Author Archives: Bharat Karnad

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About Bharat Karnad

Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, he was Member of the (1st) National Security Advisory Board and the Nuclear Doctrine-drafting Group, and author, among other books of, 'Nuclear Weapons and Indian Security: The Realist Foundations of Strategy', 'India's Nuclear Policy' and most recently, 'Why India is Not a Great Power (Yet)'. Educated at the University of California (undergrad and grad), he was Visiting Scholar at Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies, and Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, DC.

Stop the vilification campaign against Tejas

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

(Tejas LCAs lined up on tarmac) A planned vilification campaign is now underway against the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme. It has been initiated in newspapers and internet sites. Next one can see television — with TV channel reporters … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific, Asian geopolitics, civil-military relations, Culture, Decision-making, Defence Industry, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, society, South Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, United States, US., Weapons | 55 Comments

Ballsy Kim & his doings

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

(Aegis CS firing a missile from a US warship) Just been told (by a source) that North Korea has hacked into and made vulnerable the “open architecture” of the Aegis combat system (Baseline 7, Phase 1) equipping the three ‘Sejong … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific, Asian geopolitics, China, China military, Decision-making, Defence Industry, disarmament, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, Intelligence, Iran and West Asia, Israel, Military Acquisitions, Missiles, nonproliferation, North Korea, Northeast Asia, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Nuclear Weapons, United States, US., Weapons, Western militaries | 55 Comments

Modi govt writing finis to Tejas?

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

(FGFA) All work related to designing and developing the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft and its variants, including the right-weighted naval Tejas, has come to a stop at ADA and HAL. The plan was for the air force Mk-II version … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific, Asian geopolitics, China, China military, corruption, Culture, Decision-making, Defence Industry, domestic politics, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Internal Security, MEA/foreign policy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Pakistan, Pakistan military, Relations with Russia, Russia, russian assistance, society, South Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, United States, US., Weapons, Western militaries | 42 Comments

Takeaways from Tillerson’s visit

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

Rajya Sabha TV panel discussion programme — ‘The Big Picture’ broadcast yesterday Oct 26, 2017.

Posted in Afghanistan, arms exports, asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific, Asian geopolitics, Central Asia, China, China military, Culture, Decision-making, Defence Industry, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian democracy, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Internal Security, Iran and West Asia, Japan, MEA/foreign policy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Pakistan, Pakistan military, Relations with Russia, Russia, society, South Asia, South East Asia, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, Terrorism, Tibet, United States, US., Weapons, West Asia, Western militaries | 2 Comments

Tillerson offers nothing new, just another bandwagon

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be in Delhi Oct 24 to further what he says is President Trump’s new South Asia strategy. At a curtain raiser to the visit he made a speech at a Washington think-tank … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, arms exports, Asian geopolitics, Australia, China, China military, Decision-making, Defence Industry, DRDO, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Pakistan, Pakistan military, Relations with Russia, Russia, russian assistance, russian military, society, South Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, Terrorism, United States, US., Weapons, Western militaries | 18 Comments

Is Pakistan going back on its commitments on terror?

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

Rajya Sabha TV –‘The Big Picture’ program – panel discussion with Rana Banerji, Maj Gen AS Siwach, Smita Sharma of Tribune, and your truly broadcast Oct 13, uploaded Oct 16.  

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, Central Asia, civil-military relations, Decision-making, domestic politics, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, guerilla warfare, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Army, Indian Politics, Intelligence, Internal Security, MEA/foreign policy, Military/military advice, Pakistan, Pakistan military, society, South Asia, Special Forces, Terrorism | 1 Comment

Akula in a Chakra-vyuh?

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

(Nerpa) The Press reported Sept 4 about damage done to its sonar dome  as the ex-Russian ‘Nerpa’ — Akula SSN — INS Chakra — was making its way back to or embarking on a patrol from — it isn’t clear … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, Asian geopolitics, corruption, Decision-making, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, MEA/foreign policy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Nuclear Weapons, Relations with Russia, Russia, russian assistance, russian military, South Asia, Strategic Forces Command, United States, US., Weapons, Western militaries | 18 Comments

Indo-Bhutanese Ties: The Way Forward

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

Broadcast last evening was the Rajya Sabha TV panel discussion on the Foreign Secretary K Jaishankar’s visit to Thimpu, below

Posted in Asian geopolitics, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, China military, Culture, Decision-making, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Army, MEA/foreign policy, Military/military advice, Nepal, SAARC, society, South Asia, Tibet | 3 Comments

Future of Indo-US strategic ties

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

Rajya Sabha TV programme — Security Scan — panel discussion with Meera Shankar, fmr Ambassador to the US, Major General Shashi Asthana (Retd), and myself, broadcast 10PM September 28, 2017.

Posted in Afghanistan, arms exports, Asian geopolitics, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, China military, Decision-making, Defence Industry, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, guerilla warfare, India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Intelligence, Internal Security, MEA/foreign policy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Northeast Asia, Pakistan, Pakistan military, society, South Asia, South East Asia, Special Forces, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, Terrorism, United States, US., Weapons | 13 Comments

Mattis’ agenda

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Bharat Karnad

(US Secretary of Defence) The US Secretary of Defence retired General James Mattis has a two point-agenda for his trip  starting September 25 – get New Delhi to commit to purchasing the Lockheed Martin  F-16 Block 70 combat aircraft along … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, arms exports, Asian geopolitics, China, China military, Decision-making, Defence Industry, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Intelligence, Internal Security, MEA/foreign policy, Military Acquisitions, Military/military advice, Pakistan, Pakistan military, SAARC, society, South Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, Terrorism, United States, US., Weapons | 30 Comments