INS_Vikramaditya_in_Baltic_Sea Courtesy: Wikipedia
6 September 2016

India’s ocean strategy crystallises

India's policy towards the Indian Ocean has begun to take a clear, coherent form with the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement with the United States, an important bilateral visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Modi, and an ambitious future being laid out by Foreign Secretary Jaishankar

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, a destroyer of the South China Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy fire a missile during a traning in South China Sea on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007. Dozen of warships of the South China Sea Fleet were deployed in the competitive training to improve combat capability of the fleet, Xinhua said.  (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zha Chunming) Courtesy: India Strategic
16 July 2015

Military strategies collide in the Asia-Pacific

The recent re-evaluation by the US, China, Japan, and Russia of their military strategies reflects new geopolitical equations in which the Asia Pacific is a major strategic intersection. Turmoil in this region can impact India’s trade and security interests, and to avoid this India must craft a balance between its relations with all the countries involved

041005-N-0021M-001 Courtesy: U.S. Navy photo/Journalist 1st Class Todd Macdonald
29 July 2014

Malabar 2014: a good beginning

India’s invitation and the subsequent participation of the Japanese navy in the Malabar 2014 exercise is a sign of the deepening of the political-security relationship between India and Japan. However, an actual fruition of the potential requires both the administrations to be more flexible, especially on the nuclear deal and defence purchases

asias cauldron Courtesy: Random House
18 July 2014

Book review: the rise of China

‘Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific’ is a pragmatic narrative by Robert D. Kaplan of the receding power of the U.S. and China’s growing dominance

scs Courtesy: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency/Wikimedia Commons
4 April 2014

South China Sea: a new war brewing

China is reportedly taking advantage of the situation in Ukraine to further its claims in the South China Sea. Its aggressive stance has pushed the Philippines to approach The Hague for arbitration. There are concerns that the tensions could lead to a breakdown of trade routes in the Western Pacific

milanspikecallusnavy Courtesy: Spike Call U.S Navy/Wikimedia Commons
21 February 2014

Shaping regional diplomacy

The Indian Navy, through multi-lateral exercises, is increasing its sphere of influence and becoming a regional force. Yet, it needs to be supported by policy decisions that enable it to achieve its potential as a state-of-the-art establishment and a powerful tool in India’s diplomatic repertoire

ind jap Courtesy: generalising/Flickr
6 November 2013

The new Indo-Pacific core

The India-Japan alliance needs to be viewed through a prism broader than that of "containing" China, and by treating the Indian and Pacific oceans as a single entity. Such an alliance has the potential to strengthen the geopolitical security of India and Japan, along with that of all their allies and associates

pacific islands2 Courtesy: mpeacey/Flickr
27 September 2012

The geo-strategic Pacific Islands

Traditionally, the South Pacific islands have been considered strategically insignificant. However, the need for resources, and the geopolitical shift towards Asia-Pacific have prompted nations to realize that these small island states control large resource-rich ocean areas and are increasingly geostrategic.