Monthly Archives: December 2011

Passive-Defeatist Attitude, true on the cricket field as in foreign & military policy sphere

The sad and humilating spectacle of Dhoni and his team of losers being bent and beaten by a near new, relatively inexperienced, Australian cricket team  in Melbourne was par for the course. Our “heroes” complemented the Aussies’ “take no prisoner” attitude, … Continue reading

Posted in India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West | Leave a comment

Padma Awards Farce

The late P.K. Iyengar, former chairman of the atomic energy commission, head of the theoretical group at BARC and father of the implosion-triggered fission device tested in May 1974 — incidentally, still the only proven weapon in the country’s nuclear … Continue reading

Posted in Indian Politics | 4 Comments

A few fatal flaws

When does a flawed system of government become a threat to the security of the state and the wellbeing of the people? This is a question that must now concern all citizens witnessing the country’s dangerous decline in certain salient … Continue reading

Posted in Indian Politics, Internal Security | 1 Comment

Playing hardball with China

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once again pooh-poohed the threat from China, this time on Dec 14 in Parliament which undercuts the raison détre  for the India-Japan-United States strategic discussion. Originally planned for mid-October, it was postponed at the eleventh hour … Continue reading

Posted in Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Nuclear Weapons, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West | Leave a comment

A Big Deal

The eventually twenty-two billion dollar (not ten billion dollar, as has been reported) deal for the Medium-range Multi-Role Combat Aircraft could become a Bofors-like political liability for the ruling Congress Party, if it fails to get it right. Inordinate amounts … Continue reading

Posted in Defence Industry, Great Power imperatives, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Military Acquisitions, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Nuclear Weapons, Strategic Relations with the US & West | 4 Comments

Japanese slow-burn on China, even the US

In a small group interaction at the USI this afternoon with a Japanese team led by retired Lieutenant General Noboru Yamaguchi, former head of Training and Doctrine-development Command of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces, and presently Director, Center for National Security & Crisis … Continue reading

Posted in Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West | Leave a comment

Faint Hearts and Pre-emptive Kowtow

For a brief moment it seemed the Indian Government had sprouted a spine, shown strategic imagination, when it became known that the Ministry of External Affairs had cancelled the forthcoming border talks with China. One had hoped that this was … Continue reading

Posted in Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West | Leave a comment

GOI’s noodle spine

At the recent USI National Security Seminar, Nov 17-18, on ‘Peace & Stability in Asia-Pacific Region: Assessment of the Security Architecture’, retired Taiwanese Major General Liu Kuang-Chung informed me that a visit to Delhi scheduled for end-October by Dong Kuo-Yu, Adviser to Taiwan … Continue reading

Posted in India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy | 1 Comment