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International Relations and Diplomacy
China’s New Central Military Commission
Jayadeva Ranade

China unveiled its new military leadership the day after the 20th Party Congress concluded on October 23. The composition of the new Central Military Commission (CMC), each of whose members is a hand-picked loyalist of Chinese President Xi...

January 20, 2023 Download
Tags: CMC, Eastern Theatre Command, Military Commission, PLA, Xi Jinping, China, International Relations and Diplomacy
Revitalization of INSTC and Prospects of the Greater Eurasian Connectivity
Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

The geostrategic significance of Central Asia is very much important from India’s foreign policy and domestic policy points of view. Central Asia shares a border with China in the East, Caspian in the West, Russia in the North, and Iran and...

December 30, 2022 Download
Tags: Central Asia, Central Asia, Chabahar Port, China, INSTC, Iran, North-South Transport Corridor, Russia, International Relations and Diplomacy
China's Cyber Espionage Operations
Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… India is on the hit list of some very sophisticated cybercriminal groups of attackers … Indian businesses need to take note as Singapore is becoming a significant hotspot for cyberattacks … China’s cyber espionage against Indian security...

July 28, 2022 Download
Tags: BARC, Chinas cyberespionage resources, China’s cyber espionage policy, DRDO, ISRO, targets of China’s cyberespionage, technologies of cyberespionage, threats of cyber espionage, China, International Relations and Diplomacy
The China-Solomon Islands Bilateral Security Pact
Amruta Karambelkar

In April 2022, China and the Solomon Islands signed a bilateral defence pact. The signing of this deal has caused great distress within Australia and the US, drawing sharp reactions from both the countries. The news of possible pact of this kind...

June 2, 2022 Download
Tags: AUKUS, Australia, Bilateral defence pact, Domestic politics, Regional Reactions, Solomon Islands, China, Indo-Pacific, International Relations and Diplomacy
Decoding Russia's 'Missing' Cyberwar Amid War in Ukraine
Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… impact of cyber operations is missing ... Russian cyber operations lean towards low-cost disruption efforts that rely on cyber patriots and criminal hackers than their ability to carry out sophisticated degradation campaigns. Cyber is an...

May 17, 2022 Download
Tags: controlled cyber attacks, cyber instigations and apprehensions, Russia-West cyber equation, Russia’s cyber operations, the East-West Hacking game, US-Russia-Ukraine cyber contest, Cyber Security, International Relations and Diplomacy
Turkey’s Role as a Regional Actor in Central Asia: An Assessment
Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

Central Asia’s geostrategic location at the crossroads of East and West has shaped substantial geopolitical rivalries in the region. Even though the region is within Russia’s sphere of influence, China has made significant advances in Central...

March 29, 2022 Download
Tags: Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Drones, energy, Gas pipeline, Georgia, Karabakh War, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Trans -Caspian, Turkey, Turkic States, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, International Relations and Diplomacy
India-Central Asia: Defence and Security Cooperation
Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

Central Asia has emerged as an important geopolitical space after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its geostrategic location at the crossroads of East and West, South, Central, and West Asia has often resulted in the spread of...

February 28, 2022 Download
Tags: Afghanistan, Central Asia, Defence Expo, Defence production, Delhi declaration, India-Central Asia Dialogue, India-Central Asia Summit, Kazakhstan, Kazind, Khanjar, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Taliban, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, International Relations and Diplomacy
Space 2.0: Prospects for Quad Collaboration
Avantika Menon

It has been 64 years since the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1 that officially marked the dawn of humanity’s ever-growing fascination with exploring the vast reaches of outer space. From launching manned missions,...

January 18, 2022 Download
Tags: Counter-space Weapons, Counterspace, Cyber attacks, Norms in Space, QUAD, Quad Collaboration, Space 2.0, Space Solar Power Stations, Weaponization in Space, International Relations and Diplomacy
Resilient Rare-Earth Supply Chains: Whither Quad?
Avantika Menon

The ubiquitous iPhone is perhaps the most commonly cited example used to showcase the globalized nature of supply chains. Starting from its design process in California, US, the complex supply chain for its production and assembly spans 43...

November 11, 2021 Download
Tags: Earth Elements, Global supply chains, QUAD, Quad Collaboration, Rare Earth, International Relations and Diplomacy
Understanding Israel as Jewish Democratic State
Hirak Jyoti Das, Senior Research Associate, VIF

Israel since its formation in 1948 continues to remain as one of the few democratic states in West Asian region. The state of Israel officially calls itself as a Jewish democratic state. The research seeks to explore the stated dual objectives i....

September 4, 2021 Download
Tags: Aliya, Arab-Israel Wars, Balfour Declaration, Ethnic Democracy, Israel, Jewish Democratic State, Knesset, Palestine, Zionism, International Relations and Diplomacy
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