‘Chinese checkers’: Preparing for the summer onslaught

There has been a flurry of visits to the LAC by members of the top military hierarchy, including Ladakh and Arunachal. Such forays amidst the ongoing border crisis, besides raising the morale of troops on the ground, enable review of preparedness. The latter assumes greater relevance as there is considerable apprehension about the possible Chinese […]

Standoff in Ladakh: Defining reality check

One year after the Ladakh stand-off, it is axiomatic to take stock, analyse shortcomings and options to chart the way forward. Unfortunately, major focus is skewed in favour of Galwan and Kailash, bordering largely on self-adulation. There is concurrent need to learn appropriate lessons and apply correctives. It will be fair to admit that the […]

Questions on Quad: Sea foam or Indo-Pacific Nato?

The 2004 tsunami, propelled the US, Japan, Australia and India, to form an informal Quad for humanitarian and disaster relief. The group had more than a decade-long hiatus and Quad 2. 0 came into being in 2017. In the heady aftermath of the launching of BRI in 2018, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi dubbed it […]