shutterstock_1787861693 Courtesy: Shutterstock
21 October 2020

Riparian Governance in South Asia

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The record of regional cooperation on rivers since India's independence in 1947 is one of several successes, with some contestations. In contrast to the past when governments strove to divide and share river waters, the endeavor has now shifted to thinking about comprehensive river basin development which makes the process even more complex. India’s policy on transboundary river governance must now also be aware of the increasing importance of Indo-Pacific in the global geopolitics.

CG Courtesy: USGS/Wikimedia
6 August 2020

Geospatial shutter control for India

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The recent use of geospatial analyses by Indian social and mainstream media for near real-time defence and military intelligence in Ladakh has been made possible because of the lower cost of earth-observation satellite construction, and thereby, easy access to satellite imagery on the internet. While independent analysis is useful, the same intelligence can be also used against the interests of a sovereign nation by an adversary, especially border imagery. India must find innovative methods to reduce this vulnerability of commercial satellite imagery.

DS - Final Courtesy: Tasnim News Agency
25 June 2020

China’s “little blue men”

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The Quad is set to launch a satellite-based maritime security initiative to monitor illegal fishing by the Chinese maritime militia. This is long overdue. China’s ‘little blue men’ are recruited from its fishing communities but are in fact official members of a well networked and controlled defense force engaged in regional grey zone warfare.

QUAD Courtesy: Shutterstock/Gateway House
18 June 2020

Quad, China and the Indo-Pacific churn

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China’s escalating actions in the wake of the COVID-19 catastrophe is a calculated strategic diversion and risk. In the Indo-Pacific, tensions between China and the U.S., Australia, India and others are building momentum. As a geopolitical partnership, the relevance of the Quad is now proven. There are clear ways to empower it immediately, and make it a resilient grouping.

45874457001_77239716a2_c Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
11 June 2020

A critical logistics agreement with Canberra

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At the 4 June, India-Australia, virtual summit, one of the most critical, among several agreements signed, was the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA). India has logistics support agreements with many countries. How is the MLSA with Australia any different? Given the geo-strategic maritime competition with China, this agreement is uniquely significant and could be especially beneficial for the Indian Navy.

shutterstock_301382870 Courtesy: Shutterstock
26 December 2019

Building an India-owned merchant fleet

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India needs its own merchant fleet to run parallel with its increasingly strong navy. The geopolitical and geoeconomic compulsions have never been greater. India’s growing imports and exports of crude oil, LPG, and coal are all carried on foreign-owned shipping vessels, depriving the country of revenue and creating a geopolitical imbalance with an increasingly strong Indian navy that is set to play a significant role in the Indo-Pacific

35066868036_ec7ea613c1_c Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
5 December 2019

India and France converge in Indo-Pacific

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India and France have converging interests in the Indo-Pacific – diplomatic, strategic and economic. The 4th Indo-French Maritime Security Dialogue held in New Delhi in December 2019 was an example of major bilateral cooperation. By working together, the two countries became the model for fostering a rules-based, free, open and inclusive region.

shutterstock_1457421710 (1) Courtesy: Shutterstock
26 September 2019

Quad in the Indo-Pacific

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The foreign ministers of the Quad countries meet for the first time in New York today even as the Indo-Pacific has turned into a keenly contested geopolitical arena. Some countries are offering to play a mediatory role while other triangular equations are also undergoing change. An analysis of some of the relationships at work here

b52-bomber-over-ocean-600x400 Courtesy: Competitive India
29 November 2018

Maritime security: a decade after 26/11

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Ten years after the 26/11 terror attack, India’s maritime security is much stronger, with better inter-agency coordination and improved security structure. The Indian Navy was made responsible for maritime security overall, but no fool-proof and unambiguous command and control structure exists as yet.