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

INS Arihant ( Image credits- DRDO/ Indian Navy) Source- The Russia & India Report Author- Rakesh Krishnan Simha In June 2012 a nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Russian Navy quietly entered the Gulf of Mexico. Armed with long-range nuclear cruise missiles, the Akula class vessel operated undetected for several weeks and its movement in strategic US waters was only confirmed after it left the area. The silent  Akula  left a lot of red faces in the American defence establishment in its wake. In November 2013 Russia  launched  its advanced stealth diesel-electric Novorossiysk . The Project 636 submarine is said to be virtually undetectable when submerged. “Our potential opponents call it the ‘Black Hole’ due to the very low noise emission and visibility of the submarine,” Konstantin Tabachny, the captain of the  Novorossiysk , told the media. “To be undetectable is the main quality for a submarine. And this whole project really fits its purpose.” After deca

PLAN Type 52 D Destroyer CNS Kunming ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Hiaphong Pioneer) Source- The National Interest Author- Kyle Mizokami Modern China has finally achieved a long-held dream: secure land borders. The Mongols, western colonial empires and the Japanese have all carved out significant portions of the country in the past. Although China could never be truly conquered, such disruptions caused considerable loss of life and property and halted Chinese political and economic progress. China is now free to develop however it wishes. Part of China’s new direction is the creation of a modern, world-class navy. The protection of Chinese interests, which are now global, the support of Chinese territorial claims and the ability, if necessary, to keep the Americans at bay are key goals. To support those goals, China is building everything from new patrol boats to aircraft carriers. With that in mind, here are three of China’s most lethal weapons of war o

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Jhosimar Source- Wikipedia Author- Kanchi Gupta India hosted the 4th India-Arab Partnership Conference late last month as part of the Modi administration’s efforts to elevate the level of engagement between the two sides. The conference, organized by the MEA in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the League of Arab States (LAS), was inaugurated by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. Sitharaman emphasized the importance of Arab public and private sector investments in India and stated that “the Indian growth story would be incomplete without the participation of friends like the Arab League.” The movement of wealth and economic power from West to East is essential to tap “unexplored potentialities” of these markets and there are numerous opportunities in the areas of pharmaceutical and healthcare, manufacturing and infrastructure, wind and sol

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons Source- The National Interest Author- Rebecca Liao Amidst misguided campaigns to make the world safe for Western liberal democracy, the global community has forgotten that authoritarian countries, too, are guilty of hegemony. Soon after Russia’s October Revolution, the Comintern billed itself as the savior of post-colonial societies looking to emerge into modernity from the yoke of Western exploitation. The price for such delivery? Adopting a Soviet system of government. China is in danger of reviving that tradition of exporting its take on authoritarianism. Granted, its methods are much more subtle. In place of the Soviet demand for twinning, China requires loyalty in matters of foreign affairs, which often means foregoing true democracy. The country has (sincerely) insisted that, unlike the West, it is opposed to interference in the internal affairs of others.  However, a bet that China will succeed in bringing about true multilatera

Image credits- Flickr/ Scroll Editorial  © Source- The Russia & India Report Author- Boris Volkhonsky In all likelihood, it will only be possible to accurately evaluate the results of the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi only after some time, when the plans that have been announced start being implemented. But it is already possible to say that the summit’s results really do open up fundamentally new perspectives for cooperation. And it is not just about 20 documents that were signed. This is perhaps for the first time in recent years that the documents encompassed such a wide range of issues that they should eliminate some of the imbalances that have characterised our cooperation in the recent past. India, Russia sign 16 agreements at bilateral summit It is no secret that bilateral relations between Russia and India, as in the past between the Soviet Union and India, have always been characterised by the highest degree of unders

Kremlin ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Julmin/Surendil) Source- The National Interest Author- Nikolas K. Gvosdev) Western commentators reporting on events in Russia have a tendency to swing from one extreme to the next. Seven months ago, when oil prices were high and the Kremlin had seemingly amputated Crimea off from Ukraine without firing a shot, the narrative was about an unstoppable Vladimir Putin who would soon be overrunning all Eastern and Central Europe. Today, he is being placed on deathwatch, with prognosticators speculating about precisely when the Russian economy will collapse and Putin will be overthrown. With the precipitous fall in the value of the ruble—something a major interest-rate hike by the Russian Central Bank seemed unable to reverse—some pundits are even crowing that the Ukrainian hryvnia is doing better than the Russian currency. It helps to step back and put the larger picture in perspective. The hryvnia is the currency of a cou

Gwadar Port ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons./ Author) Source- The Diplomat Author- Kiyya Baloch The multi-billion dollar agreement between Pakistan and China to develop the port of  Gwadar  does not present a very promising picture for the people of Gwadar, still living in atrocious conditions amid  serious security threats . Gwadar is one of the most generously endowed areas in the region thanks to a 790-km coastal belt as well as a wealth of mineral reserves. However, this wealth is not reflected in the lives of its local people. Gwadar’s coastline, located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, is important to the shipping route into and out of the Persian Gulf. The government of Pakistan formally awarded a multi-billion dollar contract for the construction and operation of Gwadar port to China last year, aiming to improve the port and open the doors of development and prosperity for Pakistan, particularly Balochistan. Meanwhile, residents of this small area are stil

Source- The Eurasia Review Author- Dr Subash Kapila India under Modi Sarkar sits atop the strategic pyramid with Russia and the United States at the base at opposing ends intending to reinforce their respective Strategic Partnerships with India to their advantage. Russia has had a long standing and time-proven Strategic Partnership with India until its misconceived recent Defence and Security Agreement with Pakistan. President Putin’s recent visit to New Delhi retrieved the Russia-India Strategic Partnership Strategic Partnership by offering explanations for its Pakistan-policy change and with a slew of military and nuclear-related agreements to bring back the Russia-India Strategic Partnership on the rails. India repaid the strategic trust reposed by Russia in India’s rising power by awarding nearly $ 100-115 billion worth of contracts to Russia. The US-India Strategic Partnership is only a decade or so old and this time span stood marked by strategic bumps arising fro