COMMENTARIES
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East Asia Compass
Why was Kim Jong-un in Russia?
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 09 Oct, 2023 · #5861 · Commentary · Column
It was a bit surprising that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s first foreign visit after the pandemic was to Russia, on 10 September 2023. His visit may be considered symbolic of his prioritisation, with Russia appearing to be more important...
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Red Affairs
The Permanence of Chaos in Kashmir
Bibhu Prasad Routray · 30 Sep, 2023 · #5860 · Commentary · Column
Official claims about the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), especially since the August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, portray a vastly improved scenario. The Minister of State for Home Affairs...
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The Strategist
Political-Military-Mercenary Triangulation: A Look at the Wagner Group
Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar · 21 Sep, 2023 · #5859 · Commentary · Column
Armed interventions often demand the deployment of light forces over a short duration. Mercenaries have been used in such circumstances. If the state-employed mercenaries fail to achieve the desired end, the event is denied. The Russian Wagner Gro...
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East Asia Compass
US, Japan, and South Korea at Camp David: The Implications of Trilateral Summitry
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 18 Aug, 2023 · #5858 · Commentary · Column
The trilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden,
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol,
at Camp David on 18 August 2023, is being considered “historic.” It is the first standalone summit betwee...
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East Asia Compass
A Review of India-South Korea Diplomatic Relations on their 50th Anniversary
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 20 Jul, 2023 · #5857 · Commentary · Column
India and
South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1973, and are celebrating the 50th anniversary this year. It took a long time for official
relations to be established as India wanted to do so simultaneously, with
South and North Korea...
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On Balance: Offensive and Defensive Missile Capabilities on the Korean Peninsula
Viraj Lohia · 14 Jul, 2023 · #5856 · Commentary
On
31 May 2023, North Korea launched
Pyongyang’s first spy satellite. The launch failed when the rocket crashed into
the Yellow Sea, after veering towards South Korea. Seoul called the exercise a
“grave provocation.” Washington and Tokyo...
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The Strategist
The Shanghai Communiqué and China’s Road to a Not-So-Harmonious Rise
Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar · 13 Jul, 2023 · #5855 · Commentary · Column
With the landmark 1972 US-China Shanghai Communiqué, the world expected China
to transform from a repressive communist state to a benign, capitalist one.
However, half-century later, we find a rich, expansionist, and militaristic Beijing
that ...
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Red Affairs
Breaking Down ‘Statelessness’ in Manipur
Bibhu Prasad Routray · 04 Jul, 2023 · #5854 · Commentary · Column
A dangerous and
unimaginable situation has gripped Manipur since May 2023, with armed mobs
defying security forces by trying to kill people, and setting fire to civilian
and commercial properties, religious institutions, and politicians’ resi...
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East Asia Compass
US-South Korea: Old Allies; New Commitments
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 22 Jun, 2023 · #5853 · Commentary · Column
South
Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made a six-day state visit to the US in April
2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of South Korea’s alliance with
the US. The Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries has been the
backbone of South K...
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Rohingya Repatriation: Caught between State Failure and Armed Resistance
Krishna Kumar Saha · 07 Jun, 2023 · #5852 · Commentary
Bangladesh and Myanmar have recently
initiated a repatriation programme
to return Rohingya refugees to their homeland—of whom over a million live in
overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. These initiatives have drawn support from
other countries i...
