russia pak military exercises Courtesy: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
29 September 2016

Russia’s zero sum games in Asia

Russia's decision to go ahead with joint military exercises with Pakistan is the latest move in Putin's flexible and pragmatic Asian foreign policy playbook. However, whether it will be worth having provoked Indian ire remains to be seen.

farc peace Courtesy: Cubasi
25 September 2016

Colombia and FARC: peace at last?

The Colombian government will sign a final and comprehensive peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces, a national guerrilla movement, on September 26. This is momentous, bringing to a close an insurgency that has inflicted widespread bloodshed and displacement. But making reparation may take an unpredictable course

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

Court_EPA_potd-china_3274301b-large_trans++pJliwavx4coWFCaEkEsb3kvxIt-lGGWCWqwLa_RXJU8 Courtesy: EPA
1 September 2016

The Case of the South China Sea

The implementation of the award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, on the interpretation of the UNCLOS in a case that pitted the Philippines against China in a dispute over the South China Sea is going to be a test for the primacy of international law. This speech was originally made at Christ University, Bengaluru on 27 September, as part of a 'National Seminar on the Formulation of Treaties'.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Courtesy: http://nausena-bharti.nic.in/
11 August 2016

Maritime India’s Global Destiny

With the 21st century being heralded as the 'century of the seas', there is much need for India to reclaim its historically dominant maritime position in civilian and military endeavours.

IMG_20160811_160515-01 Courtesy: A Salute to the Sword Arm
11 August 2016

Partition 1947: the navy we didn’t see

15 August 1947 saw the division of more than a country. There were other spoils that were split: the Royal Indian Navy was one of them. This included not just a division of assets, but also of staff, whom the British Royal Navy had trained. This led to a piquant situation

Tokat_darbe_karşıtları Courtesy: Wikipedia
27 July 2016

The beginning of the end for Erdogan

The attempted coup on July 15 in Turkey as well as its aftermath have irreparably dented President Erdogan’s international image and impacted Turkey's standing as a democratic state, a military power, a NATO member, an EU aspirant, and an emerging economy. This downtrend is unlikely to be reversed in the near future and the country is in for an extended period of instability

475937 Courtesy: Flickr/Times Asi
21 July 2016

UNCLOS, undone by China?

China's refusal to accept the ruling of The Hague greatly harms its international reputation and will fuel regional concerns about China's rise. Nationalist sentiments stirred up by a sustained media campaign heighten the risk of a confrontation, but there is also a possibility for the Philippines to use its new leverage to its advantage through new negotiations.