COMMENTARIES
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Red Faces The Redder: Operation Lalgarh
Uddipan Mukherjee · 24 Jun, 2009 · #2894 · Commentary
Abjuring sophistry,Plato in his book “The Republic” says that if the form of government contradicts the character of men making the State, then it is bound to be a failure. It would be tautological to say that West Bengal is witnessi...
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The US and the CTBT
Priyanka Subramaniam · 15 Jun, 2009 · #2893 · Commentary
In 1996, when President Clinton signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), he called it the "longest sought, hardest fought prize in the history of arms control.” While Clinton introduced the CTBT in the Senate for ratification, t...
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From ‘No First Use’ to ‘No Nuclear Use’
Firdaus Ahmed · 12 Jun, 2009 · #2892 · Commentary
‘Resolve’ is cardinal to ensure nuclear deterrence. If the ‘will’ to use nuclear weapons is seen to be lacking, this would impact adversely on deterrence. The Draft Nuclear Doctrine encapsulated this principle thus, “...
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Indus Waters Treaty-II: For Better Indus Waters Governance
D Suba Chandran · 10 Jun, 2009 · #2891 · Commentary
The recent annual meeting between the Indus Waters Commissioners of India and Pakistan ended with same complaints from Islamabad and the almost regular defence from New Delhi. Though Baglihar and Kishenganga appear to be the main reason for the co...
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Pakistan Army’s Complex Counter-Militancy Strategy
Rahul Bhonsle · 10 Jun, 2009 · #2890 · Commentary
The Pakistan Army’s counter-militancy strategy has remained largely an enigma. In the past, the Army has been reluctant to engage in classic counterinsurgency operations despite the spread of rebellion across vast tracts of territory in the ...
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India-ASEAN FTA and India’s Northeast
Tuli Sinha · 09 Jun, 2009 · #2889 · Commentary
“Regional trade agreements have become in recent years a very prominent feature of multilateral trading system.” Taking into consideration this recent observation by the World Trade Organization (WTO), then Indian Commerce Minister K...
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Indo-Pak Water Disputes: Incremental Progress
Pia Malhotra · 05 Jun, 2009 · #2888 · Commentary
India and Pakistan recently concluded the annual talks at the Permanent Commission of Indus Water (1-4 June), the first such meeting between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks. The sharing of river waters has emerged in recent mo...
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North Korea: Will Southeast Asia come aboard the US bandwagon?
Harnit Kaur Kang · 05 Jun, 2009 · #2887 · Commentary
On 25 May 2009, North Korea conducted nuclear tests and fired short-range missiles, and followed up by an accumulation of artillery guns on its western maritime borders. This was disapproved by many countries including Russia, the United States, S...
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Why the 2009 NPT PrepCom was Not a Failure
Yogesh Joshi · 05 Jun, 2009 · #2886 · Commentary
For two weeks in the month of May, delegates from 122 countries, signatories of the Non-Proliferation Treaty discussed the procedural agenda and substantive recommendations for the 2010 NPT Review Conference (RevCon). Chaired by Ambassador Bonifac...
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Nuclear Trajectory in South Asia
Ali Ahmed · 04 Jun, 2009 · #2885 · Commentary
David Sanger has routinely raised concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear program. In his latest article in the New York Times, he talks of Adm. Mullen’s confirmation to a Congressional committee of the expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear ...