Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Credits- Indian Navy Another article after a long time. This time I intend to deal with a particular subject, that is need for collective security cooperation in Asia with reference to containing China.  The security situation in Asia is fluid. China is in expansion mode. China has laid claim to and has border disputes with almost all it's neighbours starting from South China Sea and East China sea all the way to India. China over the years has built up a huge industrial infrastructure that it can effectively use to bolster it's defence capability.  It all began from 2008 onwards when China gave up it's policy of being a peaceful power and started   a policy of aggressive territorial claims which set it in course for confrontation with almost all  it's neighbours. This all began in South China Sea wherein China has laid a claim to the entire region in what is called it's nine dash line. That includes all of South China Sea which is also claimed by coun

OBOR ( Credits- VOA) One Belt and One Road Initiative or Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI) is a project by the Chinese government which involves the development of  a network of roads and ports transversing through the length and breadth of Asia and connecting Europe. A part of the road passes through Central Asia and reaches Europe. The flagship project under BRI is the China- Pakistan Economic corridor that connects China's restive Xinjiang province with the Pakistani port of Gwadar. BRI is the most ambitious project ever undertaken by a single country in recent years.  So what is BRI: The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) and The Belt and Road (B&R), is a development strategy proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, primarily the People's Republic of China, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt

Credits- Internet image When  Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of 22 Punjab Regiment and head constable   Prem Sagar of BSF's 200 Battalion went out on a petrol along the India-Pakistani border, little did they expect that it will be their last journey. On the way, they came under fire from the Pakistani posts and after some time they were ambushed by Pakistan's notorious Border Action Team (BAT) which consists of Pakistan's Special Service Group (SSG) special forces along with Pakistan's regular troops and jihadi elements. This group is tasked with cross border incursion. Not only did the BAT violate all establish norms, they also mutilated the bodies of the above stated Jawans.  By this act, Pakistan has not only violated all norms of decency and morality, but also their acts can only be termed as dastardly and cowardly. Pakistan has to understand that India's patience is not infinite and sooner or later the tipping point will come and there will not be any g

Credits- VOA When Aam Aadmi Party was born out of the India Against Corruption and the move for the Jan Lokpal Bill, it was a watershed movement in Indian Politics. Led by the veteran Gandhian and Social Activist Anna Hazare, the demand for change was coming from the grass root. People who was fed up of the political system which was apathetic to the voice of the people and cared little for change was shocked. It was sure that Indian politics was about to change. It also brought about the realisation that India had changed for ever. Gone were the days where the political parties could take the Indians for a ride with false promises. The people made it clear that the political system should hear to them and should perform. Hollow promises would no longer sell. The changing force was the digital revolution that brought about information to the grass root level. No longer could the political parties lie and get away with it under presumption that the population could not do anyt

Journey to ISHA Yoga Centre and Adiyogi, Coimbatore

Image credits- VOA ( After a break of nearly two months, I am returning to active blogging. To start with, I have decided to deal with CPEC, the most talked about project in South Asia) China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of projects undertaken by China in Pakistan to connect landlocked Western China to the Arabian sea based Gwadar post in Pakistani Baluchistan.  This includes rapid development of infrastructure including roads, railways, power generation projects, industrial parks, special economic zones besides developing Gwadar port. CPEC is termed as a game changer by Pakistan. But doubts still linger in the minds of many. The international monetary fund (IMF) in it's report has warned Pakistan of long term consequences that will bring untold misery to the Pakistani economy due to their inability to repay the loan amount back to China with above normal interest rate.  There is also concern that China will virtually take over the entire Pakistan

Mother Teresa  ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Manfredo Ferrari)   As Mother Teresa is canonized by the Vatican today, giving her sainthood, it is time for us to travel through the lives and time of this enigma we call, Mother Teresa. She has a special place in the hears and minds of us Indians, because it is here that she spent the better part of her life helping the poor and destitutes of Kolkata. A tribute to this angel of mercy: Mother Teresa or Saint Teresa also known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, MC, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She was born in Skopje (modern Republic of Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire. After having lived in Macedonia for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries

INS Viraat setting sail on her last voyage ( Image credits- Indian Navy)  INS Viraat hold a pride of place in the history of the Indian Navy. Joining the Indian fleet in 1987 as India's second aircraft carrier after her decommissioning as HMS Hermes from the Royal Navy, she played a critical part in the Indian Navy for over three decades. She was the flag ship of the Indian Navy until the mantle was passed on to INS Vikramaditya. INS Viraat was unique in many ways. She is the oldest serving Aircraft carrier in the world. She also has an illustrious carrier spanning well over five decades in active duty spanning from the Falklands war to the Indian Navy. As the Indian Navy prepares to decommission her in the later part of this year, an era will come to an end. As she is taken off the services, she also becomes the last carrier in the Indian Navy to have STOVL configuration which enabled her to deploy Sea Harrier jump jet. After her decommissioning, Indian navy is transitioning