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THE MH17 CRASH: AN OPEN SECRET OR A HIDDEN CONSPIRACY? By Ms. Debangana Chatterjee, Intern, Global India Foundation Malaysia was yet to demystify the inexplicable evaporation of Flight 370 of Malaysian Airlines en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, which disappeared on the Indian Ocean on March 8 this year. Continuing with its stigmatic airline experiences the air crash of Flight 17, a civilian aircraft carrying 283 passengers along with 15 crew members, left it further bewildered. However, besides the tragic loss of these 295 lives, the significance of the incident penetrated thoroughly the delicate areas of international politics. This incident shortly became the hotspot of the ongoing debate over the Ukrainian crisis. Detailed Paper --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A
NEW EMERGING WORLD ORDER: WHITHER REALPOLITIK? By Dr. Lopamudra Bandyopadhyay World
orders are seldom monolithic in structure or linear in their
composition. They evolve with the evolution of politics and
often shelter nuances of realpolitik. World orders during
the course of history have given rise to interplay of diplomacy,
nationalism, political aspirations and individual ambitions.
The world has throughout the advancement of mankind witnessed
with both hope and trepidation the gradual rise of “new
world orders” eclipsing the antiquated ones in the sands
of human history. Detailed
Paper --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GEORGIAN PROBLEM AND THE RUSSIAN JUGGERNAUT By Dr. Lopamudra Bandyopadhyay The second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Georgia on August 8, 2008 was bereft of adequate public attention. However, on August 11, 2010, Russia’s Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, announced at a press conference in Moscow that S-300 anti-aircraft missiles have been deployed in separatist Abkhazia, which Moscow has recognised as independent since August 2008. The S-300 missile system reinforced Moscow's military presence in the disputed territory and drew an irate response from Georgia. General Alexander Zelin stated that air defences of other types had been deployed in Georgia's other Russian-backed rebel region, South Ossetia. His comments, two years after Russia routed Georgian forces in a five-day war that strained Moscow's ties with the United States and Europe, were reported by Russian news agencies. Zelin said the air defence systems would also protect Russian bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Detailed Paper --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE DILEMMA OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS: RUSSIA’S ENDLESS CONFLICT By Dr. Lopamudra Bandyopadhyay Introduction Recently, the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin outlined a new strategy for the North Caucasus intended to enhance its economic development in order to curtail the cause for rising violence in the region. He was making the statement at a plenary session during the course of the inter-regional conference held by the ruling United Russia party, on the strategy for North Caucasus' social and economic development by 2020, and the programme for 2010-2012. Detailed Paper -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMIC REVIVALISM IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN By Dr. Lopamudra Bandyopadhyay
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RUSSIA’S OVERTURES INTO GEORGIA: SIGNS OF A NEW COLD WAR? By Dr. Lopamudra Bandyopadhyay Recently, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, speaking in Kiev, stated that Russia was “more isolated, less trusted and less respected” as a result of its actions in Georgia. Mr. Miliband placed the onus for avoiding a new Cold War firmly on President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. “The Russian President says he is not afraid of a new Cold War. We don't want a new Cold War. He has a big responsibility not to start one,” he said. Detailed Paper ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADVOCATING AMERICAN TROOPS’ WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ By Mr. Anurag Sinha In March 2003, the Bush administration embroiled the United States in an armed intervention of Iraq, a war that leading scholars deemed “unnecessary” at the time (Mearsheimer and Walt, 2003). Under the flimsy pretext of a crisis for America’s national security in particular, and international peace and security in general, emanating from the perceived threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction – that were never uncovered (at least to any amount that could justify a full-scale war) – the President decided that armed intervention was the most prudent choice to stave off this threat. With the failure of unearthing significant WMD in Iraq, the program of the war was conveniently shifted to delivering the Iraqi people from a tyrannical ruler to democratic order. This process of deliverance, at best a “stalemate” (Posen, 2006), has seen an alarming loss of American lives and increasing entrenchment of the American commitment in Iraq, while putting severe pressures on the American economy. At this point, the United States should look for a viable exit strategy culminating in the withdrawal of its troops, and enthusiastically seek multilateral or integrational solutions to the reconstruction of Iraq. Detailed Paper |