The South China Sea Policy Transition: India’s Strategic Shift
New Delhi’s strategic recalibration recognises the South China Sea’s critical importance to regional security and the global maritime order.
Harsh V Pant
Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and Director of Research at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi.
South Asian Exemplars: India-Bangladesh Ties as a Model for Regional Cooperation
Geographical contiguity needs to be accompanied with complementarities in governance for regional development. In South Asia, this has been showcased by India and Bangladesh, with the heads of government of both countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina respectively, naming their partnership as “a model for bilateral relations for the entire region.”
India-Philippines Defence Partnership: BrahMos Missiles Deals
A new phase in India's defence ties with the Philippines commenced last week when the Indian Air Force handed the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
Navigating the Escalatory Landscape: Crafting Strategies Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
From Iran's perspective, Israel breached a critical threshold by attacking its diplomatic mission, which Tehran deemed its sovereign territory.
The latest escalation between Israel and Iran marks a significant change in the adversarial relationship between the two antagonists. Not since the first Persian Gulf War of 1990-91, when the Iraqi military under Saddam Hussein struck Israel with SCUD missiles, have the Israelis been subjected to a missile attack on the scale the Iranians executed. Tehran’s most recent salvo involved a combination of drones and missiles. The missile barrage consisted of a mixture of cruise and ballistic missiles. Israel’s missile defences intercepted an estimated 331 missiles launched by the Iranians.
Navigating the Rough Seas: China’s Impact on the Indo-Pacific
China continues to warn regional players of negative consequences of their actions. Yet, it is Beijing’s own behaviour that is reshaping the Indo-Pacific landscape.
Escalating Tensions: Philippines Confronts China's Aggression in the South China Sea
The waters of the South China Sea are roiling again; this time, it is the Philippines that is at the heart of the turbulence. Although Manila and Beijing have been at loggerheads over submerged shoals in the South China Sea for decades, China has upped the ante in recent months with Chinese ships firing water cannons and ramming into Philippine ships. Beijing’s grey zone tactics have been evident to the wider world, with Manila hoping that perhaps this negative publicity would force China to back off. But that has not been the case so far.
Balancing Acts of Diplomacy: India’s Crucial Role in the Iran-Israel Stand-off
The Middle East is on tenterhooks, again. A dangerous slide into an all-out war is being feared by most even as few seem capable of doing anything substantial to stem it. Nations are rationalising their actions based on their worst fears about their adversaries. And the US, the only major power still capable of significantly influencing the trends on the ground, is at a loss as it tries to stand by its long-time ally while also reassuring others who want a de-escalation. The politics of the Middle East has never been for the faint-hearted, and in this day and age when global dysfunction is at an all-time high, the region's fissures are ready to explode in unprecedented ways.