Indian Strategic Studies

28 June 2015

The Worst Is Yet to Come: Greece and Europe's Economic Woes Aren't Over

Milton Ezrati

June 27, 2015

Greece could be on the brink of defaulting. What comes next?

Right now it looks as though Greece will default. Even if it does, Athens could still cut a deal later. Either way, it will remain unclear for a while whether the country stays in the common currency. In some respects, this situation is entirely manageable. That fact has fostered a dangerous complacency, for in other respects, this situation carries considerable risk for the eurozone, for European finance generally and for global finance.

As many media discussions have implied, the debt part of the financial equation is not especially threatening. Greece for one, is a small economy. Its gross domestic product (GDP) is barely 6.5 percent of Germany’s. For another, its outstanding debt amounts to barely 1 percent of Europe’s banking assets. Even if that debt were widely held, default would hardly threaten the continent’s financial stability. And since the debt is now largely held by governments and other official bodies, the financial system has an additional buffer against uncertainty. Meanwhile, the ECB’s bond-buying program should stem any fears that Greek default will force unsustainable borrowing costs on Italy, Spain and others in Europe’s troubled periphery.

Pentagon Says It Needs $270 Billion to Upgrade Nuclear Arsenal

Kris Osborn

Jun 25, 2015

The United States will need to spend as much as $18 billion per year for 15 years starting in 2021 to keep the nation's nuclear stockpile and the weapons and vehicles designed to deliver these weapons viable, Pentagon leaders told lawmakers.

"We've developed a plan to transition our aging system. Carrying out this plan will be an expensive proposition. It is projected to cost DoD an average of $18 billion a year from 2021 through 2035," Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work told members of the House Armed Services Committee at Thursday's hearing on nuclear deterrence.

"The only existential threat to our nation is a nuclear attack. Nuclear weapons remain the most important mission we have," he added.

Work explained that keeping the country's nuclear enterprise modernized is especially important in light of the advancements made by Russia and China.

America's Obamacare Nightmare Is Just Beginning

Robert E. Moffit

June 26, 2015

"A judicial victory doesn’t automatically translate into a political victory, let alone a policy success."

Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could continue to subsidize health-insurance coverage through Healthcare.gov, the federal exchanges. An ecstatic President Obama declared that Obamacare is“here to stay.”

No, it’s not.

A judicial victory doesn’t automatically translate into a political victory, let alone a policy success. Once they’ve quaffed their celebratory champagne, the president and White House staff will need to suit up and get ready to play some hard-nosed defense.

Here’s why. The driving force behind health reform has been the desire to control rising health-care costs. From 2008 onwards, President Obama promised that his reform agenda would reduce the annual cost for the typical American family by no less than $2,500. After a while, it became a rather tiresome talking point. But it was pure nonsense from the start.

America's 'Insane' Iran Approach

Michael Rubin

June 26, 2015

In March 2003, senior U.S. diplomats flew to Geneva to meet with Iran’s then UN ambassador (now foreign minister) Mohammad Javad Zarif. Their agenda was straight forward: Win Iran’s pledge not to interfere in Iraq. Zarif readily agreed. Two weeks later, Operation Iraqi Freedom began. Two thousand Iranian-trained militiamen flooded into Iraq and, over subsequent years, Iranian weaponry or proxies murdered hundreds of Americans. Zarif either lied outright or exaggerated his ability to make firm commitments to which all Iranians would adhere.

Nevertheless, on September 27, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that he had spoken on the phone with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, and suggested he could trust that the Iranian leadership. “Iran’s supreme leader has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons [and] President Rouhani has indicated that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons,” Obama said.

Germans don’t think America stands for freedom anymore

By Adam Taylor

June 25

To many, America is synonymous with freedom. The country dubbed itself the "land of the free" and, when trying to reclaim sliced and fried potatoes from the French, briefly attempted to rename "French fries" as "freedom fries."

Yet America's global reputation for personal freedom has taken a beating over the last couple of years. Data from Pew Global Research suggests a dramatic fall in the number of people around the world who say the U.S. government respects the freedom of its people.

The issue may be most stark in Germany. Back in 2013, a whopping 81 percent of Germans polled by Pew thought that the U.S. government respected personal freedom. Then, in 2014, it was 58 percent. Now, according to figures released by Pew this week, just 43 percent of Germans think the U.S. government respects the freedom of its citizens. Fifty-three percent think it doesn't.

In fixing policy on hostages, Obama makes a critical mistake

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S wide-ranging review of U.S. policy toward the taking of hostages abroad has resulted in some useful adjustments in government organization and procedure, and in one serious misstep.

Beyond a doubt, the recent spate of captive-taking, ransom demands and brutal murders in Syria and Yemen has devastated the families of victims and exposed confusion and indifference by U.S. government officials. A lengthy New Yorker article by Lawrence Wright described the families’ anguish, along with a private effort to assist hostages that was organized by David G. Bradley, the head of Atlantic Media. At the White House, Mr. Obama seemed to be caught up in the emotional despair of these families, saying he shared their grief not only as president but also as a father and husband would.

While China's AIIB Makes Headlines...BRICS Bank Moves Ahead

Ye Yu

June 25, 2015

While Beijing's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has won overwhelming support (to the surprise of many, including China itself), another bank headquartered in China seems to be flying under the world's radar.

Few people have heard of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB). This was the strong impression I got after visiting Washington, Sydney and Canberra over the last couple of months.

The NDB idea was proposed in 2011 by the Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, and it initially encountered the same cynicism as the AIIB. The five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) were not deterred, however, and finally converted intention into reality in 2014. Progress on the NDB inspired the AIIB initiative intellectually, and also provided some momentum for the AIIB's launch in 2013.

United Kingdom’s Greatest Military Challenge (And It’s Not Russian Bombers)

James Goldrick

June 25, 2015

Amidst increasing alliance concern that the United Kingdom is approaching the point at which ‘little Britain’ may, in military terms, be both perception and reality, the British government has embarked upon a new Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR). The auguries aren’t good for Defense, which has already had to find £500 million to satisfy the Treasury.

For the defense effort as a whole, the key problem is the need to replace the fourVanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. This program can’t be delayed without risking the continuous at-sea deterrent, the holy grail of the British deterrent, which has been sustained, albeit sometimes under great strain, for more than four decades. Both the Conservatives and Labour have committed to the successor force, while a number of studies have confirmed that the submarine-borne ballistic missile remains the most effective mechanism for maintaining a nuclear strike capability.

The TPA Victory: America's Place in the Pacific Century Secured?

Bates Gill,Tom Switzer

June 26, 2015

"Obama and his unlikely Republican allies can justly celebrate a victory, and not only for the pivot and economic opportunity."

SYDNEY--It was rare moment for bipartisanship in Washington and an even rarer coalition that made it happen. But in seeing through the passage of trade promotion authority (TPA), or “fast-track”, a White House-Congressional Republican alliance bucked intense opposition from organized labor and other advocacy groups, clearing the way to achieve significant new free-trade arrangements for the 21st century.

A neophyte watching Congressional votes over the past week could be excused for assuming President Obama was the leader of the Republican Party, working together to salvage a deal. An easy mistake to make considering a majority of his actual party on Capitol Hill—and with Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton equivocating at best—nearly torpedoed TPA, legislation that had been granted to every post-war president, but Richard Nixon.

Under Fire: NGOs Face Increasing Hostility

June 26, 2015

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/under-fire-ngos-face-increasing-hostility/

In recent decades the ubiquitous NGO has taken up the banner for charities and worthy causes. From the environment and human rights to health, education and animal welfare, nongovernment organizations have championed the dispossessed, winning legions of fans.

But in recent years pockets of NGO Land – as some call it – have lost their shine.

Too militant, too strident, and too sanctimonious are among common complaints leveled at NGOs – whether in Australia or in Southeast Asia and beyond — amid allegations of blatant lying and a victory at any cost mentality.

It was a point noted by academic and veteran correspondent Karl Wilson, from the Asian Centre for Journalism in The Philippines, who spent time working with a prominent human rights group.

The Escalating Cyber War Between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the Growing Hostility of these Two Countries

June 26, 2015

Author’s Note: Click on the headline below to see the excellent graphics accompanying this report.

Cyber warfare is an increasingly prominent aspect of the Iranian-Saudi hegemonic rivalry in the Middle East. Cyber attacks offer new revenge (e.g., 2012 attack on Saudi Aramco) and propaganda opportunities in this long running “cold war” type conflict.

Following Saudi airstrikes in Yemen during late March, the Iran-Saudi cyber conflict escalated. OSINT reveals a rapid exchange of website defacements and social media account hijackings between Saudi and Iranian hackers during mid-April. This period began when pro-Saudi hackers, unusually the aggressors,attacked Fars News Agency’s website on March 31. This incident appears to have spurred pro-Iranian hackers into action as detailed below.

The Yemen Cyber Army (YCA) emerged in mid-April. Unknown prior to its attack on Saudi newspaper Al-Hayat, the group has since been linked to a data breach at the Saudi Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The timing of YCA attacks, its communications footprint (Fars News “exclusives” and NewsQuickLeak.ir), and the tagline “Cutting Sword of Justice” used in the Saudi Aramco attack suggest, at a minimum, coordination with Iranian actors.

China Most Likely Behind OPM Data Hack, DNI Clapper

Damian Paletta

June 26, 2015

WASHINGTON—The top U.S. intelligence official signaled Thursday that Chinese hackers were behind the theft of millions of personnel records from the federal government, marking the administration’s most pointed assignment of blame since the breach was announced June 4.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, speaking at a Washington intelligence conference, said China was the “leading suspect” in the attacks, adding that given the difficulty of the intrusion, “You have to kind of salute the Chinese for what they did.”

Mr. Clapper’s pointed remarks come as U.S. officials are debating how and whether to retaliate against Chinese officials for the breach of records and background investigation data from the Office of Personnel Management. Officials are still studying how many people were affected, but they believe 18 million Social Security numbers could have been compromised.

President Barack Obama in April signed an executive order that would make it easier for the Treasury Department to impose sanctions against any person who conducts a cyberattack that represents a “significant threat” against the U.S. government or a U.S. firm.

How EU data protection law could interfere with targeted ads

James Davenport

While greater data protection in Europe seems inevitable, the eventual form it takes is still up for grabs.

The successor to the 20-year-old European data protection directive has inched closer to becoming law, having been approved by the Council of Ministers, which represents each of the 28 EU member states. This has led to howls of anguish from some parts of the computing industry, not just the usual suspects based in the US such as IBM and Amazon, but also European firms such as German software company SAP.

Data protection law governs who can gather and retain personal data, the circumstances under which it is allowed, and what they can do with it. The move to an increasingly digital economy makes this vital to get right: too little protection erodes trust and leaves businesses and individuals vulnerable, while overbearing rules make it difficult for organisations to work together. The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to encompass the technological changes since its predecessor was enacted, such as the rise of social media and cloud computing.

A Computer Glitch May Have Caused LOT Airlines Computers to Go Down, Not Hackers

June 25, 2015

Computer error a possible cause of Poland airline outage: prosecutors

Polish prosecutors are looking into whether the outage which grounded dozens of jets operated by Polish airline Lot at Warsaw’s main airport on Sunday may have been caused by a computer system error, a spokesman for the Warsaw prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

The prosecutor’s spokesman said computer error was one of the versions being examined.

The carrier has said the outage was caused by a cyber attack.

Asked about the possibility of computer error having been the cause, the carrier’s spokesman said on Wednesday: “The current state of our knowledge indicates that outside interference must have taken place.”

Around 1,400 passengers were stranded at Warsaw’s Chopin airport when the flight plan system went down for around five hours on Sunday. The airline said the problem did not affect flights in the air, and passenger safety was not compromised.

WEEKEND READING, JUNE 26-28 EDITION

Lauren Katzenberg

June 26, 2015

Every week, I scour the the Internet for the best articles, analysis, and multimedia on foreign policy and national security just for you, dear reader. You’re welcome.

Don’t blame China for the OPM security breach. “Fingers quickly pointed to China, and why not? The Chinese have pretty much had a freehand in American databases for the better part of a decade and the attacks fit their policy, their needs, their tactics and their tools. The only thing missing was a formal American accusation. But let me quickly add that I do not blame the Chinese. If we determine that China did this, we would be assigning responsibility, but blame is a different matter. I blame China when they penetrate American industry (an unfair nation state vs. private company fight) and rip off intellectual property for commercial gain (something we view as criminal).” — Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden on how Congress’ failure to pass cyber security laws that would have offered better protection is to blame for the recent OPM security breach, not China.

3 Ways China and Japan Could Go to War

Kyle Mizokami

June 27, 2015

"Wars start all the time, often unintentionally by parties that have far too much to lose."

China and Japan have gone to war three times since 1894. At the end of the Second World War, with Japan in ruins and under Allied control, it seemed unlikely the two countries would ever fight again.

War between the two countries seemed even more unlikely after the adoption of Japan’s pacifist constitution, which disavows war as an instrument of national policy. At the time, China was a poor, largely agrarian society barely capable of defending itself.

The rise of China over the last thirty years has dispelled the notion that the two powers will never fight again. China’s military, fueled by decades of double-digit budget increases, is now the region’s largest.

How Not to Write About Atomic War

DAVID AXE

The late Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers, one of the Cold War’s best military novels — a scifi adventure set in a frightening, fascistic near-future and exploring universal, unchanging truths about combat, leadership and soldiering.

Heinlein, who died in 1988, also wrote one of the Cold War’s worst novels — the execrable Farnham’s Freehold, which I picked up on a whim last week at Angel City, a quaint used-book store in Santa Monica.

It was $2.95 well spent, but only in a cautionary sense. Farnham’s Freehold, a sorta-satirical speculative adventure about surviving atomic World War III, is as silly, alienating and tone-deaf as Starship Troopers is weighty, engaging and timeless.

Spoilers follow. But trust me, you don’t need to read this book. Now, where to begin …

Farnham’s Freehold, first published in 1964, concerns former U.S. Navy Seabee-turned-middle-class survivalist Hugh Farnham, his petulant grown son Duke, hysterical alcoholic wife Grace, teenage daughter Karen and her friend Barbara plus Joe, the family’s … ugh, I can’t stand writing this … household servant.

It should go without saying that Farnham & friends are white. Joe is black. Sadly, this is very important to the book’s perplexing, uneven plot.

Should 'Killer Robots' Be Banned?

Paul Scharre, Michael Horowitz

June 26, 2015

Autonomous weapons could be a military game changer that many want banned. Before considering such a move, we need to refine the debate—and America must demonstrate leadership.

Autonomous weapons that select and engage targets on their own might sound far-fetched, but 90 countries and over 50 NGOs are taking their possible development seriously. For two years now, they have come together for sober discussions on autonomous weapons at the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), most recently in April 2015. Talks are progressing, but the glacial pace of international diplomacy is out of step with rapid advancements in autonomy and artificial intelligence.

(W)ARCHIVES: THE NAVAL LYCEUM AND THE FIRST “X” ARTICLE

Claude Berube

June 26, 2015

If we define an era of naval enlightenment as a rising tide of junior officers guided by more senior officers gathered together to think, speak, and write about their profession, then the United States Navy has undergone three distinct periods that meet this definition. The most recent such period covers the past decade, during which junior officers wrote in both traditional and online media, and self-organized through groups such as the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) to discuss current and future military challenges. Before that came a period at the end of the 19th century, when the U.S. Naval Institute and the Naval War College were founded. During this period a generation of naval officers such as Alfred Thayer Mahan, Stephen B. Luce, Williams Sims, and others joined with like-minded navalist politicians such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge to stress the importance of the Navy’s global role. However, the original age of naval enlightenment occurred in the 1830s, when officers like Matthew Perry charted the course with the founding the Naval Lyceum.

After all the chest thumping on Myanmar strikes, it's time to go back to the table

Ashok K Mehta

The lesson from the Manipur episode is that the 'keeping the lid on' strategy is not working and must be replaced with an outcome-oriented dialogue.

Following the cross-border raid in Myanmar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's recent flying visit to NayPyiDaw was to invoke the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding on border cooperation so that sanctuaries provided to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), the perpetrators of the June 4, 2015 ambush, are denied and mechanisms devised to coordinate border security better.

Here's a B-52 Stratofortress and all of its ammunition in one photo

ALEX LOCKIE

The standard loadout for this plane includes eight AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, four AGM-142 Raptor missiles, 51 500lb bombs, 30 1,000lb bombs, 20 AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCM), 12 joint stand-off weapons (JSOW), 12 joint direct-attack munitions (JDAM) and 16 wind-corrected munitions dispensers (WCMD), according to Airforce-technology.com.

In 1955, when the first Boeing B-52 Stratofortress became operational, nobody would have imagined that the plane would likely remain in service for nearly 100 years. Today, that's exactly what the US Air Force has in mind for this iconic aircraft.

Around 750 of the bombers were produced. Although the latest model of the plane came off the assembly line in 1962, the Air Force intends to keep flying these planes until 2040. The B-52 is a multi-purpose heavy lifter of the skies, that has carried drones, space shuttle components, cruise missiles, and even nuclear bombs.

Festival of Victory: What to expect at Modi government's month-long celebration of 1965 Indo-Pak war

Dhirendra K Jha

Critics see event as an attempt to appropriate memory of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri from the Congress.

If the Yoga Day extravaganza on Rajpath on June 21 gave a sense of the Narendra Modi government’s talent for the mass mobilisation of sentiment, it is going to put that expertise to use again soon for another spectacle – one that will be even more grand and will last for almost a month. The proposed golden jubilee commemoration of Indo-Pak war of 1965 at the end of August are aimed at extolling India’s victory over Pakistan and at appropriating the legacy of former Prime Minister Lal Bahdur Shastri from Congress.

27 June 2015

Why India is alone in the war against terrorism and Pakistan

By Col R Hariharan

25 Jun , 2015

There are three disturbing trends brought out in the latest Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 released by the US State Department on June 19, 2015 that affect India’s national interest. The first is the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) as world’s number one jihadi terror group and its impact on South Asia; the continuing doublespeak of the US on Pakistan’s state sponsored terrorism; and the existence of the overseas network of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and the financial support it enjoys.

The report states: “A number of these attacks were planned and launched from safe havens in Pakistan…”

India's Upgraded Attack Submarine Heads Into Final Trials

June 26, 2015

India’s INS Sindhukirti is set to reenter service after nearly a decade-long upgrade process.

The Indian Navy’s INS Sindhukirti is set to enter its final “full-power trials” from this Friday after a decade-long upgrade process. According to the Times of India, the attack submarine will formally return into service with the Indian Navy next month, offering a much-needed windfall to India’s limited submarine force. Sindhukirti is the seventh Sindhughosh-class (Indian name for the Russian Kilo-class) diesel-electric attack submarine in the Indian Navy, and was originally commissioned in 1990. The Sindhukirti entered its upgrade process in 2006.

In WikiLeaks, how Saudi Arabia wanted to match Iranian influence over India

June 24, 2015

Newly released documents in Arabic indicate how Iran's engagement with India and its Shia community was worrying Saudi Arabia.

The dump of diplomatic documents that these revelations are part of, allegedly from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), were released by WikiLeaks on Friday.

Saudi Arabia is worried about Iran’s growing influence in India and Tehran’s outreach to the Shia community in the country, according to diplomatic documents released by WikiLeaks last week. Secretariat General of the Muslim World League (Mecca), a controversial organisation with terror funding links, had requested Saudi Arabia to establish the organisation’s Salafi/Wahhabi centres in India, the documents show. And while Riyadh desired to improve relations with India, it was also cognisant of issues that may be sensitive to Pakistan.

Crass politicization of terrorism in India

By RSN Singh

26 Jun , 2015

Ever since India began to be subjected to unremitting terrorism from Pakistan, mostly in direct collusion with the authorities in that country, there have been unmistakable signs on part of certain vested interests in India to hang on to some straw of ‘Hindu’ or ‘saffron terror’. The jihadi terror emanating from Pakistan, disconcerted these political vested interests not for reasons for the security concerns of the people and the country as such, but vote bank considerations. They nurtured the outrageous notion that the externally orchestrated ‘jihadi terror’ was polarizing the country on communal lines, which could severely impact on their brand of ‘secular politics’. Therefore, they embarked on a programme to ‘balance terror’ even if it meant fabricating a phenomenon called ‘Hindu Terror’.

It is purely imaginary, just like as it was in the immediate aftermath of partition in Pakistan. It may be instructive to know that the Cabinet Secretary of Pakistan, Mohd Ali, when asked by a top Indian bureaucrat, BK Nehru, regarding the persistent use of abusive language against India and Hindus by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn (Muslim League’s mouthpiece), replied that though he knew that it was wrong, but such fabrications about an enemy was necessary for building Pakistan. When Nehru retorted by asking what would happen if India was also to conjure up the bogey of “Hinduism in danger”, Ali quickly announced that Hinduism was incapable of fanaticism.

The Folly of India's Hubris in Myanmar

By Vibhanshu Shekhar

June 26, 2015

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/the-folly-of-indias-hubris-in-myanmar/

The Indian army’s cross-border strike against insurgents over the border with Myanmar has received significant attention over the past few weeks. Lost amidst the debates about the rise of a potential new Indian ‘doctrine’ and endless details about the operation itself has been the effect that such incidents – as well as the posturing that results from them – can have on the relationship between New Delhi and Naypyidaw. Indeed, an assessment of the overall Indo-Myanmar relationship suggests the need for greater Indian humility, rather than hubris, in its relationship with its Southeast Asian neighbor.

By focusing too much on the operation itself, some have missed two valuable points. First, India-Myanmar ties have reached a strategic depth. This alignment is based on a new understanding of shifting inter-regional geopolitics and a shared sense of security challenges as a result of years of efforts from both India and Myanmar. While Naypyidaw is incrementally turning away from its most important partner – China – its engagement with India is a strategic gain for the latter and a positive gesture from its ASEAN neighbor. In a display of strategic quid pro quo, Indian assistance to Myanmar against the Kachin has reportedly won Myanmar’s support against the Naga insurgents.

India-Pakistan: China Comes Through For Islamic Terrorism

June 23, 2015: The Pakistani Army is being criticized for not capturing any of the major Islamic terrorist leaders during their yearlong campaign in North Waziristan. There are failures, like over a million refugees, driven out of the area to deny the Islamic terrorists the ability to hide among them and still waiting to go home. The U.S. comes right out and accuses Pakistan of ignoring Islamic terror groups that concentrate their attacks on India. The largest of these groups is Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) which is very popular among middle and upper class high school and college students. LeT was organized and long supported by the Pakistani military, mainly to organize and carry out terrorist attacks in India. This is widely known in Pakistan where few people will dare criticize the attacks inside India. Also spared in the offensive was Haqqani Network, which specializes in attacks inside Afghanistan.

The U.S. agrees that the offensive in northwest Pakistan (North Waziristan) has done serious damage to the Pakistani Taliban with over 2,700 Islamic terrorists killed and much equipment (including 253 tons of explosives and other bomb making components) eliminated. The U.S., and many others, also point out that the government has not yet cracked down on Islamic terrorist recruiting in the 13,000 religious schools and their 1.8 million students. In the tribal northwest most of the religious schools are sponsored or run by an Islamic terror groups. Many of the radical mosques and religious schools in non-tribal Pakistan are not associated with the Taliban or al Qaeda, but with local Islamic radical groups. About twenty percent of Pakistanis support Islamic radicalism and resist efforts to monitor or regulate religious schools. This provides Islamic terrorists with friends in the government and a political voice amidst all the mayhem Islamic terrorist violence creates.

Why Are India's Warships in Thailand and Cambodia?

By Prashanth Parameswaran

June 26, 2015

Indian vessels visited the two Southeast Asian nations this week as part of India’s ‘Act East’ policy.

This week, Indian warships visited Cambodia and Thailand as part of a two-month long operational deployment in surrounding waters in pursuit of India’s ‘Act East’ Policy.

According to a June 23 press release by the Indian embassy in Bangkok seen by The Diplomat, the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh entered the two Southeast Asian countries as part of a broader operational deployment to Southeast Asia and the Southern Indian Ocean. The ships had been on a 45-day deployment, which included port calls to Jakarta (Indonesia), Fremantle (Australia), and Singapore, where they participated in the bilateral exercise SIMBEX-15 with the Royal Singapore Navy.

Constitutional Reform Fails in Myanmar Ahead of Polls

By Prashanth Parameswaran

June 26, 2015

On Thursday, a move to amend Myanmar’s constitution largely failed in the country’s parliament, confirming that the military’s effective veto will remain and that opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi cannot become president heading into elections scheduled for later this year.

Constitutional reform has been a buzzword of sorts in Myanmar as the country prepares for polls following a historic opening in 2011 after a half a century of military rule. But hopes have dimmed in recent months, with Suu Kyi telling The Washington Post in an interview earlier this month that “the government is totally opposed to constitutional amendment.”

After three days of parliamentary debate, two key amendments failed to be adopted because they fell short of the voted required. The first was one to trim the share of votes needed to amend the constitution from 75 percent to 70 percent, which would have ended the effective veto that unelected members of the military have by holding a quarter of the seats.

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