India as a global security actor

Thanks to sustained economic growth and key investments in military capabilities, India will face growing demands from within and the international community to seek and play a greater role in global security affairs. The values and interests likely to guide India’s future behavior will be a mixture of old and new, eastern and western. India’s international aspirations have an important pre-history, covered in this chapter’s first section where non-alignment, as idea and practice, is explored for its enduring significance. India’s relevance as a security actor is assessed in terms of its activities and capacity to influence developments within two security zones of major contemporary importance: Afghanistan and the Indian Ocean. Finally, a section on the constraints and challenges examines India’s ability to navigate a multi-polar world, the fallout and gains of nuclearization, the 2008 Indo-US nuclear deal, as well as ‘the weaknesses from within’ in terms of human security

Military and Development in Bangladesh

SUMMARY This article traces the origins of the Bangladesh army back to the British East India Company's army and follows its development through the colonial period, looking at the consequences of the exclusion of Bengalis after 1857. It shows why the Bengali sections of the Pakistan army were brought to the point of revolt in the national liberation struggle of 1971, and examines the factors which inhibited the development of a people's army and people's war. The erosion of public support for the Mujib government and the 1971 takeover are discussed. It is concluded that though there were important grievances internal to the military, the economic situation was the most significant element in these events. Resume Militarisme et développement au Bangladesh Cet article attribue les origines de l'armée du Bangladesh à l'armée de la British East India Company et suit son développement au cours de la période coloniale, examinant les conséquences de l'exclusion des Bengalis, après 1857. Il démontre pourquoi les factions bengalis de l'armée pakistanaise furent au point de se révolter lors de la lutte de libération nationale de 1971, et examine les facteurs qui entravèrent le développement d'une armée populaire et d'une guerre populaire. L'érosion du soutien public pour le gouvernement Mujib et la prise de pouvoir de 1971, sont examinées. L'article conclut que, malgré l'existence de griefs considérables au sein même de l'armée, c'est à la situation économique qu'il convient d'attribuer le rôle prépondérant, dans ces événements. Resumen El militarismo y el desarrollo en Bangladesh En este artículo se investigan los orígenes del ejército de Bangladesh remontándose hasta el ejército de la Compañía británica de la India Oriental y sigue su evolución a través del período colonial, poniendo de relieve las consecuencias de la exclusión de los bengalíes después de 1857. Se indica por qué las secciones bengalíes del ejército de Pakistán casi llegaron al borde de la revuelta en la lucha de liberación nacional de 1971 y se examinan los factores que impidieron la creación de un ejército del pueblo y una guerra del pueblo. Se analizan la erosión del apoyo popular para el gobierno de Mujib y el golpe de estado de 1971. Se llega a la conclusión de que aunque existían importantes agravios internos hacia los militares, la situación económica fue el elemento más significativo de dichos acontecimientos

Strategic interaction and the Iran–Iraq War: Lessons to learn for future engagement?

Using an interdisciplinary approach combining international relations and Middle Eastern studies, this research examines the Iran–Iraq war using the concepts of strategic interaction and reciprocity as theoretical anchors to illuminate more fully than previous investigations how these two states arrived at the point of war in 1980. Through a case study methodology, the findings demonstrate mixed results for the applicability of IR theory to fully explain the Iran–Iraq war. In particular, as a key interactive element of dyadic relationships, it was proposed that the accumulation of past interactions was likely to propagate future behavior with past conflictual interactions increasing the likelihood of future conflictual interactions and vice versa. The observed findings however indicate that time moderates this relationship such that shorter temporal periods are required to support the role of accumulation in influencing future relations

The Absent Friend: EU Foreign Policy and Counter-Terrorism

The article argues that the relative absence of foreign policy from the EU's counter-terrorism efforts is surprising given the nature of the threat. The reasons for this range from the EU's role and approach to counter-terrorism, to the leading role of interior ministers and a focus on the internal threat. External factors and actors also come into play, such as the US 'global war on terror' and Nato's role in counter-terrorism. The article explores three core aspects of the external dimension of counter-terrorism policy and argues that areas such as development assistance and democracy promotion have become securitized. Copyright (c) 2008 The Author(s); Journal compilation (c) 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.