 16 May 1966. It unleashed furious and complex internal armed struggles driven essentially by a struggle for power between Mao’s status quoists and Liu Shaoqi’s i...
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Dateline Colombo
Finding a Path to True Democracy in Sri Lanka
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera · 10 May, 2015 · #4871 · Commentary · Column
“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to ov...
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East Asia Compass
Shinzo Abe: Changing his Stance?
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 08 May, 2015 · #4870 · Commentary · Column
In the latter half of April 2015, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barak Obama. There were some speculations that he may change his course of being unapologetic on the Japanese coloni...
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Looking East
Naga Peace Process: Gone Off Track
Wasbir Hussain · 07 May, 2015 · #4869 · Commentary · Column
That New Delhi’s Naga peace policy has flopped has become evident with the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) calling off the 14-year ceasefire on 27 March and immediately targeting security forces, kil...
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Spotlight West Asia
King Salman: The Boldest Ever Saudi Monarch?
Ranjit Gupta · 05 May, 2015 · #4868 · Commentary · Column
King Salman, at 79 years old, was widely believed to be in poorer health when he ascended the throne than any of his predecessors. He had been the Saudi minister of defence for six months and Crown Prince for two-and-a-half years – the sho...
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Pakistan
Has Peshawar Changed Pakistan’s Approach to Tackle Terrorism?
Rana Banerji · 01 May, 2015 · #4867 · Commentary
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) terrorist attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, on December 16, 2014, killing 132 children and several teachers, many from Army background, was traumatic; its intensity and cruelty shocking...
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India's Rafale Deal: Why the Outright Purchase Was a Balancing Step
Prashant Dikshit · 21 Apr, 2015 · #4866 · Commentary
The Indian government’s decision to purchase 36 Rafale MMRCA aircraft from France outright, as against the original 18, with a direct government to government deal with France could be the best option. This is because the issues were no lo...
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Voice from America
Why the Rafale Deal Must be Welcomed
Amit Gupta · 20 Apr, 2015 · #4865 · Commentary
While the naysayers and conspiracy theorists in India have already begun their spin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the correct decision to buy 36 off-the-shelf Rafales from France rather than wait for the interminable negotiation...
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Strategic Direction of the PLA Navy: Capability and Intent Assessment
Book Review: "A Grope for Strategic Direction"
Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar · 20 Apr, 2015 · #4864 · Commentary
Title: Strategic Direction of the PLA Navy: Capability and Intent Assessment
Author: Kamlesh K Agnihotri
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt Ltd New Delhi (2015)
China has historically held that a state’s comprehensive ...
