Articles by Gautam Navlakha

With the National Democratic Alliance government pushing the entry of private corporations into the military sector, there are anumber of ongoing tie-ups between Indian corporate oligarchs and foreign original equipment manufacturers. The former are saddled with huge debts and have a sullied record, while the latter are reluctant to part with their proprietary technologies. Concurrently, the public defence sector is being hollowed out and is shedding jobs. How do these developments advance India’s strategic interests?

The Maoists have come under relentless attack and have suffered a setback in their main stronghold, the Bastar division in southern Chhattisgarh, but, contrary to official claims, they are far from being wiped out over there. Fifty years after the Naxalbari uprising, the resilience displayed by the Maoists provides continued political relevance to the “spark” that lit Naxalbari in May 1967. But there is a long road uphill and ahead.

The approach towards Kashmir is based on the assessment that this phase of the azaadi movement will tire itself out. Instead, it is more likely that it will eventually result in the re-emergence of armed militancy. It is never too late to do the right thing and once the Indian state removes restrictions on civil liberties, it can reach out to the azaadi leadership for unconditional talks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have sought to convey the message that they have strengthened national security by taking a realist strategic position and introducing a policy of defence production indigenisation through the "Make in India" initiative. This article takes a close look at these claims and finds that behind the bluster lies strategic confusion and ill-thought-out decisions.

Yet another Prime Minister has tried to "solve" the Kashmir problem by throwing money at it. Security experts, in parallel, have started talking about the infl uence of the Islamic State in radicalising Kashmir's youth. What this indicates is that the Indian establishment is unwilling to learn from its own past mistakes and remains trapped in the hubris of its own propaganda.