Sprinkle Trade On Baked Alaska?
Trump-Putin’s summit could be a turning point for Ukraine and global commerce. If talks succeed, sanctions could be adjusted & India might face fewer tariff troubles. If talks fail, except a tougher Trump If there is one tool Donald Trump wields with as much relish as tariffs, it is sanctions. These are the blunt instruments […]
Excerpt: The Great India Game
Narendra Singh Sarila was an aide-de-camp (ADC) to Governor General Mountbatten before he joined the 1948 batch of India’s foreign service and went on to serve for thirty-seven years as an Indian diplomat. In his book on the ‘untold story’ of India’s Partition, Sarila emphasized a thesis that has since gathered wider support based on […]
Sindoor’s New Red Lines Are Drawn
When LeT terrorists struck in Kashmir on 22 April, Pakistan had effectively jumped on the first rung of a familiar conflict escalation ladder. It did so with implausible deniability of its role. But this time was different. The two countries climbed perilously higher into conflict than they had done ever before in this century. Between […]
CSC: The One BIG Takeaway
What’s the single takeaway from each of our panelists? Summing up, individually, how do we feel, what’s the most important understanding from this discussion? Ambassador Ajay Bisaria: By way of answering your question and a partial summary of this very interesting discussion on our neighbourhood, what is emerging is that we are in a very […]
CSC: Deterrence, Narratives, Acquisition Protocols, Adversaries and India’s Fight with Terror and Agents of Terrorism
CS Conversations convened an erudite panel of experts who know the business – diplomacy, global power tussles, military hardware and India’s positioning in our immediate neighbourhood. We bring you excerpts of this engaging, forward looking and critical conversation. The discussion was moderated by Maj General V K Singh and Navin Berry, Editor. Maj Gen VK […]
India’s Post-Conflict Diplomacy: Reclaiming the Global Narrative on Terrorism
The Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 2025 triggered the articulation of a new security doctrine by India—a ‘new normal’ for countering cross-border terrorism at its source, defining a revised national security and foreign policy vision. India’s robust military response—Operation Sindoor—was calibrated deterrence, designed to send a clear message of resolve, primarily to Pakistan but also […]
Will India’s ‘Integrated Deterrence’ Stem Cross-Border Terror?
As more information about the battleground realities trickles in, security analysts are busy finding templates to explain India’s calibrated counter-terror action launched in response to the brutal cross-border terrorist attack in April 2025. Operation Sindoor has already reignited debates on the theory of deterrence. Did the deterrence of 2019 fade? Does deterrence really work? Can […]
The Assam Tribune: India should adopt two-pronged strategy to deal with Pakistan, says ex-envoy Bisaria
India should adopt a two-pronged strategy to deal with Pakistan-military action against terrorism together with calibrated diplomatic moves, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria said. In an interview with The Assam Tribune, Bisaria also expressed the view that Pakistan would continue to harbour terrorists, at least for some time to come. Following are […]
Munir’s Dangerous Doctrine
Ultimately, the Munir Doctrine is a dead end. It substitutes belligerence for strategic thinking. It indulges the military’s worst instincts. In trying to cast himself as heir to Jinnah and Zia, Munir is embalming a vision of Pakistan that no longer serves its people—and driving it toward becoming a reckless, war-making garrison state.
Sindoor’s New Red Line
Pakistan, by contrast, embraces external involvement. It needs the optics. It declares every Western phone call a validation of its global stature, just as it rebrands military defeats as victories. The Pakistani military’s propaganda wing, ISPR, will undoubtedly package Op Bunyan Ul Marsoos as an unqualified victory —short war, operational brilliance, and international attention.
The same logic was deployed to claim triumph in 1965, 1971, and 1999, each a setback to Pakistan’s army. What really matters is control of the domestic narrative.
As India celebrates Op Sindoor, a robust debate will take place on strategic choices and operational success. Across the border, Pakistan will project its army chief, General Asim Munir, as a victor. He will expect that this limited conflict has bolstered his authority. It plays into long-standing paranoia about India, casting the army as the nation’s sole saviour.
India has now made a doctrinal pivot in its fight against terrorism. India does not need war—or passive restraint. It has delivered a credible, coercive slap against terrorism. But will that prevent the next Pahalgam? Will it make Pakistan rethink the costs of using terrorism as strategy? For India, deterrence is not about spectacle. It has reshaped the adversary’s calculus.