[Leaders at G7]
There was a moment in the lineup at the G7 summit in Nice, France, when on the two-step podium both the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind the US President Donald Trump, in the foreground, were unattended, with the other leaders milling around, gladhanding each other. But, Modi and Trump were each fully aware of the other, but neither made a move towards shaking hands. That tells its own story. This was no bad thing to happen, however!
At the one-one-on-one meeting that Modi risked, the Indian PM resisted his habit of embracing the American. When the press were ushered in, one could see a tense Modi waiting for the US President to put him on a spot. Fortunately for the Indian leader, he did not do so, bringing up, what else, Sindoor much later in an interview to Axios after his return disclosing, for instance, that between them the Indian and the Pakistani air forces lost “eleven” aircraft in the 88-hour war!
But, as predicted, Trump did pick on some one, and it was the Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni. Trump, for no good reason than his customary malice, broadcast to the world that Meloni had “begged him for a photo” with him, he felt sorry for her, and complied! It got a withering response from Giorgia and, just like that, the bilateral relations plunged and will likely stay poisoned for the duration of Trump’s presidency. It prompted the Italian foreign minister to cancel his trip to Washington to meet with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
But the vivacious Meloni has a definite chemistry with Modi, to whom she had earlier naughtily conveyed their status as “the most famous couple on instagram”! Can’t imagine our PM not blushing at this effulgence of goodwill! [In this pic unseen is Jaishankar on the side with a Cheshire cat grin!] That may have been the high point for the Indian PM.
[Meloni & Modi]
Because Modi ended up suffering a worse fate than Meloni! The Indian Prime Minister was swamped by the kind of hyperbolised flattery that only Trump can deliver with a straight face that is so deliberately outlandish, bordering on silly, as to be hurting, and meant to belittle its subject. It invited, as perhaps expected, the kind of public attention to the flatteree! An example of how the more staid British media covered this episode: The Independent of UK reported Trump as saying of Modi that “He is the most beautiful man, like an angel. He is a killer, he is a tough man. He loves Indian people and also loves US people”. With the upper lip properly stiff, the English newspaper commented that “The US president went further, linking the future of bilateral ties to Mr Modi’s leadership.”
You can literally see Modi (in the pic below) wondering to himself: “What more embarrassments is this idiot going to pile on me” and, across the meeting space, an appalled Rubio silently commiserating with the Indian leader, his possibly unspoken sentiment — “Now you know what I have to put up with every day!!”
[A tense Modi in his meeting with Trump]
Trump did not let up on this vein of pointed exaggeration. In an interview to Axios on his return, he paired Modi with the Chinese jefe maximo, Xi Jinping, as two of the “greatest leaders” he has dealt with. Regarding Modi and Xi, to quote Trump in toto: “Well, I think Modi is very good. …Yeah, they’ve had some very good [economic] numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He’s 1.5 billion people….Modi’s a great leader, and we do a lot of business with them, but now we do fair business. They used to really rip us off. I don’t blame them for that. We had stupid politicians, but, that allowed that to happen. But now we do a lot of business. They’re not that happy about it because they used to do a lot better. But Modi’s great. President Xi is great. Classics, you know. I mean, if you were going to make a movie about either one of them, you wouldn’t be able to find the man in Hollywood. I’m telling you. As an example, the look of Xi, he’s got a great look. Looks don’t matter, right? We don’t like to, they say don’t talk about looks, but he’s tall. He’s 6 foot 2. He’s got a great stature. He’s got great confidence, and he is smart. Modi in a very different way. Just highly respected. I’ve seen, you know, I know the real Modi is a very tough cookie.” [For the interview see https://www.axios.com/2026/06/19/trump-axios-show-interview-transcript-marc-caputo ] So, guess, who Trump is really immpressed by!
Many people here, however, read the tea leaves correctly, figuring that a Trump “ambush” was coming — first soften Modi, the target, with over-the-top flattery, next pressure him into conceding — in this case, on the provisions in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that are hanging fire. If it doesn’t go the way Trump wants, he will feel free to dump publicly on Modi, again. One can only hope the Prime Minister did not swallow Trump’s nonsense whole or even in part because, unlike Iran, which he respects because it was still standing after he had thrown everything at it that the US military could possibly muster short of N-weapons, and refused to accept other than a favourable Hormuz deal, which the American media has taken to calling a “surrender”, Trump has no respect for India, and time and again has displayed it. Because Delhi and Modi have always folded even with a strong hand. Hence, the US leader did not take the lead in shaking hands with Modi when both were free to do so at the outdoor G7 podium. The FTA in the works will prove or disprove this thesis.
Still, the fact that the Indian government has no strategic filter for its policies is obvious. It rushed into supporting the “freedom of navigation” issue in the Hormuz Strait on the side of its main Gulf partner, UAE, and Israel and the US, when prudence suggested Delhi should have been silent, said nothing. Because it can do a strategic Hormuz choke on the Malacca Strait tomorrow. After all, who knows that this might not be an option for India in the future? It is the consideration of such a possibility that, perhaps, led to Beijing supporting what it called “stable transit” — a legally different concept to free navigation. It is the kind of strategic foresight that always seems beyond Delhi’s reach, and why India ends up paying dearly for giving up potential leverage, assuming it even appreciates Malacca as leverage! Moreover, after this episode, will Tehran be as accommodative of Chabahar as the Indian North-South gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia? And will India again peg its energy policy of sourcing oil from Russia to fit Trump’s waiver policy?
Almost simultaneous with the end of the G7 summit, Pentagon announced that the “Indo-Pacific” moniker for the Honolulu-based theatre military command was banished, and its old name — ‘Pacific Command’, restored. Ajay Srivastava, founder of a think tank, the Global Trade Research Initiative, and a leading expert on FTAs, is right in saying it signals “a shift in Washington’s priorities”, with the US increasingly viewing India “only as a large market rather than a central strategic partner in its Asian strategy.” This re-naming event read alongside Trump’s ridiculous flattery of Modi does, in fact, suggest that Washington is desperate for a favourable FTA that can milk the vast Indian market, and facilitate continued use of its native talent but without actually getting Indian engineers and scientists into the US via the H1B visa route, which stands all but terminated. Instead, the same talent is now harvested in India by the growing horde of Global Capability Centres where Indians work (in $ terms) for a pittance, and specialise in advancing frontier tech, generating for Western companies the patents which produce wealth for the US and Western Europe.
So, what’s keeping Indians from working in India to produce the same wealth for the country? The bureaucrat-heavy system of over-regulation and corruption so dear to the babus that Modi promised to do away with, but has not so far shown the guts radically to reform and change other than minorly. And so local talent finds that Modi’s rhetoric of atmnirbharta, viksit Bharat, etc. notwithstanding, it cannot get its hands on the seed-capital the government says is there for them to secure. These talented but dispirited innovators, who have to jump through official hoops for the sligthest consideration, are left with no options other than to move to Singapore or Silicon Valley to get it, there they realise their dreams, and return with the same innovative, patented solutions they had earlier sought Indian government funding for, ironically to find the same Indian agencies more receptive, and eager to pay top dollar for their wares now that they sport the Singapore or Silicon Valley chaap!
All this is part of the same mosaic.
The renaming of the US theatre command is not at issue here. But rather that ‘Indo-Pacific’ denoted the areas preferred for major military deployments. As it is, the Pentagon has been at its wit’s end deciding what quantum of land, sea and air forces to assign to which theatre, and how to cut down on military presence world-wide. Hence, to trim expenditures the Stuttgart (Germany)-based US Africa Command is on the cutting block. And, to motivate European members to pull their weight, Trump is withdrawing American units from Europe. And because Asian states feared that Trump would next trim the US military in their region, making them more vulnerable to Chinese adventurism in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and around the Senkaku Islands, the ‘Pacific Command’ nomenclature was an easy way for Washington to reassure its traditional allies — Japan, South Korea and indirectly Taiwan. In this context, the ‘Indo’ part of the enterprise was expendable as it distracted from the main mission of containing China seaward in the Pacific to the “first island chain”.
There was no hesitation by the US, moreover, to move in this direction because over the last decade, Trump and his advisers found Delhi at once politically wary and militarily reticent to commit to the Quad — which had been touted as the cutting edge to ringfence China within a bigger compass, and which mission was discovered as being inadequately met by India. Delhi seemed too preoccupied with its own immediate vicinity to be of much use to any one else. The annual Malabar maritime exercise was simply not sufficient recompense, nor were the four foundational accords (GSOMIA, LEMOA. COMCASA, BECA) that enabled the provisioning of American warships, refuelling of US military aircraft transiting to other theatres, and repairing and refitting warships at Indian bases and shore installations, and which services continue to be available to US forces.
Furthermore, the earlier Indo-Pacific command and the current US Pacific Command jurisdiction stops, as it always did at the Indian border, with Pakistan, anchoring the eastern end of the Tampa Bay-based US Central Command. Incidentally, the previous Commander-in-Chief, US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, was in thick with Asim Munir and helped the Pakistan military during Op Sindoor to access realtime satellite intelligence showing Indian force dispositions and Elint (electronic intel) eavesdropping on Indian military communications. In July 2025, a grateful Munir arranged to have Pakistan confer on Kurilla its highest military honour — Nishan-e-Imtiaz and, recently on the latter’s retirement, flew all the way to Florida to attend his farewell ceremony.
But, why is the return of PACOM good for India? Because the Modi government needs to be disabused of the notion enbedded in its collective consciousness that the US can be relied on for strategic security against China. Washington was ever interested in cutting a separate deal with Xi, and never — even in the ‘Indo-Pacific’ years, in saving India’s goose. This is the background for Trump’s being insultingly patronising in his Axios interview.
Referring to security cooperation between India and the US, Trump said: “I think it is a great relationship. If they were attacked, we would be there to help them. We don’t have a contract [meaning there’s no formal alliance], but if they are attacked and he (PM Modi) is the leader, we are going to be there to help. If there is another leader, I don’t know about that, but if they are attacked and he is the leader, we are going to help. As long as I am president, they (India) have a great friend in the White House.”
One is not sure what to make of Trump trying to bolster Modi politically in this manner, as if the Indian PM needed any assistance from a tyro. Or, why the US president thinks voicing his commitment to help India if it is “attacked” by China (obviously) only if it is headed by Modi is going to help Modi! Such amateurish and theatrical ejaculations by the American president should be just as airily dismissed by Delhi. He has done Modi no favours by treating him like a maiden in distress who is waiting for “Lochinvar” to ride in from the west to save her, when Giorgia Meloni showed the balls to blow Trump a raspberry!
Because India never does what is in its own interest unless compelled to do so by situations and circumstances, hopefully the US’ signalling its lack of strategic interest in the Indian Ocean will be the prod for India to begin preparing seriously to fight its own battles and to take China on, on its own. For far too long the Indian military has keyed on, and still does if you consider the existing force structure, on the minimal threat from Pakistan. It has systematically disabled itself since 1947 from handling the larger, more potent, danger that China poses. Degrading its own mission and capability thus has reduced the country, including in helping Islamabad to convince the world to re-hyphenate India and Pakistan in the new Century!
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Security Wise 
I think trump did not make too much “insulting” remarks cause It could be because both the leaders got the taste of chinese tech and satellite intelligence during their wars with Iran and pakistan respectively 🤣. So china will keep arming iran and north korea but us will hesitate to give tech transfer to india. Why? Either he is too scared of chinese or it proves american hubris is in their DNA only not a matter who is the president!
Greetings professor.
Defensive realism. The idea in your first book(almost done reading it) is the practice we follow today and now we have clear evidence that we need to shift gears fast. I hope we do!
In your podcasts you say that we don’t act against Americans because we fear that they will sanction us. A report from the GTRI points out that in the following ways, Americans can sanction Bharat:
By pulling Microsoft out of the country, USA can hold the Indian Digital Public Infrastructure hostage.
It can destroy the Indian rupee(whatever is left of it. Depreciation is not the problem but the slow progress of spread of the UPI and little C-Swaps despite the potential makes it vulnerable to American pressure) through trade barriers and interest rates.
Energy sanctions like we saw recently.
Strategic shadow boxing through Pakistan, Myanmar and China.
These are fundamental to Indian growth and stability. Should not these be enough reasons of caution while we deal with the USA? No one will really help us when we are sanctioned in such a bellicose fashion( I think in 10 years time these sanctions are coming from the USA).
What should we do then?
Gokhale sir in his book ‘The long game’ argues that Americans should be ‘Strategically Managed’ and our market should be used as a ‘Leverage’ + The Americans cannot contain China without Bharat(But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Once Japan,South Korea,Philippines,Indonesia militarize properly, I dont think Americans will bother coming to us for meaningful strategic rebalancing short of a lip service. They simply won’t need us despite the demographic winter east asia faces ). And after seeing what they are doing to Israel, I don’t think any American ‘Strategic Partner’ is safe!
The following come to mind(based on your writings and other sources like LT GEN Raj Shukla sir etc):
Nuclear testing. A thermonuclear deterrent.
A cyber security force and C4ISR like Israel’s Unit8200.
Structural economic reforms -> Indigenous DPI,Better IPR,EoDB(Tax and Labor code to ensure economies of scale),Intrastate infrastructure,District level investment hubs, a bayh dole act like law for Bharat etc.
A BRIS and QUAD + Philippines+Taiwan+Vietnam+Indonesia-USA. ( I think you have mentioned this in staggering forward).
More agreements like RELOS. With Arab states, CAR countries, Israel,etc.
Naval modernisation with focus on UMVs as warships are now vulnerable as seen in epic fury.
Exploring new partnerships. I don’t see a reason why North Korea,Burkina faso, Iceland, etc cannot be our Comprehensive National Partner.
Maybe, even show the courage Malaysia did and walk away from the INDO US FTA? No American agreement has gotten us any tangible results.
Please add if I have missed something and correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks and regards,
Jai Hind!!
Off-topic but how many jets did each side lose exactly ?
Aircraft Losses: IAF 3-4, PAF 7-8
Dear Dr Karnad , Another thought provoking article from your mighty pen. However I beg to disagree with you that the strait of Malacca could be a potential weaponisation option for India against China. Government data shows that India’s dependence on Chinese imports for critical economic sectors such as Pharmaceuticals, Renewable energy, solar batteries, fertilizer etc have grown multifold since the battle of Galwan in 2020. So India trying to choke China in the Malacca straits may end up choking our own economy for good. Do you think this import dependence on China contradicts India’s Malacca option against China ?
Your view, alas, is the typical short view.
Thanks for your views Dr Karnad. So do you think that in a scenario where India imposes a blockade on China in the Malacca strait, how will India get the required imports from China in order to run the economy ?
India is implementing rare earths projects, and hopefully GOI will incentivise production at scale of base pharma materials.Everything else by way of consumer goods India should ban imports rightaway.
https://indiasworld.in/a-case-for-de-americanising-indias-grand-strategy/
This is a rather late realization something you have advocating for so long even during nuclear deal.
For starters, the Government of India (GOI) can ban WhatsApp, just as it banned Telegram. A significant portion of WhatsApp’s user base is Indian, giving the GOI considerable leverage over Big Tech. If necessary, Instagram could be next.
Honestly, I don’t understand why people call you a hawk. What you advocate is the bare minimum required to defend our interests. Calling it radical is like calling surgery to remove a confirmed tumour a radical solution it may be unpleasant, but it’s a necessary response to the problem.
Have long been baffled as well!
Greetings Professor
Hope you are doing well.
I am intrigued by this part ‘helped the Pakistan military during Op Sindoor to access realtime satellite intelligence showing Indian force dispositions and Elint (electronic intel) eavesdropping on Indian military communications.’.
I thought it was the Chinese bediou system which helped PAF in achieving the NATO style ‘Lock and Leave’ and ambush our jets, is that not the case? US helping PAK in Op Sindoor is something I have not heard about till now.
The US and China both helped and assisted the Pakistan military in Sindoor. China’s role was in terms of best uses of their hardware, especially the PL-15E A2A missile that shot down the first of the IAF aircraft, a Rafale, for sure on May 7, 2025
@ShriKarnad Do you consider this https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pakistan-army-pay-hike-operation-sindoor-salaries-up-25-disturbance-allowance-tripled-2934193-2026-06-25 as admission of defeat by Pakistan at the hands of India in Operation Sindoor?
But, of course. the outcome was not in doubt. My point was that with air dominance achieved on May 10th morning, the army’s taking the Haji Pir Bulge — which was doable, could have set a dissuasive precedent for GHQ-R: Carry out terrorist acts, pay with loss of chunks of POK territory. This did’t happen, so Sindoor was a tactical success but a strategic failure.
@ShriKarnad As and when Operation Sindoor resumes, can we expect payback from Russia to America and from France to China for the way America is helping Ukraine against Russia and for the way China tried to give the French Rafales a bad name?
Professor Karnad;
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/asim-munir-assassination-israel-mossad-plot-paksiatan-us-iran-war-peace-talks-pepe-escobar-mario-nawfal-2933333-2026-06-24
What’s your opinion about the aforementioned?
Gaurab Tyagi,
Very much a possibility in my mind. Mossad is known to make short-term wins that eventually leads to long-term security vulnerabilities for Israel. For eg, Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 led to the creation of Hezbollah. Already Mossad is talking about targeting leaders in Turkiye, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia whom they consider a “Sunni Axis” when the war on Iran is far from over. So it is very much a possibility that Israel thinks about assassinating the leader of Pakistan. What I am interested is that what could be the consequences for Israel once that happens.
Dr Karnad, I am really impressed by your recent interview with the Awara Musafir. I am giving the link here for the viewers in this community for knowledge purpose on strategy matters. https://youtu.be/9GtnIWAKoXo?si=2UPZ5u3Eu4Hc6lyO. However I believe that you are underestimating the power of Islamophobia inherent and prevalent in the Indian mindset when you talk about economically co opting the Pakistan army as part of “South Asia co prosperity sphere”. BJP won last 2 elections on Islamophobia and Pakistan (and now Bangladesh also) is a very important factor in that equation. So that is the reality of this country which ensures your proposal will not be realised.
Alas, you are right
Thank you for agreeing with me. Rana Banerjee, one of the most important Pakistan watchers in India believes that the Bajwa doctrine of “Geo economics” was the last chance to secure peace between India and Pakistan and realize what you propose as “South Asia co-prosperity sphere” I am sharing his article here for this community https://m.rediff.com/news/column/when-pakistan-army-chief-bajwa-backed-peace-over-conflict-with-india/20260403.htm. Unfortunately the alleged India supported BLA attack on Pakistan train in early 2025, the subsequent Operation Sindur and the crushing of the IWT by Indian government initiative have ensured that India and Pakistan will be on perpetual enmity. The inherent Islamophobia in India, ensures that
there is no such thing as islamophobia but there certainly is islamo jihadi fascism which we have seen unleashed on the common man in Europe and america …. We have already have so much of this in India even with the current muslim population that exists illegally inside india despite gunning for partition..
imagine what would happen if we decided to “co opt” this vermin called pak bangla Or maldives…. They have to be conquered not coopted…. They are illegal fake states as is…. The more india dithers the more it will lose
I will never ever accept coopting islam Or any islamic nation no matter what… My country has paid ( and is still paying ) a really high price because of islam .
What about power of Hinduphobia inherent and prevalent in the Pakistani mindset?, Must be nice waking up everyday and playing “Victim” maybe it’s all you can do.
Raj Yadav, Please go through my previous post again. As late as 2022, General Bajwa was talking about “geo-economics” with India. Remember there was constant pressure on General Bajwa during 2020-21 from the Chinese to open up another front in Kashmir. He decided not to do so despite that pressure. He could easily have done so since even the Americans under Biden had decided to pull out from Afghanistan and hand over the region to posterity. Yet he decided not to open up another front. How did we break up his trust ? By backing BLA terrorists in attacking Pakistan and then crushing the IWT which is the longest serving bilateral treaty for India. We also followed it up with bragging about Akhand Bharat. This is what is called lack of strategic thinking as mentioned by Dr Karnad. The result ? We are now looking at a region where both US and China are willing to act to contain India. Pakistan under General Muneer(Bajwa’s successor) is willing to actively contain India within this region aided by both Chinese and US to some degrees. With Hasina out of power in Bangladesh, India losses its best ally in the region. Now the containment policy is well on
@DrKarnad This http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/80017 is not related to the topic of your blog post, I hope you don’t mind this.
I would like to know what you make of this – an implicit admission of defeat or a determination to continue until victory is achieved?
The Russian military history has always been of early reverses capped by victory. Tho’ the invasion of UKR reversed that trend with early victory followed by a stalemate. This could be construed as defeat for Putin, but I doubt Moscow will accept defeat and lose face
what about Afghanistan where they tucked tail and retreated.
Chechnya – they could only call it a win after razing Grozny and carrying out a genocide.
Ukraine is proving to be a game of chicken, whoever blinks first might lose. Iran might resume supplies of drones to Russia, so Russia might put Ukraine back on the defensive..
what a mess..but gotta hand it over to the Ukrainians, they are keeping the fight alive.
Afghanistan, yes. Who is to say Putin will not do a Grozhny to Kiev and UKR?
Mr. Karnad
A few “contrarian” thoughts here :
Look, all border delineation is “illogical”. Countries have to safeguard to the max the territories however they have come into their possession. China acts on this premise. India does not (and Bhasin reflects that thinking), and that’s the great difference and Beijing’s advantage.
Nj, It will be completely foolhardy on the part of the government to completely join the pro-Israel camp. We depend on the West Asia for remittance and investment and trade. Just think about the fact that about 10 million Indian workers work and reside in the Gulf. We can’t become prosperous without the West Asia economic integration. Ethanol dependence will destroy our economic vitality for distant future. Sharing this article for the benefit of the community here https://frontline.thehindu.com/economy/india-growth-prosperity-gap/article71146348.ece/amp/
Dr Karnad, now that RSS has gone into track 2 with Pakistan, do you think this is a result of the nudge by the US ? Ram Madhav, the RSS apartchik who is doing this track 2 on RSS behalf, was in the US some months earlier. So is this quiet US pressure on the Modi government to start dialogue again with Pakistan ?
However, the T-2 is activated, it is a good thing to happen.
@ProfessorKarnad In your esteemed opinion, are the victories of the parties concerned in the Ukraine versus Russia, America and Israel versus Iran and by extension Israel versus Hezbollah wars pyrrhic victories?
Yes
Professor, Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security is currently out of stock and when it was in stock it was priced around 10K rupees, I sincerely request you on my and other passionate readers behalf to republish it with affordable pricing. Your books are Manual for us!!
Hope to publish an updated edition of that book, but only after I complete the one being written!
@Raj Yadav @BharatKarnad
One copy is still available, and it is priced at ₹2,799. Here is the purchase link.
https://collegestreetbook.com/store/history-culture/nuclear-weapons-and-indian-security-the-realist-foundations-of-strategy-bharat-karnad/
By the way, sir, what’s included in the second edition that isn’t in the first edition? I mean, what do we miss out on by having the first edition?
This is the first edition of the book. I was lucky enough to get a copy of it in 2024 from an old bookshop in Delhi.
You miss nothing. In fact, the 2nd edition updates the N-policy to the 1st years of the Manmohan Singh regime.
@Nuclear General, The collegestreetbook is out of stock currently. If you can find from other sources please let me know!
professor does taiwan have long range missiles and underground facilities and launchers like iran??
Taiwan has missiles to reach Beijing and other strategic targets
three gorges dam is one such target sir and you mentioned it in your 2015 book
Yes, and it is part of SFC’s prime target set.
@BharatKarnad
Greetings professor i hope you are doing well
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/research/2016/06/indias-nuclear-force-structure-2025
just read this carnegiee decade old essay on the proposed indian nuclear force structure till 2025.Now is the time to look at it again
But after reading this i realized framework in this article clearly pushes India away from a minimalist deterrent toward a larger, more diversified, and more survivable force with a serious countervalue component.
My question is: if the real goal is to preserve credible deterrence against both China and Pakistan under conditions of uncertainty, technological change, and possible escalation, what do you see as the strongest reason India should not settle for a smaller, predominantly second-strike triad built around survivability alone?
In other words, what exactly would be lost in terms of strategic stability, escalation control, and deterrent credibility if India were to cap itself at a leaner force, and how do you respond to the argument that a larger arsenal may create more political and operational risk than security benefit?
I would really happy if you share your thoughts in detail!
Those who are arguing that, as you put it, “a larger arsenal may create more political and operational risk than security benefit” are off course and do NOT have India’s interests at heart.
Doctor Karnad Do you think this https://nenews.in/neighbours/bangladesh-armys-new-battalion-has-umar-abu-bakr-ali-and-usman-companies/55584/ is the Islamisation of the Bangladeshi military just like Zia Ul Haq Islamised the Pakistani military?
If yes, how can such a military then even be considered to be a professional military and expected to be trusted by India?
What should India do to counter this?
While the Jammat-i-Islami and its lesser avatars want to fundamentalise B’Desh, it won’t be so easy. But one doesn’t know which way the BNP regime of Tariq Rahman will go. Its initial moves seem anti-India, and we’ll have to work on moderating its stance. We have many levers.
Professor This https://freeimage.host/i/41704.CYcK272 being the case, do you think the rest of the Gulf Arab nations too carried out similar retaliatory strikes against Iran with U.S. and Israeli intelligence support?
Do you think this might happen again now that Iran has taken over the Strait of Hormuz?
Will Ahmad Vahidi be eliminated so that this current take over of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the threat from Iran is brought to an end once and for all?