ThePrint | India-Pakistan can become Israel-Hamas. Lesson is not to fight terrorism by force alone

The Hamas-Israel war has entered its fifth week and deaths of innocent civilians remain the hub of its politico-strategic landscape. The cycle of violence initiated by Hamas on 7 October resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of over 200 hostages including children. This invited the Israeli invasion of northern Gaza, which continues to progressively enlarge the boundaries of humanitarian tragedy in Palestine. This article aims to explore the action-reaction cycle in the framework of ‘just war’ tradition, which categorises the moral criteria guiding two types of judgements under the captions of jus ad bellum (right to war) and jus in bello (right in war). It also touches upon the relevance of the issue in the context of India’s approach to Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a foreign policy tool. Read the full article here.

Mint | Containing China's technology ecosystem will remain a US policy priority

The most significant achievement of last week’s meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping was that it took place. Xi agreed to crack down on fentanyl exports and resume military communication channels. There was some agreement on working together on managing risks from artificial intelligence. It took six months of ground work by cabinet-level officials and four hours of direct talks between the two leaders to agree on these limited points. Read the full article here.

Moneycontrol - Biden-Xi Summit: Challenge is to continue US-China engagements despite tensions

Leaders of the United States and China are expected to hold their first bilateral meeting in a year at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco today. The fact that this meeting is taking place is in itself a significant achievement for diplomats on both sides. It also underscores that despite the intense nature of Sino-US strategic competition and heated rhetoric, achieving some sort of stability is a shared interest. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi captured this in outlining the “Five Musts” for the two countries during his recent visit to the US. Read the full article here.

Times of India | Let’s not go crackers over bans every Diwali. Leave fireworks policy to states

The Supreme Court has done well to refuse a blanket ban on all firecrackers in India. Its recent order reminding states to prohibit the manufacture and sale of joined firecrackers and those containing barium is a prudent one. Yet in the absence of a sensible firecracker policy, it is likely that approaching the Supreme Court for a ban will become an annual pre-Diwali ritual. How should India govern firecrackers? Read the full article here.

Moneycontrol | Growing US-China chip rivalry presents India with its geopolitical moment

In the US-China geopolitical tussle, 2022 was a watershed moment. In August, Washington unveiled the CHIPS and Science Act and followed it up with chip export controls in October, setting the tone for an intense rivalry in emerging and critical technologies with semiconductors at the forefront. The CHIPS and Science Act had but one objective: reshoring chip manufacturing back in the US from East Asia, where 85 percent of the current global fabrication capacity is concentrated. The export controls aimed to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductors and keep Chinese chip manufacturing capabilities behind the US by at least a decade. The controls also imposed restrictions on foreign companies operating in China, which relied on technology and capital sourced from the US. Read the full article here.

ThePrint | Military is being politicised by selfie points, social work. But don’t dismiss Project Udbhav

For the first time in our history, an Indian Military Heritage Festival was held in New Delhi on 21 and 22 October 2023. It was organised under the auspices of India’s oldest Inter-Service organisation, the United Service Institution. It was supported by the Army Training Command. The festival was showcased as a flagship event to highlight India’s military heritage and traditions. Unsurprisingly, it has been perceived differently by members of the strategic community. The main point of the detractors is that such projects are part of several initiatives aimed to politicise the armed forces. Read the full article here.

Mint | The world cannot escape repercussions of the ongoing war in West Asia

The externalities of Hamas’s perverse terrorism and Israel’s massive military retaliation will haunt the whole world for at least another generation. The conflict is still in progress, but its course over the past month has already given us three terrible assessments. First, Hamas demonstrated that terrorism can succeed in advancing political objectives. In this, it has reversed the post-9/11 strategic consensus that terrorism is not only ineffective as a political strategy but can delegitimize the political cause it seeks to advance. The world had forgotten the Palestinian cause. A month ago, Israel was close to a rapprochement with Arab powers, while Western powers were focused on Russia, China and Iran, and Palestine was off the global agenda. Even before Hamas invaders were beaten back, the ‘two-state solution’—meaning the creation of a viable Palestinian state—was back in circulation. Read the full article here.

The Quad needs to work with other groups. ASEAN is the place to start

In recent years, the members of the Quad -- the U.S., Australia, Japan and India -- have each ramped up cooperation and relations with ASEAN countries. In September, Japan became the last of the quartet to upgrade its relationship with ASEAN to the level of a "comprehensive strategic partnership," and each of the four held a separate meeting with ASEAN leaders that month. Even India, which has had the weakest institutional connections with Southeast Asian governments, has markedly increased collaborative efforts in various areas under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Act East" policy. In May, New Delhi conducted joint maritime exercises with ASEAN in the South China Sea. Read the full article here.

Hindustan Times | India, China war of positions in Maldives

The Maldivian presidential election last month culminated in a victory for Mohamed Muizzu and a loss for incumbent president Ibrahim Solih. The election was keenly watched in New Delhi and Beijing. How India and China see each other in strategic spaces such as the Maldives determines the nature of their competition in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Read the full article here.

The Free Press Journal | 2024 Polls: AI Fake News Will Damage Democracy Forever

I am calling it now. In 2024, when several countries around the world — including India and the US — are scheduled to go to the polls, disinformation and fake news generated by artificial intelligence software will bring democratic systems to their knees. The damage is going to be so severe that, in the worst-case scenario, we will have reached a point of no return. Even if we somehow manage to halt the fake news juggernaut (unlikely, but let’s say we do), it will take decades to go back to any kind of normalcy. Read the full article here.

Deccan Herald | Unambiguous on terror, principled on Palestine

Within hours of the Hamas terror attack on Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.” This was even as Israel itself was coming to terms with the attack, and before it began its retaliation. However, this statement was construed as a shift in India’s policy towards Israel and Palestine. Read the full article here.

ThePrint | India joined the information warfare on Gaza. Now it must prepare for tougher times

Information has the power to create, shift, or sustain already held  beliefs. Beliefs, in turn, influence and determine individual and collective behaviours and are often shaped by the narratives at play. In the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, the battle of narratives could play a crucial role in determining the course of events, including the cessation or continuation of hostilities. Hamas, the initial instigator in this round of conflict, has ravaged Israel by killing, wounding, taking hostages, and destroying property. Its methods involved breaching the border fence and launching attacks, primarily against civilians and some military targets, often accompanied by rocket fire aimed at cities and towns, including capital Tel Aviv. In response, Israel hit back primarily with air power, triggering a major humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Read the full article here.

Mint | The techno-optimist’s agenda must heed the consequences too

I believe technology is a unique human capacity that can continue to improve our well-being. Individual freedom, free markets and liberal democracy are remarkable conceptual innovations that have allowed our species to achieve extraordinary levels of well-being. And human ingenuity—often underrated in the face of the kind of daunting social and environmental challenges that confront us—can help us find ways out of the messy problems that it sometimes creates. That is why I am concerned about the “techno-optimist manifesto" that Marc Andreessen published last week, for it undermines the very cause it seeks to promote. Read the full article here.

The Wire China | How China’s Global Initiatives Aim to Change the Way the World is Run

In 2013, in a speech in Moscow, Xi Jinping floated the idea of mankind being a community of shared future or common destiny. In the decade that has followed, this phrase began to shift from being a description of the world’s interconnected nature to underpinning the idea of a more proactive foreign policy that aims to shape a favourable external environment for China.  Since 2021, however, with the launch of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), the concept of mankind being a community of common destiny has been fleshed out as Beijing’s key proposition to reform global governance. Read the full article here.

Nikkei Asia | Chipmaking subsidies are not the answer to supply security worries

The U.K. national semiconductor strategy, released in May, has been criticized for showing a lack of ambition or courage. The plan foresees government spending of 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion). This has made some observers question the stance of the U.K. toward the chip sector in view of tens of billions of dollars in subsidies that the U.S., European Union, Japan, India and other governments are allocating to the industry. The U.K., though, is choosing a categorically different path from its peers, based on utilizing its comparative advantages. Read the full article here.

Moneycontrol | UPI: The world needs India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, but can’t see the benefit

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (“DPI”) is a domestic success story which its proponents are now seeking to export to other countries, and connect with existing global systems. The difficulties that foreigners in India encounter when using it, however, belie its spirit of inclusivity. At the G20 Summit this year, DPI was a central focus. At a side event preceding the Delhi leaders’ meeting, G20 Digital Economy Ministers recognised its importance and published the G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure, later endorsed in the G20 Leaders’ New Delhi Declaration. Read the full article here.

Moneycontrol | China’s expanding military drone ecosystem is a menace for the likes of Taiwan and India

The recently concluded Sixth Chinese Helicopter Exposition, held in the Tianjin municipality of Northeastern China, put up a huge show of airpower with over 350 aircraft and air defence systems manufacturers from around 20 countries participating. At this expo, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army ground forces unveiled the latest addition to their drone arsenal, the KVD-002, manufactured by the Aerospace CH UAV Company. Read the full article here.

The Free Press Journal | Why India Must Keep An Eye On US Republicans

In 1991, American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn wrote and composed an autobiographical song titled ‘Walking in Memphis’ which instantly became an anthem among college-going kids around the world. It became such a rage that Cohn won the Best New Artist Grammy at the 1992 edition held at Radio City Music Hall in New York (Cohn was already 32 at the time, but it was his first album). Read the full article here.

ThePrint | Manipur violence won’t go away unless Modi’s ‘vision’ takes a U-turn

The recent six-month extension of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, in Manipur seemed procedural and routine. After all, the entire state has been continuously declared a disturbed area since 1999, with the exception of Imphal Municipality since 2004, following protests led by Irom Sharmila. At both the national and Manipur levels, AFSPA has endured despite numerous calls against its use as an instrument of hard power of the State. Read the full article here.

Mint | Championing pluralism globally will make India a ‘vishwaguru’

Contrary to what its critics think, India is well placed to be a vishwaguru, an exemplar state that shows the world the way towards a better future. Like all good gurus, it is neither perfect nor without self-doubt. Its many failings are open for all to see. Just like a good guru need not be a mahatma, it is not necessary for India to attain moral, political or economic superpowerdom to put forth its formula to improve how the world governs itself. Read the full article here.