http://indiatogether.org/what-nuclear-weapons-have-done-to-us-op-ed

What nuclear weapons have done to us?

Ordinarily the title would be ‘What nuclear weapons have done for us?’ Nuclear enthusiasts would have us believe that we are more secure now than we were twenty years ago, when in May 1998 India broke out of the nuclear closet, forcing Pakistan’s hand too by month end.

The nuclear optimists would point out that there has been no war since. Even Kargil war was not quite a war. Operation Parakram that soon followed remained short of being called a war. Mumbai 26/11 was not followed up with a war. Deterrence has worked, and that is what nuclear weapons are for.

That nuclear deterrence has worked is Pakistan’s side of the story. Though aggressors in Kargil, they escaped lightly by only been thrown back. They warded off Operation Parakram and deterred war after 26/11.

India would loathe to accept that it has been deterred. It would point to Kargil being vacated without the need to go to war. Operation Parakram was but coercive diplomacy. After 26/11, war would have hurt our economic interests which were already under threat from global depression setting in by then.  

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/what-nuclear-weapons-have-done-to-us-op-ed

India has been voluble, since it needs to convince Pakistan that it is not deterred by Pakistan introducing tactical nuclear weapons into the subcontinent. A rather elaborate seminar at the army’s think tank Center for Land Warfare Studies was held in February at which operations in a nuclear environment were discussed in all domains – land, air, sea. The first session was devoted to what Pakistan hopes to do with its tactical nuclear weapons.

Presumably the rest of the seminar was on pressing on with the war, after Pakistan’s nuclear first use and India’s nuclear retaliation. Since the nuclear dimension was not slated for discussion, it is uncertain if the nuclear response by India was as promised – ‘massive’. Instead, if military operations were to continue after introduction of nuclear weapons into the conflict, it would suggest a nuclear strategy in which India will respond proportionately to Pakistan’s nuclear use.

What this suggests is that war continues to be a possibility, twenty years since overt nuclearization. 

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/what-nuclear-weapons-have-done-to-us-op-ed

In short, nuclear weapons appear to have made little difference in resolving the outstanding problems. War could well have broken out, but for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. India’s nuclear weapons were unusable in their intended manner of use – ‘massive’ retaliation. However, India seems to have thought up ways to increase their utility.

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/what-nuclear-weapons-have-done-to-us-op-ed

A word about the China front is necessary since India cited the China threat as a cause for the Pokhran II tests. Twenty years of developments in missiles and nuclear submarines have not yet led to a reassuring second-strike capability, leaving India relatively vulnerable all through these years. Even so, India has stared down China twice over, at Chumar and lately at Doklam. In other words, India could be tough without nuclear weapons. Both India and China swear by No First Use – and India with good reason. It appears then that the China threat merely served as a cover for India to go nuclear for other reasons.

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/what-nuclear-weapons-have-done-to-us-op-ed

In short, there is not much that nuclear weapons’ possession has done for India. But there is much that they have done to India. The need for their management has led to an accumulation of power at a power node - the National Security Adviser - that has no mention in the Constitution and has grave implications for a democratic system based on ministerial responsibility and cabinet accountability to parliament.

The power over the weapons is vested largely with the national security adviser (NSA), an individual who is appointed by an executive fiat. As seen from our meandering national security policy under the incumbent NSA – whether it be in relation to Pakistan, China, Kashmir or terrorism – individuals matter. National security management over the past four years has been ideologically driven. This does not lend confidence that nuclear weapon use will be informed by sound strategic thinking

It is no secret that India’s higher level defence structure is dysfunctional. NSA’s foray four years too late into some correction, through setting up of a defence planning committee, is chimerical since it is merely a measure to substitute for the chief of defence staff, a key figure missing in India’s system. As India appears to be moving towards nuclear warfighting, it needs a military man at the coordinating hub, not an NSA, and certainly not the current one with tactical brilliance but known deficit in strategic good sense.

In any case it is not only the Indian system that India needs worrying about. It stands to suffer as much from the pathologies of the system in Pakistan, which Indian strategists never fail to point out is rather vulnerable to threats ranging from jihadists to praetorian. 

The twentieth anniversary is a good time to look at the usefulness of the nuclear weapons. They have not enhanced Indian security and instead the ongoing shift to making them more relevant to security by increasing their usability makes for an increase in Indian insecurity.

This brings to fore the more significant aspect of what nuclear weapons have done to us. They have been so normalized that any anti-nuclear movement is left to activists and to local opposition to nuclear plants. Indians have abdicated control over their own security and, indeed, destiny.

http://indiatogether.org/dissension-in-the-top-brass-op-ed

Dissension in the top brass?

An opinion piece in The Tribune referring to the subtext of the statements of two army commanders speaking at a seminar late last month at Punjab University, Chandigarh, calls for the army chief Bipin Rawat to listen to those statements and pull himself back from going down a political route and taking the army down the same route with him.

At the Chandigarh seminar, the head of the army’s western command said that the idea of a two-front war is not ‘smart’. The army chief had dwelt on the concept of ‘two and half front war’ with the Doklam crisis as context mid last year. The second general, its training command head, called for activation of a political track with Pakistan. He seemed to suggest that even though the Line of Control (LoC) has been activated for some three years now, there is nothing to show for the political utility of the military operations there.

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/dissension-in-the-top-brass-op-ed

 His latest remarks in the context of elections in three north eastern states drew attention to the threat of illegal immigration. While it cannot be said that BJP’s good showing in the elections was a result of those remarks but the timing unfortunately rules in the possibility that they were designed to be helpful. The timing has a precedence. In the run up to the Karnataka elections, the Chief went down to Coorg and pitched for the Bharat Ratna for a son-of-the-soil, Field Marshal Cariappa. His comments were criticised  by the commentariat and assorted politicians.

Over his tenure, the army chief has through his public remarks been rather useful for the ruling dispensation. Not only is the army chief voluble, but his utterances are political. This explains the latitude he has been given to discourse on aspects that are much outside the army’s domain.

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/dissension-in-the-top-brass-op-ed

The two army commanders were speaking at a seminar on Pakistan. Drawing analogy from Pakistan’s case, the training command head had this to say, “This (Pakistani praetorianism) is in stark contrast to India where the armed forces owe allegiance to the Constitution, and not to any party, person or religion (italics added).”

This follows the joint doctrine (p.2) of the armed forces that reiterated the national interest as being: ‘To preserve the democratic, secular and federal character of the Indian Republic.’ This is a corollary to the national values encapsulated in the documents as: ‘sovereignty, socialism secularism, democracy, republican character, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, human dignity, unity and integrity of our Nation, respect for our diversity, peaceful co-existence, pluralism and tolerance and international peace defined by a just international order.’

The training command head said as much, likening Pakistan to a mirror on the wall, which India needs to look at so as not to “make the same mistakes, particularly in light of growing radicalisation and intolerance within our own society over mundane issues.”

An unseemly political proximity is visible between the army and the right wing. While traditionally only personages of national stature are allowed to speak at the military’s haloed training institutions, a captive military audience is now being treated to talks by cultural nationalists such as Zee News anchor, Sudhir  Chaudhary, at the staff college at Wellington and former major and current day Republic TV host Gaurav  Arya at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Former Chief VK Singh donned his true colours by taking up the RSS uniform.

The extent to which the strategic path adopted by the army is sustainable in strategic terms has been questioned, not just by the General heading perhaps the most consequential command in case of conventional war, but also by a retired General who served as military adviser in the national security council system of  the previous administration.

FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE http://indiatogether.org/dissension-in-the-top-brass-op-ed

The army chief in the context of nothing specific had at a conference this winter called for keeping the army out of politics. It is unlikely the advice was for himself. Army’s discipline and sense of obedience cannot be an excuse to ignore the change in its public profile brought about by a Chief, deliberately given rather a loose rope by a self-interested government.

The two army commanders need to pay heed to the subtext of their own remarks and, at the closed door conference of army commanders, discuss the new phenomenon of the army flirting with politics. Hopefully a Chief suitably cautioned by his peers would then steer a strictly neutral course, particularly as national elections are on the horizon.

https://cinnamonteal.in/?s=ali+ahmed

My other books - making a total of a million words on our times.

Download from dropbox from my other blog - www.ali-writings.blogspot.in 

INDIA: A STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVE

The book is a confluence of the writings of Ali Ahmed and Firdaus Ahmed, Firdaus being Ali Ahmed’s pen name. The writings have been consistent in their furthering the liberal political pers...

FROM WITHIN: REFLECTIONS ON INDIA’S ARMY

The book comprises unpublished writings of Ali Ahmed from his time in uniform. The author served in the Indian army for two decades. His reflections in the period that did not make it into print ...

ON INDIA’S MILITARY: WRITINGS FROM WITHIN

The book comprises the published writings in service journals of Ali Ahmed while serving in the army. They cover the two decades on either side of the turn of the century, thereby providing a win...

INDIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE LIBERAL LENS

Ali Ahmed continues his engagement with the themes of his previous two books, On War in South Asia and On Peace in South Asia (both CinnamonTeal 2014), specifically on issues related to IndiaR...

ON PEACE IN SOUTH ASIA

After doffing his military uniform, Ali Ahmed joined New Delhi’s vibrant strategic community as a researcher in a leading think tank, a doctoral scholar and later on the faculty of a centra...

ON WAR IN SOUTH ASIA

The book comprises Ali Ahmed’s writings on strategic affairs and military matters in the period 2008-14. It comprises commentaries on conventional warfare and nuclear deterrence. The work i...

https://cinnamonteal.in/books/india-strategic-alternative/
Genre: Political Science
Tags: Ali Ahmed, Ideology
Publisher: CinnamonTeal Publishing
Publication Year: 2017
Format: Paperback
Length: 282
ISBN: 9789386301833

http://indiatogether.org/are-india-s-nuclear-weapons-in-safe-hands-op-ed 

Are India’s nuclear weapons in safe hands?

20 December 2017 -

The war of words between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has done as much as the award of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to International Campaign for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, in bringing focus squarely on the nuclear dangers this year. Commentators have it that the standoff between Trump and Un brought our world closest to a nuclear exchange since the Cuban missile crisis.

This because the nuclear button in both cases is under the finger of an erratic strongman. Looking at the psychological makeup of the key nuclear decision makers in making sure that nuclear weapons/buttons are in safe hands is not illegitimate, and may possibly be the right place to look.

FOR FULL  ARTICLE SEE - http://indiatogether.org/are-india-s-nuclear-weapons-in-safe-hands-op-ed 

The situation in the current White House appears to be resembling the Nixon years. A recent book on Trump’s mental and psychological health, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, has led to questioning whether the nuclear ‘football’ – as the proverbial briefcase with the nuclear button is known - can be entrusted to him.

This apparently prompted the apex level commander, General Hyten, of United States Strategic Command, to let on that he will resist any ‘illegal’ orders for nuclear strike from his commander- in- chief President Trump. The general said that he would inform his supreme commander of the shortcoming in his orders and suggest rational, legal options. This is of course good to know, but that is to rely on the good sense of the American military.

After a decade and half of American wars on this continent, such a belief can only amount to naivety. Nevertheless, the upshot is that cracks in nuclear deterrence theory also appear at individual level, and most problematically so.  

How’s the case closer home

Indian nuclear strategists would be inclined to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a perfect ten, not because all of them have been closet cultural nationalists so far, but because they have been yelling hoarse all along that India lacks a strategic culture. This absence, to them, has led to Indians – read Hindus – being perceived as lacking aggression. This trope has been calling for more ‘resolve’ in Indian nuclear decision makers or exhibition of such resolve. Thus, the nuclear hawks were unhappy when the mild and professorial Dr. Manmohan Singh had the nuclear briefcase.

FOR FULL  ARTICLE SEE - http://indiatogether.org/are-india-s-nuclear-weapons-in-safe-hands-op-ed 

Since the arrival of Modi, the nuclear strategists have no doubt been happier, knowing that the political decision maker boasts a ‘56 inch’ chest. Modi’s image as a strongman has long been in the making. Early on, Muslim terrorists apparently out to get Modi, including in one case a girl barely out of her teens, were gunned down by Gujarat Policemen in staged encounters. Most recently, with his demonetization decision, Modi has demonstrated his decision making ability and ‘resolve’ to the satisfaction of nuclear strategists. To them, India has finally got a nuclear decision maker worth its nuclear doctrine.

To nuclear strategists Modi being advised by Ajit Doval, the Chanakyan grandmaster, makes deterrence stronger. Doval is the civilian master of a military outfit, the Strategic Forces Command, in his capacity as the head of the executive council of the Nuclear Command Authority. He spent some seven years as a spook in Pakistan. This might explain his obsession with Pakistan and account for India’s topsy-turvy policies for Pakistan. That the accountability of nuclear weapons decision making lies with the duo, only heightens fears rather than allay them.

Modi’s animus against India’s Muslims had been in full throttle as his pocket borough Gujarat appeared to be slipping out of his grip in the run-up to the recent elections. He had implausibly but typically made the connection, insinuating that Pakistan is out to meddle in India’s elections. Apparently, his predecessor, the mild and professorial Dr. Manmohan Singh was complicit in attempting to install a Muslim chief minister with Pakistani support. The anti-Muslim bias is reflected in Modi’s Kashmir policy, that has Operation All Out as its motif, and his hardline Pakistan policy. The Afghanistan policy – an offshoot of the Pakistan policy – is one of proxy war with Pakistan in that benighted country.

This combination of a resolute decision maker and an insane nuclear doctrine that has the Muslim state, Pakistan, at its crosshairs, implies that the imbecile phraseology – ‘massive’ retaliation - in India’s nuclear doctrine will resonate with Modi. While no less destructive options will be likely given by his chief security adviser, Doval.

To the nuclear strategists, this is how the nuclear doctrine is designed to work, and, therefore, their answer to the question asked as the title of this article would be in the affirmative. They purposely do not share with the nuclear decision maker and the public what will happen after such a strike. On execution of ‘massive’ retaliation, India will likely take similar levels of  strikes back, lasting the fallout but a few days longer.

Consequently, the pronounced personality traits that make nuclear strategists warm up to Modi are a handicap, particularly since Modi’s prejudices need factoring in.

Thus the short answer to the question in the title then is, ‘Not quite!’

Writings ‘Firdaus Ahmed’

Books

·        Think South Asia

·        Subcontinental Musings

·        South Asia: In it Together

o   (all published by CinnamonTeal)

Articles/Commentaries/Op-eds (indiatogether.org; Kashmir Times; countercurrents.org; thecitizen.in; milligazette.com; India Opines; Tehelka; ipcs.org)

Topics – National security, majoritarianism, minority security, Kashmir, India-Pakistan, peace and conflict strategy, internal security, national politics, counter insurgency, nuclear doctrine, Indian army, civil-military relations

Ser	Title	Published in	Date
1	When Ideology corrupts Strategy	Kashmir Times	10 Oct 17
2	The myth of a nuclear peace	http://indiatogether.org/the-myth-of-a-nuclear-peace-op-ed	20 Sep 17
3	Kashmir: From conflict management to a conflict resolution?	Kashmir Times	14 Aug 17
4	In defence of Hamid Ansari	Kashmir Times	16 Aug 17
5	Mapping India’s doctrinal movement	http://indiatogether.org/mapping-india-s-doctrinal-movement-op-ed	30 Jun 17
6	Reading the Army Chief's words	Kashmir Times	8 Jun 17
7	Kashmir's scenery makes its way to the 'hinterland'	Kashmir Times	9 May 17
8	The hovering nuclear clouds	http://indiatogether.org/the-hovering-nuclear-clouds-op-ed Kashmir Times	25 Apr 17
9	Terror: More serious than most know	Kashmir Times	11 Mar 17
10	COAS selection and the doctrine of ‘relative ease of working’ with	Kashmir Times	25 Dec 16
11	The Parrikar thesis	http://indiatogether.org/the-parrikar-thesis-op-ed	14 Dec 16
12	The Bhopal episode and the return of the hostage theory	The Milli Gazette Online Published Online: Nov 19, 2016 http://www.milligazette.com/news/15086-the-bhopal-episode-and-the-return-of-the-hostage-theory	19 Nov 16
13	The myth of ‘strategic restraint’	Kashmir Times	16 Oct 16
14	India-Pakistan: In a dialogue of sorts	Kashmir Times	23 Sep 16
15	A War at Hand	Kashmir Times	15 May 16
16	World War II redux in the nuclear age	http://indiatogether.org/world-war-ii-redux-in-the-nuclear-age-op-ed	8 May 16
17	Can India provide a new lens to the ISIS challenge in Syria?	http://indiatogether.org/can-india-provide-a-new-lens-to-the-isis-challenge-in-syria-op-ed	3 Mar 16
18	After left-liberals, Muslim are next	The Milli Gazette Online http://www.milligazette.com/news/13822-after-left-liberals-muslim-are-next	23 Feb 16
19	Gen Rao’s place in the history of Kashmir	Kashmir Times	5 Feb 16
20	Modi worsens India’s doctrinal muddle	http://indiatogether.org/modi-worsens-india-s-doctrinal-muddle-op-ed	16 Jan 16
21	Ram Madhav's Akhand Bharat and Modi’s Pakistan policy	http://www.milligazette.com/news/13543-ram-madhavs-akhand-bharat-and-modis-pakistan-policy	12 Jan 16
22	The conspiracy angle to the Pathankot episode	Kashmir Times	7 Jan 16
23	Fighting the ISIS: Why India should measure its steps	http://indiatogether.org/fighting-the-isis-op-ed	17 Dec 15
24	The Chennai floods and India’s strategic underside	http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed161215.htm	16 Dec 15
25	India-Pak bonhomie: Can it last?	Kashmir Times	15 Dec 15
26	The Paris attacks and India’s Muslims	milligazette.com	1-15 Dec 15
27	Is Mani Shankar Aiyar right?	Kashmir Times	19 Nov 15
28	Pakistani “idiocy”: A general gets it half right	http://indiatogether.org/a-general-gets-it-half-right-op-ed	16 Nov 15
29	Whither Modi, and, at one remove, India?	Vol. 16 No. 21 Issue Serial # 379 www.milligazette.com	1-15 Nov 15
30	The military musical chairs	http://indiatogether.org/military-musical-chairs-op-ed	23 Oct 15
31	Getting practical over an important report	Kashmir Times	15 Sep 15
32	Why Ramchandra Guha speaks too soon	http://www.milligazette.com/news/12973-partion-muslim-of-india-why-ramchandra-guha-speaks-too-soon	9 Sep 15
33	What is really driving India’s Pakistan strategy?	http://indiatogether.org/india-s-pakistan-strategy-op-ed	4 Sep 15
34	A Viewpoint: Home Minister Brings ‘Saffron Terror’ Back on the Agenda	http://www.thecitizen.in/NewsDetail.aspx?Id=4715&A/Viewpoint:/Home/Minister/Brings/%E2%80%98Saffron/Terror%E2%80%99//Back/on/the/Agenda	10 Aug 15
35	Look who’s doing yoga now!	http://indiatogether.org/government-military-relationship-op-ed	5 Aug 15
36	Kashmir: Not the moment for a tryst	kashmirtimes.com	1 Aug 15
37	India-Israel: Increasingly Birds of a Feather	http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed260715.htm	26 Jul 15
38	The seeds of India’s ‘tough guy’ image	http://indiatogether.org/seeds-of-india-s-tough-guy-image-op-ed	18 Jun 15
39	Kashmir and India’s Muslims	Kashmir Times	10 Jun 15
40	How deep does our prejudice run?	http://indiatogether.org/anti-muslim-prejudice-bias-in-society-and-military-op-ed	29 May 15
41	Contesting Mushrif's thesis — "Other side of Modi Muslims should know"	http://www.milligazette.com/news/12328-contesting-mushrif-s-other-side-of-modi-thesis-indian-Muslims	May 07, 2015
42	China policy: Will economics trump the military stance?	http://indiatogether.org/army-strategy-on-china-and-modi-visit-op-ed	27 Apr 15
43	Undoing injustice to Kashmiri Pandits	Kashmir Times	25 Apr 15
44	What will it mean to have India as a ‘security provider’?	http://indiatogether.org/indian-ocean-us-pakistan-new-strategic-doctrine-under-modi-op-ed	23 Mar 15
45	Kashmir: Fifty years since 1965 War	Kashmir Times	28 Feb 15
46	Deconstructing Mr. Modi’s speech	http://www.milligazette.com/news/11792-deconstructing-narendra-modis-speech-india	19 Feb 15
47	Strategy for the Modi era	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-28-february-2015	15 Feb 15
48	Challenges of the brass in a political minefield	http://indiatogether.org/army-brass-caught-in-political-minefield-under-bjp-government-op-ed	9 Feb 15
49	Looking Back a Quarter Century On	Kashmir Times	20 Jan 15
50	What the maritime 'non-incident' on New Year’s Eve tells us	http://indiatogether.org/india-pakistan-relations-and-security-strategy-in-the-light-of-terror-boat-incident-government	13 Jan 15
51	What is a moderate Indian Muslim to do? @Chetan_Bhagat	http://www.milligazette.com/news/11503-what-is-a-moderate-india-muslim-to-do-chetan_bhagat	29 Dec 14
52	Where veterans refuse to give up, what does the future hold?	http://indiatogether.org/influence-and-politics-of-veterans-in-the-indian-army-op-ed	19 Dec 14
53	The pebbles ahead in Mr. Modi’s comfortable ride	Milligazette	16-31 Dec 14
54	India-Pakistan with Kashmir in between	Kashmir Times	11 Dec 14
55	Mr. Modi, pebbles ahead!	http://indiaopines.com/narendra-modi-agenda/	8 Dec 14
56	Is the army court’s verdict on the Machhil killings enough?	http://indiatogether.org/recent-court-verdict-on-machhil-army-killings-afspa-and-military-justice-op-ed	17 Nov 14
57	Hooda Walks The Talk	Kashmir Times	10 Nov 14
58	Can PM Modi pull it off?	http://indiatogether.org/narendra-modi-government-security-defence-strategy-and-risks-government	31 Oct 14
59	Mr. Modi's next stunt	http://www.milligazette.com/news/11189-mr-modis-next-stunt-National-Unity-Day-Sardar-Patel	1-15 Nov 14
60	Politicisation of security and its consequences	Kashmir Times	15 Oct 14
61	Sunburn warning for India’s day in the sun	http://indiatogether.org/india-s-foreign-policy-under-modi-op-ed	21 Sep 14
62	What is Mr. Modi's Kashmir strategy?	Kashmir Times	9 Aug 14
63	Messiah Modi: What to make of him?	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/1-15-september-2014	1-15 Sep14
64	Indo-Pak talks: Getting past the eyewash	http://indiatogether.org/the-real-reason-behind-india-pakistan-talks-being-called-off-op-ed	21 Aug 14
65	The Fear That Does Not Speak Its Name	http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed200814.htm	20 Aug 14
66	Modi forges a commitment trap	Kashmir Times	20 Aug 14
67	Majoritarian terrorism: The resounding silence	Milligazette: p. 5	16-31 Aug 14
68	Normalisation of the terror narrative: The response	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/1-15-august-2014	1-15 Aug 14
69	The echo of Gaza closer home	Kashmir Times http://caravandaily.com/portal/echoes-of-gaza-closer-home/	1 Aug 14
70	What the PM did not say out loud at Badami Bagh	Kashmir Times	16 Jul 14
71	Will Modi relook at ‘massive’ retaliation in India’s nuclear doctrine?	http://indiatogether.org/modi-relook-at-massive-retaliation-in-nuclear-doctrine-op-ed	24 Jun 14
72	A Second Modi-Sharif Meet  Required to Kickstart Bilateral Talks	http://www.thecitizen.in/a-second-modi-sharif-meet-required-to-kickstart-bilateral-talks/	8 Jun 14
73	What Mr. Doval as NSA means for Indian national security	http://www.milligazette.com/news/10521-what-mr-ajit-doval-as-nsa-means-for-indian-national-security http://caravandaily.com/portal/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold/ Kashmir Times	1 Jun 14
74	Politicisation: In the context of the Indian military	http://www.thecitizen.in/politicisation-in-the-context-of-the-indian-military/	May 23, 2014
75	Life under Modi	Milligazette, Vol. 15 No.9 Issue Serial # 343	1-15 May 14
76	Strategising for the Modi Era	http://www.milligazette.com/news/10414-strategising-for-the-modi-era-indian-muslims	17 May 14
77	India's brass: What the controversy misses	Kashmir Times	9 May 14
78	Second Guessing Modi's Kashmir Policy	Kashmir Times	11 Apr 14
79	What will Modi do next?	http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed110414.htm http://indiaopines.com/modi-next/	11 Apr 14
80	Getting ‘practical’ on No-First-Use	http://indiatogether.org/practical-steps-for-a-nuclear-free-world-op-ed http://indiaopines.com/topics/blogs/	10 Apr 14
81	What Did Manmohan Singh Mean By ‘Disastrous’?	http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed170314.htm http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-28-february-2014	17 Mar 14
82	One gaffe too many	http://indiatogether.org/gaffes-in-india-s-nuclear-doctrine-op-ed	17 Mar 14
83	Pathribal: Back in the news	Kashmir Times	29 Jan 14
84	The next polls and beyond	Milligazette	1-15 Jan 14
85	The debate between the generals	Kashmir Times	13 Dec 13
86	Ideologues as 'strategists'	Kashmir Times	28 Nov 13
87	The relevance of Vanzara's letter	http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/nov/fah-resign.htm	19 Nov 13
88	Muslim absence from the strategic space	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-31-october-2013	18 Nov 13
89	The expansionist agenda An unacknowledged vested interest in a disturbed Kashmir	Kashmir Times	31 Oct 13
90	Soldiers, not servants	http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/oct/fah-soldiers.htm	19 Oct 13
91	Doing more with the military	Milligazette	1-15 Sep 13
92	The Military At The High Table?	http://www.tehelka.com/the-military-at-the-high-table/?singlepage=1	13 Oct 13
93	Modi And The Military: Not Quite An Innocent Beginning	http://www.ummid.com/news/2013/September/21.09.2013/modi-and-military.html countercurrents.org	21 Sep 13
94	Vanzara gets it right: The meaning for J&K	Kashmir Times	16 Sep 13
95	An ambush loaded with meaning	http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/aug/fah-ambush.htm	13 Aug 13
96	The LoC incident calls for self-regulation by the army	Kashmir Times	13 Aug 13
97	Elections 2014: The Worst Case Scenario	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-31-july-2013	16-31 Jul 13
98	Distancing from Cloak and Dagger	Kashmir Times	18 Jul 13
99	What if Modi makes it to Race Course road	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/1-15-july-2013	13 Jul 13
100	Implications of a NaMo foreign policy	Kashmir Times	11 Jun 13
101	Indo-AfPak: Chanakya To The Rescue?	http://tehelka.com/indo-afpak-chanakya-to-the-rescue/	25 May 13
102	Daulat Beg Oldi: More than a storm in a tea cup	Kashmir Times	13 May 13
103	Countering insurgency and sexual violence	Kashmir Times	8 May 13
104	Afzal Guru: The Man Who Knew Too Much	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/1-15-march-2013	1-15 Mar 13
105	India’s security under Modi	Kashmir Times http://www.countercurrents.org/ahmed140413.htm	11 Apr 13
106	A Good School For Maqbool	http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/feb/fah-schools.htm	11 Feb 13
107	The IB Chief: A matter of pride	Milligazette	16-31 Dec 12
108	The new 'normal' at the border	http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/jan/fah-newnormal.htm	23 Jan 13
109	The importance of being Asif Ibrahim	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/dec/fah-ibrahim.htm	18 Dec 12
110	Taking on Mr. Modi’s Chief Cheerleader: Chetan Bhagat	http://www.milligazette.com/news/4812-taking-on-gujarat-narendra-modis-chief-cheerleader-chetan-bhagat-india http://twocircles.net/2012dec03/narendra_modi%E2%80%99s_new_cheerleader_chetan_bhagat.html	1 Dec 12 3 Dec 12
111	The strange case of 2nd Lt. Kalia	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/nov/fah-kargil.htm	29 Nov 12
112	The unfolding gameplan of majoritarian extremists	http://www.milligazette.com/news/4126-the-unfolding-gameplan-of-majoritarian-extremists-india	1 Oct 12
113	More than just a visit	http://www.milligazette.com/news/4281-more-than-just-a-visit	27 Sep 12
114	Reaching beyond its brief	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/sep/fah-task.htm	10 Sep 12
115	A secure minority, for a secure nation	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/aug/fah-mussec.htm	20 Aug 12
116	Not So Easy, Mr. Modi	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-31-august-2012 http://twocircles.net/2012aug01/not_so_easy_mr_modi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail	31 July 12
117	Chetan Bhagat: Caught At It Again	http://www.milligazette.com/print/issue/16-31-july-2012	16-31 July 12, p. 10
118	The fog of jungle warfare	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/jul/fah-crpf.htm	7 Jul 12
119	Catching up with the SIT chief	http://www.milligazette.com/news/3701-catching-up-with-the-sit-chief	23 Jun 12
120	Service Strength: Expanding too fast?	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/may/fah-expand.htm	23 May 12
121	Civil-Military Relations: Uncivil war in South Block	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/apr/fah-civil.htm	5 Apr 12
122	Civil-Military Relations: An age-old lesson	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/feb/fah-dob2.htm	22  Feb 12
123	The 'Age' of misjudgment	http://www.indiatogether.org/2012/jan/fah-chief.htm	20 Jan 12
124	Defence Bureaucracy: To specialise or not?	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/dec/fah-special.htm	26 Dec 11
125	Rescuing Tribal India: The Nagaland Model	http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/rescuing-tribal-india-the-nagaland-model-3505.html	#3505, 5 Dec 11
126	AFSPA In J&K: Why Should It Go?	http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/afspa-in-jk-why-should-it-go-3483.html	#3483, 3 November 2011
127	Mr. Bhagat: Please get off our backs, will you!	http://www.milligazette.com/news/2349-mr-chetan-bhagat-please-get-off-our-indian-muslims-backs-will-you	25 Sep 2011
128	A Reply for Mr. Narendra Modi	http://www.milligazette.com/news/2347-an-open-reply-to-modi-s-open-letter-gujarat-narendra-modi-riots-indian-muslims	20 Sep 11
129	An open reply to Modi's open letter	milligazette.com	18 Sep 11
130	Blasting The Terror Narrative	milligazette.com	10 Sep 11
131	Terror Investigations  Shall we imprison everyone?	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/sep/fah-terror.htm	10 Sep 11
132	Dear General, Please Stay Out Of Politics	Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 36	10 Sep 2011
133	Interrogating Security Expansionism in India	http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/interrogating-security-expansionism-in-india-3441.html	#3441, 23 Aug 11
134	Nuclear Weapons: Whose command? Whose control?	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/aug/fah-control.htm	13 Aug 11
135	Indo-Pak Talks : Negotiate in good faith	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/jul/fah-negotiate.htm	19 Jul 11
136	Compellence, Deterrence Or Defence?: Saxena Task Force And India’s Defence Reforms	http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/compellence-deterrence-or-defence-saxena-task-force-and-indias-defence-3418.html	27 Jun 11
137	Defence reforms: The next phase	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/jun/fah-saxena.htm	24 Jun 11
138	Unity in militarism	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/may/fah-pai.htm	6 May 11
139	After Osama - Vii: Should New Delhi Engage Pakistan Or ‘Wait And Watch’?	ipcs.org	5 May 11
140	China in The Strategic Debate	indiatogether.org	27 Apr 11
141	The Gujarat Revelations	Milli Gazette	25 Apr 11
142	India-Pak: The long road still ahead	indiatogether.org	31 Mar 11
143	Getting A Peace Movement Going	http://www.eurasiareview.com/22032011-getting-a-peace-movement-going-analysis/	18 Mar 11
144	Revisiting Intelligence Reform	http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/revisiting-intelligence-reform-3338.html	4 Mar 11
145	Indo-Pak: What Holds India Up?	chowk.com	1 Mar 11
146	What if Pakistan implodes?	indiatogether.org	28 Feb 11
147	India-US: Manufacture of a partner	http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/jan/fah-partner.htm	31 Jan 11
148	Pakistan: Divining a Way	chowk.com	29 Jan 11
149	The Indian Army: Organizational Changes In The Offing	ipcs.org	25 Jan 11
150	The coming decade of nuclear risk	chowk.com	30 Dec 10
152	The Army's right to its opinion	www.indiatogether.org	29 Dec 10
153	Blast From The Past - The Varanasi Explosion	ipcs.org	10 Dec 10
154	The Debate In Obama’s Wake	ipcs.org	2 Dec 10
155	Strategic community: Muddling along	www.indiatogether.org	30 Nov 10
156	Book review  First Draft: Witness to the Making of Modern India	http://www.ipcs.org/books-review/india/first-draft-witness-to-the-making-of-modern-india-264.html	13 Oct 10
157	Book Review Madhusree Mukerjee, Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II	indiatogether.org http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/oct/fah-churchill.htm	28 Sep 10
158	AfPak: Beginning of the End?	ipcs.org	28 Sep 10
159	US-India-China: The tangled triangle	indiatogether.org	31 Aug 10
160	India’s Grand Strategy: On Track	ipcs.org	28 Aug 10
161	Indo-Pak Dialogue : Talk another day	indiatogether.org	Jul 10
162	Soldiers in our own images	indiatogether.org	June 2010
163	Tackling Naxalism	indiatogether.org	May 2010
164	AFSPA: Between battle lines	indiatogether.org	Apr 10
165	Defence Purchases  The government versus the military	indiatogether.org	March 2010
166	Surgical strikes: Missing the mark	indiatogether.org	January 2010
167	Indian Army: Much hullaballoo, little cause	indiatogether.org	December 2009
168	New Focus On Kashmir  Our view, their view, the world-view	indiatogether.org	Nov 09
169	Anti-Naxal Operations  A Job For An Infantryman	indiatogether.org	October 2009
170	Arsenals  The nuclear numbers game	indiatogether.org	September 2009
171	Pre-Empting War  Wanted: A peace movement	indiatogether.org	August 2009
172	10 Years Later  Making Kargil serve a purpose	indiatogether.org	July 2009
173	Military Strategy  Looking at China, missing Pakistan	indiatogether.org	June 2009
174	Security Agenda  Inward lens for incoming government	indiatogether.org	May 2009
175	Endless Strife  Awakening the somnolent state	indiatogether.org	April 2009
176	The coming fateful decisions	indiatogether.org	March 2009
177	2009: A preview of security issues	indiatogether.org	January 2009
178	After The Attacks  An indirect response to terror	indiatogether.org	December 2008
179	Indian Army: How deep is the rot?	indiatogether.org	November 2008
180	Military cooperation with the US: A mixed bag	indiatogether.org	October 2008
181	In Muslim India, an internal battle	indiatogether.org	September 2008
182	Mid-year chakravyuh	indiatogether.org	August 2008
183	The Security Establishment : Making nuclear sense	indiatogether.org	July 2008
184	Political History  Is Vox Populi good enough?	indiatogether.org	April 2008
185	Nuclear Weapons  Successful deterrence? Hardly.	indiatogether.org	February 2008
186	Bhutto Assasination  Internal security agenda for the new year	indiatogether.org	January 2008
187	Expansion in Indian nuclear theology	indiatogether.org	November 2007
188	The Nagaland model for Kashmir	indiatogether.org	September 2007
189	War In The Subcontinent  This summer, at a border near you	indiatogether.org	Mar 07
190	Indian Army: crisis within	indiatogether.org	January 2007
191	Pre-Emptive War  Lessons from recent wars	indiatogether.org	September 2006
192	Grand manoeuvre, yes, but to what end?	indiatogether.org	July 2006
193	Politicisation and the Indian military	indiatogether.org	April 2006
194	Secularism And The State  Muslim headcount: A useful controversy	indiatogether.org	March 2006
195	Demilitarisation  Security agenda: 2006 and beyond	indiatogether.org	December 2005
196	War Games  Of nukes and counter-nukes	indiatogether.org	October 2005
197	Book Review: Second Strike and false security  In Second Strike: Arguments about Nuclear War in South Asia.	indiatogether.org	Aug 05
198	Indo-Pak Peace  Political courage, and the next step	indiatogether.org	May 2005
199	War Games  An illusory battleground	indiatogether.org	March 2005
200	Hail to the new chief	indiatogether.org	Dec 04
201	Preparing for the wrong war	indiatogether.org	Oct 04
202	AFSPA - Special powers, mixed results	indiatogether.org	Sep 04
203	A new security agenda	indiatogether.org	Jun 04
204	The calculus of 'Cold start'	indiatogether.org	May 04
205	Chief of Defense : Implications	indiatogether.org	Jan 04
206	Pakistan: Not yet history	indiatogether.org	Dec 03
207	A national confidence syndrome	indiatogether.org	Nov 03
208	Missing the security target	indiatogether.org	Oct 03
209	Lies in the name of 'security'	indiatogether.org	Sep 03
210	Op Parakram: Must remain 'unfinished'	indiatogether.org	Aug 03
211	Op Sarp Vinash: Questions in search of answers	indiatogether.org	Jul 03
212	PM peace initiative: Much ado?	indiatogether.org	Jun 03
213	Lessons from Baghdad	indiatogether.org	May 03
214	Kashmir after Nadimarg	indiatogether.org	Apr 03
215	Limited nuclear war, limitless anxiety	indiatogether.org	Mar 03
216	Realism: A debt we can do without	indiatogether.org	Feb 03
217	Indo-Pak: Arms control and disarmament	indiatogether.org	Jan 03
218	Time for policy re-orientation	indiatogether.org	Dec 02
219	Kashmir - the way forward	indiatogether.org
220	The Indian bid for Great Powerdom	indiatogether.org	Sep 02
221	Muslim India - A liberal perspective	indiatogether.org	Aug 02
222	Jammu and Kashmir: Need for a Political Solution	ipcs.org	20 Jul 10
224	Countering the Naxal Threat-IV: Military as an Option?	ipcs.org	21 Jun 10
225	Revisiting ‘1971’	ipcs.org	21 May 10
226	The Bright Side of ‘Asymmetric Escalation’	ipcs.org	5 Apr 10
227	Questioning India’s military trajectory	ipcs.org	23 Feb 10
228	India at 60: Acquiring Escape Velocity?	ipcs.org	24 Jan 10
229	Making Obama's War Also India's	ipcs.org	5 Dec 09
230	An Issue in Civil-Military Relations	ipcs.org	4 Nov 09
231	Disarmament in South Asia	ipcs.org	11 Oct 09
232	Emulating the US	ipcs.org	12 Sep 09
233	The 'Vision Thing'	ipcs.org
234	Kargil: Ten Years On	ipcs.org	25 Jul 09
235	From ‘No First Use’ to ‘No Nuclear Use’	ipcs.org	12 Jun 09
236	Agenda for the Next Government	ipcs.org	23 May 09
237	Rethinking Civilian Control	ipcs.org	17 Apr 09
238	A Strategy for ‘Af-Pak’	ipcs.org	9 Mar 09
239	Not Quite an Empty Threat	ipcs.org	29 Jan 08
240	The Counter Narrative on Terror	ipcs.org	28 Dec 08
241	National Security Adviser: Reviewing the Institution	ipcs.org	5 Nov 08
242	A Roadmap for Kashmir	ipcs.org	14 Sep 08
243	Afghanistan: Appraising the Future	ipcs.org	27 Aug 08
244	The Lesson from Sam Bahadur's Triumph	ipcs.org	10 Jul 08
245	The Myth of 'Weapons of Peace'	ipcs.org	10 Jun 08
246	Getting it Right: Rereading India's Nuclear Doctrine	ipcs.org	16 May 08
247	Reconceptualizing Internal Security	ipcs.org	4 Apr 08
248	Musharraf and the 'TINA' Factor	ipcs.org	8 Mar 08
249	Understanding Minority-Perpetrated Terrorism	ipcs.org	14 Jan 08
250	For a Return to Lahore	ipcs.org	23 Dec 07
251	The Day After 'Cold Start'	ipcs.org	23 Nov 07
252	Haldighati II: Implications for Internal Security	ipcs.org	30 Oct 07
253	Tackling Intervention in South Asia	ipcs.org	23 Apr 07
254	Querying India's Grand Strategy	ipcs.org	26 Mar 07
255	Kargil: Back in the News	ipcs.org	4 Dec 06
256	Book Review: In the Line of Fire: Pakistan Army	ipcs.org	21 Nov 06
257	Pakistan's Possible Nuclear Game Plan	ipcs.org	28 Mar 05
258	Menu for the New Chief	ipcs.org	22 Dec 04
259	For a Paradigm Shift	ipcs.org	8 Oct 04
260	Addressing the 'Central' Issue	ipcs.org	16 Sep 04
261	'No' To 'Cold Start'	ipcs.org	1 Sep 04
262	The Price of Malgovernance	ipcs.org	15 Jan 04
263	The Price of Misgovernance	ipcs.org	31 Dec 03
264	The Police and the Example of the Armed Forces	ipcs.org	10 Nov 03
265	Missiles and Crisis Stability	ipcs.org	23 Oct 03
266	Widening the Discourse on Terror	ipcs.org	20 Sep 03
267	The Post-Parakram Peace Agenda	ipcs.org	22 Aug 03
268	Indian Peacekeeping in Iraq?	ipcs.org	16 Jun 03
269	The ‘Peace Initiative’: A Tactical Gambit	ipcs.org	8 May 03
270	The Sole ‘Lesson’ of the Iraq War	ipcs.org	1 May 03
271	Muslim India as ‘Threat’	ipcs.org	15 Apr 03
272	For a Return to Clausewitz	ipcs.org	15 Mar 03
273	Preparing for ‘Limited Nuclear War’	ipcs.org	7 Mar 03
274	Gen Musharraf: The General Did Not Bite!	ipcs.org	1 Jan 2003
275	Lessons from India’s Kashmir Engagement	ipcs.org	28 Dec 02
276	The Logic of Nuclear Redlines	ipcs.org	17 Sep 02
277	A Smoke Screen Called Limited War	ipcs.org	15 Aug 02
278	‘Terrorism’ and Intellectual Responsibility	ipcs.org
279	The Need to Revisit Conventional Doctrine	ipcs.org	11 Aug 02
280	Moving Beyond Realism	ipcs.org
281	Lessons from the Present Crisis	ipcs.org
282	The Impetus behind Limited War	ipcs.org
283	India’s Coin Policy: ‘Peace Preceding Talks’?	ipcs.org
284	Kashmir: Revectoring Indian Strategy	ipcs.org	5 Aug 02
285	Kashmir: No end in sight	ipcs.org
286	Book Review The Soldier And The Civilian     Operation Parakram: The War Unfinished	pcs.org
287	Pakistan Owes Much, But Not Suicide	Countercurrents.org	29 Oct 09
288	Call out the NIA	Countercurrents.org	17 Sep 09
289	Vignettes Of India's Security Culture	Countercurrents.org	4 Aug 09
290	Troubling Aspects Of The Bomb Blasts	Countercurrents.org	16 Sep 09
291	Making Strategic Sense Of Terror	Countercurrents.org	16 August, 2008
292	Controlling The Men In Shadows	Countercurrents.org	3 Mar 09
293	The Minority Perspective On The BJP Manifesto	Countercurrents.org	10 Apr 09