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

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin Source- Russia & India Report / TASS Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an exclusive interview to TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman on the eve of his state visit to Russia. This is his first interview with Russian media. Mr. Prime Minister, many thanks to you for giving us a chance to meet you prior to your visit to Russia. This must be your first official visit to Russia as Prime Minister but you have been there before. What are your feelings right now? What do you expect from this trip? First of all, I greet the Russian citizens from my heart, because Russia is India's unwavering friend. Russian citizens too maintained unwavering relations with India. And politically apart, the Russian citizens have shown considerable interest in the Indian traditions and India's culture. And it makes our relationship stronger. I am going on a state visit for the first time, but I have been meeting Presiden

PAK Air Force JF-17 Thunder ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Peng Chen) Source- The Diplomat Author-  Benjamin David Baker Christmas is a time for reflection, celebration and… buying really expensive gadgets which might or might not be obsolete in a few years. As Robert Farley noted earlier, several states in Asia are getting in the holiday spirit with the presentation of so-called “fifth generation” combat aircraft. Furthermore, as I’ve covered the last couple of weeks, fourth generation birds are still in high demand throughout the region. Dassualt’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing’s F/A- 18 Super Hornet, Saab’s Gripen, and the Sukhoi Su-35 are all being peddled as options for prospective buyers. As Franz-Stefan Gady has reported for The Diplomat, the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder (known in China as the FC-1 Xiaolong) is also trying to compete in this crowded field. Developed as a joint venture between China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) and

Image credits- You Tube/ Author Source- Eurasia Review Author- Robert Shines “Diamond of Democracies” was a term used to refer to a would-be alliance between the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India and their collective efforts to counter the rise of China. However, Japan has patiently and carefully formulated its own bloc for this very same purpose. Additionally, these plans were complemented by pre-Ukraine Crisis overtures toward Russia to resolve their Kuril Islands dispute. Former Colonies Awaken Echoing their mother country’s path to preeminence, both India and Australia are making strides in building formidable navies able to project power locally and deny access to potential enemies. India’s value to Japan is twofold. First, it is a huge Asian land power with a contemporary history of animosity with China, namely their 1962 border skirmish. It also serves to keep China’s attention divided in the event of a clash with Japan, much like China keeps India’s at

South China sea ( Image credits- VOA) Source- The Diplomat Author- Kerry Lynn Nankivell Readers of The Diplomat were recently afforded an exchange by two leading experts in South China Sea disputes. Dr. Sam Bateman, a retired commodore of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), wrote of the strategic problems associated with U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations (FON OPS) in the South China Sea. Bateman warns of the United States “militarizing” a sensitive circumstance and “turning back the clock” on international law. Responding to these claims, Commander Jonathan Odom, judge advocate general (JAG), former oceans policy advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and current military professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, defended the FON OPS program by noting the legal errors underpinning Bateman’s argument. At face value, each author’s analysis is useful but incomplete. Accepting Bateman’s approach means believing that FON OPS a

Chinese PLAN ship ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States navy) Source- The National Interest Author- Richard Javad Heydarian Few can deny that China has had a particularly challenging year. In an effort to augment its sovereignty claims over what it considers as its national “blue soil,” China has inadvertently encouraged a growing number of nations to coalesce against it. One could argue that China has overplayed its hand, unleashing a dangerous strategic dynamic that threatens the whole region. Throughout the early years of this decade, China rapidly and inexorably altered the maritime status quo in East Asia, wresting control of Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal and deploying a giant oil rig into Vietnamese-claimed waters in the South China Sea. In possession of cutting-edge technology, and confidently overseeing decades of relentless military modernization as well as paramilitary mobilization, China has transformed a whole host of contested low-tid