Transnational Terror: Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Chicago Plot
Three names have been doing the rounds in India these days: Maulana Ilyas Kashmiri, David Coleman Headley (a.k.a Dauod Geelani) and Tahawur Hussein Rana; one hardcore veteran Jehadi and two motivated ‘would be’ terrorists. They are in the news for plotting major assaults in India. Among them, Ilyas Kashmiri who was rumored to be dead early this year, in fact, survived three drone attacks in Pakistan’s Waziristan region, belongs to the Al Qaeda- Harkat-Ul- Jihad- Al-Islami (HuJI) lineage and heads Al Qaeda’s deadly 311 brigade. He still carries head money of US $ 600,000 dollars.
Shrouded in Mystery: Indo-China Border Issues
After the 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress National Meeting in 2007, China started focusing on South Asia, specifically India. Both have been favourably disposed towards multilateralism, with India joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an observer and China joining the SAARC summit in April 2008, also as an observer. Besides, people-to-people diplomacy expanded with mutual tourist visits.
Hacking: Novel Threat
Of late, the menace of computer ‘hacking’ has become a punishable offence if it compromises national security and is no longer an act of fun or profit. Of course, not all acts of hacking will amount to terrorism. This could be regarded as terrorist action only if the hacking is designed to disrupt the government’s activities, advance anti-national causes, or intimidate its citizens. A threat or real use of it is a potential act of terrorism, or rather, it can be regarded as cyber-crime or cyber-terrorism in a broader context.
Water on the Moon
Chandrayan-1 has created history. It has proved instrumental towards finding water on the surface of the moon. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has proved its competence once again, but this time, it should also thank its stars, and this is not because there is something amiss with its capabilities but because of the lack of maturity shown by some segments of society earlier when Chandrayan-1 had permanently lost its contact with the earth.
Myanmar and Nuclear Weapon Prospect: Is India Concerned?
Most of the military power states in the world aspire to become a nuclear power, especially in this highly competitive world. The most recent participant in the race to become a nuclear state is Myanmar. A report in the `Sydney Morning Herald' in early August quotes two Myanmarese defectors as saying that the Myanmar junta was secretly building a nuclear reactor and plutonium extraction facility with North Korea's help and with the aim of acquiring its first nuclear bomb in five years.
Back in the Fray: India and Climate Negotiation
India’s announcement on voluntary reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has accelerated otherwise snail-paced negotiation on a deal to be reached in Copenhagen this December. It is a welcome step but a tactical move. From the solitude of obstructing, as many argue, to all-inclusive Copenhagen, India has sent a signal of relief to the climate negotiators, mostly representatives of developed countries. If the world sees this Indian move as a surprise, they are wrong.
Practical Consideration: An Immediate Exigency in the Indo-Nepal Relation
Cross-border threats, which involve an influx of counterfeit currencies, illegal arms, smuggling of narcotics, illicit wildlife trade and its derivatives and cross-border terrorism, are gaining momentum along the 726-kilometre-long porous India-Nepal border. It is a grave concern for India, considering the present political instability in Nepal.
Predicting Monsoon
Indians are, by nature, emotive. Unfortunately, they believe in overreacting. So, be it 26/11, Swine flu, or a draught-like situation: mostly, they react excessively. They cannot even take a loss by a cricket team sportingly, so naturally, they are bound to start the blame game when drought is at the doorstep. What better punching bag could be than the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)? Few intellectuals are even asking for its closure.
France-India Ties: From Sporadic Cooperation to an Enduring Partnership (Part-II)
Defence cooperation is the area of Franco-Indian relations that has seen the most substantial progress. Over time, the partnership has evolved from the short-term, tactical interactions of the Cold War era to a more long-term, strategic alignment. Today, France is one of India's most trusted Western defence partners.