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.

ECFR podcast

For interested persons, following my talk on the topic ‘How should the West regard India in a multipolar world?’ and interaction with the audience in the ‘Black Coffee Morning’ session 0830hrs-0930hrs, Monday, Nov 9 at the European Council For Foreign … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian geopolitics, China, Europe, Geopolitics, Russia, United States, US. | Leave a comment

Decimating the Da’ish

The Islamic State (IS) or Da’ish may have made a big mistake by blowing up the Russian airliner over Sinai. That the debris was spread over a 20 square mile area suggests one of two things: a timed plastique explosive … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, Culture, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, indian policy -- Israel, Iran and West Asia, Internal Security, Iran and West Asia, Missiles, Pakistan, Pakistan military, Russia, russian military, society, South Asia, South East Asia, Special Forces, Terrorism, Weapons, West Asia | 2 Comments

“Strike one” against China at the Hague

Several developments are converging for an interesting outcome. After deliberating on the matter since July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration operating under the UN auspices at the Hague accepted Manila’s plea and ruled that it has jurisdiction to decide the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian geopolitics, China, China military, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, South Asia, South East Asia, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, UN, United States, US., Western militaries | 5 Comments

ECFR ‘Black Coffee Morning’ event in London

For readers of this blog residing in the UK, and especially the London metropolitan area, you may be interested in the following event to be hosted by the European Council on Foreign Relations, UK Chapter, Nov 9. The invite is … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian geopolitics, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, Indian democracy, Indian ecobomic situation, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Western militaries | Leave a comment

London book event

My new book — Why India is Not a Great Power (Yet), is to be launched by the Royal United Service Institution, London, on Nov 9, at 6 PM; venue is 61, Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET. Blog followers and others … Continue reading →

Posted in Indian Army | Leave a comment

UNSC membership — wrong emphasis at I-A summit

Delhi, predictably (in that that’s how much MEA/GOI is not clued into trends into mainstream African thinking), is fluffing it even as the grand show Modi is hosting for African countries gets underway. Modi and, only hours before the inaugural … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, arms exports, Asian geopolitics, China, Culture, Defence Industry, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, UN, Weapons | 2 Comments

Black Africa — not on MEA’s “radar”

On the eve of the India-Africa Forum Summit involving 54 states from that continent lying across the Ïndian lake, some home truths need to be acknowledged. While our foreign policy rhetoric and public posture has been pro-Third World, in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, arms exports, Asian geopolitics, China, domestic politics, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's China Policy, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Indian Politics, society, South Asia, United States, US. | 3 Comments

Invite for Mumbai launch of book

For those blog readers residing in and around Mumbai, pasted below is the invite to the Mumbai event to launch my book — ‘Why India is Not a Great Power (Yet)’hosted by the Asia Society, India chapter, at the Nehru … Continue reading →

Posted in Indian Army | 6 Comments

Raining trouble

When it rains, it pours has never been truer than it is now for India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Moscow to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Modi’s state visit in November, got a proper, if cold, reception. … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, Asian geopolitics, civil-military relations, Culture, Defence Industry, domestic politics, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian democracy, Indian Navy, Indian Ocean, Indian Politics, Military Acquisitions, Missiles, nonproliferation, nuclear industry, 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 | 11 Comments

Letting a desperate Dassault off the hook

Today’s papers carried reports on 50% Rafale offsets amounting to $4.5 billion or Rs 30,000 crore (“Rafale deal:France agrees to meet 50% of contract’s worth in India’s related sectors” http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/rafale-deal-france-agrees-to-invest-50-of-contracts-worth-in-indias-related-sectors/articleshow/49487260.cms) — evidence that just the initial procurement cost of 36 … Continue reading →

Posted in arms exports, Asian geopolitics, civil-military relations, Cyber & Space, Defence Industry, domestic politics, DRDO, Europe, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Air Force, Indian democracy, Indian ecobomic situation, Indian Politics, Military Acquisitions, Relations with Russia, Russia, russian assistance, russian military, society, South Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Technology transfer, United States, US., Weapons, Western militaries | 7 Comments