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Kunal Singh

Kunal Singh

Articles by Kunal Singh

Can a credible offer of peace come from Pak?

A real shot at peace would be available only when an army chief, who has consolidated his position and can ride roughshod over domestic opposition, is convinced of the dire need to liberate the country’s economic resources from the military’s grip

Any leader who pursues peace with India can be portrayed by domestic opponents as giving up territorial claims on Kashmir. (Shutterstock)

Updated on Feb 14, 2023 12:02 PM IST

Enrich the quality of India’s scholarly community

In this article, I will restrict myself to four very important sources of scholarly mediocrity.

The small size of the scholarly community disincentivises the kind of debates and disagreements that are necessary for advancing knowledge. (HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 08, 2022 10:45 AM IST

Why the US wants a ban on ASAT missile testing

Why would the US restrain itself and allow its adversaries to continue developing and perfecting a technology that can bring military advantages? Because it is in the US national interest to do so

If the US can enforce a norm against ASAT missiles, it hopes that it will be able to arrest its adversaries from further developing and perfecting weapons that could harm its military’s eyes and ears (AP)

Updated on May 06, 2022 07:48 PM IST

Ukraine: Three divergent stands, three scenarios

The war can end in three possible scenarios for Vladimir Putin. In every scenario, India and US interests are aligned

Putin could end up a much weaker leader than before. This could be because the underwhelming Russian performance can lead to greater domestic dissidence. The sanctions could also cripple the Russian economy. (AFP)

Published on Apr 10, 2022 08:26 PM IST

Iran nuclear talks: The stakes are high in Vienna

Irrespective of whether the US or Israel or both decide to use the military option, it may not stop Iranian proliferation while also possibly resulting in a war

The decision to use the military option will be tough. One hopes that diplomacy will succeed and tough decisions will not have to be taken. (REUTERS)

Updated on Feb 09, 2022 09:11 PM IST

Was Bangladesh or Bhutto behind the Pakistani bomb?

One can see that Bhutto was not just influential in starting the Pakistani nuclear weapons programme, but also in the making of the humiliating 1971 defeat

The ascendance of Bhutto to power appears to be a much more powerful force behind the Pakistani bomb (Getty Images)

Updated on Dec 06, 2021 10:11 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

Underplaying the China threat

The government has consciously decided to downplay China’s aggression. This has possible benefits but also costs

Military mobilisation is more effective than public threats in demonstrating resolve against hawkish, as opposed to doveish, rivals. Not many in the world will characterise Xi Jinping as a dove anyway (AP)

Updated on Nov 11, 2021 08:43 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

What is nuclear China up to?

China’s need for silos, hypersonic glider, and FOBS is not entirely a surprise. But the fact that it is developing all of these together, now, is revealing

The possibility of a US-China conflict is much higher now, or at least the leadership in Beijing thinks so. If there is a conventional conflict between the US and China, over, say, Taiwan, it can escalate to nuclear levels (via REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 24, 2021 04:13 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

The message is clear: China pressing forward to create new buffer zones

The trend is clear: China is moving forward into territory where it has neither been a disputant nor does it have high stakes. But since the economic and military gap between the two Asian giants have widened, China is pressing forward to create new buffer zones.

Activists of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) organisations burn Chinese flags and posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping, during an anti-China protest in Amritsar on June 17, 2020.(AFP)

Updated on Jun 18, 2020 04:04 AM IST

ByKunal Singh

Analysis| India and the US must take bolder steps on China

With China threatening US hegemony, the latter has the requisite motivation to halt the former’s ascent

The only power capable of partnering with India to balance China is the US. India should indeed partner other powers like Japan, Australia and France, but only the US provides the decisive power capabilities to swing the military balance(Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Updated on Jan 26, 2020 07:50 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

Analysis| What the 2019 and 2020 skirmishes tell us about de-escalating conflicts

The Indo-Pak conflict after Balakot and the recent US-Iran clash show what ingredients help defuse tensions

Mutual vulnerabilities, the ability to project victory domestically, the restraining role of internal actors and luck can help states exercise restraint(AP)

Published on Jan 09, 2020 08:17 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

How Narendra Modi conquered caste in 2019 elections

Lack of Muslim support for the BJP, Aadhaar-enabled direct cash transfers, EWS quota and the national security pitch contributed to diminished role of caste

The BJP starts with a significant disadvantage of lack of Muslim support. While the party is itself responsible for this problem, it nevertheless has to work harder among the rest of the population to win a constituency(Bloomberg)

Published on May 29, 2019 07:38 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByKunal Singh

The big picture after the Balakot airstrikes: Does the fate of F-16 matter?

India has successfully expanded the space for conventional warfare but is still to figure out how to make the best use of this new space to achieve maximum dominance over Pakistan

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa addresses a press conference at Sulur Air Force Station, in Coimbatore, March 4, 2019. In the recent India-Pakistan crisis, two major claims of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been called into question(PTI)

Updated on Apr 25, 2019 07:56 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByKunal Singh

Not pursuing the UNSC seat was Nehru’s mistake

The wait for a more sincere offer than the ones in the 1950s hasn’t borne fruit in more than six decades now

One can definitely see why Jawaharlal Nehru was sceptical of the UNSC seat offers in 1950s. However, it is difficult to sympathise with his reasons today(HT Photo)

Updated on Apr 01, 2019 05:37 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

Navigating domestic opinion and foreign policy

Pakistan exercises our minds far too much given that China is a much bigger threat to India

The border with China, though disputed, has not witnessed kinetic action in decades now. The Pakistan border, on the other hand, has seen war, infiltrations and many low level terrorist attacks in the last three decades(PTI)

Updated on Mar 13, 2019 06:03 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

Indian politicians lack good quality policy advice

One hopes that Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda heading a task force for the Congress sets a new culture among political parties.

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s decision to ask Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda to head a task force on national security should be applauded wholesomely. The immediate mission of the task force will be to draft a national security strategy document.(ANI)

Updated on Mar 04, 2019 07:59 AM IST

ByKunal Singh

Opinion | Pulwama: India’s response should be informed by history

It is increasingly becoming difficult for India to impose costs on Pakistan that will instil some level of deterrence while at the same time not breaching nuclear red lines

Security personnel carry out the rescue and relief works at the site of suicide bomb attack at Lathepora Awantipora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, February 14(PTI)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 12:10 AM IST

ByKunal Singh

India needs a neighbourhood strategy document

While Afghanistan presents a particularly fiendish challenge, New Delhi has little clarity on which tools to use in crisis situations in the entire neighbourhood

The Taliban knows that the US is in a hurry to beat a retreat and is looking for a face-saving deal. This has strengthened Taliban’s hand in the ongoing negotiations(Reuters)

Updated on Feb 05, 2019 12:42 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByKunal Singh

Why is India’s no first use policy under so much strain?

China’s rise, Pakistan’s clever use of terrorists and India’s access to better technology have diluted the no first use consensus.

Agni IV missiles displayed during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. India today has more number of missiles and more accurate ones.(AFP)

Updated on Jan 10, 2019 07:26 AM IST

ByKunal Singh

Reading the signals: India has a new military strategy against China

The earlier defensive posture is no longer sustainable with Beijing possessing the capability to launch an assault without any warning leading to depletion of Indian resources in quick time

According to its new military strategy, India will not just focus on denying Chinese forces territorial gains but will actively impose costs on the adversary and may even open additional fronts(Sakib Ali/Hindustan Times)

Updated on Dec 27, 2018 09:04 AM IST

ByKunal Singh

Washington needs to appreciate India’s domestic political dynamic

A number of experts have questioned India’s wisdom in going forward with the S-400 deal despite knowing the risks to the India-US relationship. Some have also questioned the need for India investing so much into the Russia relationship even as the strategic worldview of New Delhi and Moscow have, of late, diverged considerably.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, October 5(AFP)

Updated on Oct 09, 2018 06:12 PM IST

ByKunal Singh

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