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The Hindu
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan's India war
As India reflects on the outcome of the brief military conflict with Pakistan in early May, it may be worthwhile to ponder over the current reality that even as India's cultural diversity and sweep of history may be unparalleled in a civilisational context, it remains prone to attacks from countries in its vicinity and beyond. An incorrigible Pakistan is continually finding ways and means every few years to provoke a conflict, and despite being worsted in every one of these conflicts and wars, remains undeterred, seeking to 'bleed India by a thousand cuts'. The very existence of a secular democratic India appears to be anathema to Pakistan. As India progresses towards becoming a global power (it is already the fourth largest economy in the world), Pakistan is descending into near anarchy. Yet this neighbour of ours, dominated by a military mindset, is contriving to find ways and means of undermining India's progress. Peace for India, hence, depends on who rules Pakistan, which almost invariably is the military. There are no easy solutions to this problem, and India needs to prepare for war at all times. The Pakistan of today Today, it is fashionable to talk of the disintegration of the world order. The deafening silence of the world to the 'genocide' taking place in Gaza, with innocent civilians being killed at an alarming rate, contrasts with the din and noise — and the numerous efforts at peace — being made to end the Ukraine conflict. This dichotomy of approach stems from a grim truth or reality, viz., that the world has different standards when it comes to the killing of Asians and Europeans. If there is any further evidence needed to demonstrate that the international order is crumbling and that 'might is again becoming right', one has only to look at the recent conflict provoked by Pakistan, which the West scrambled to end once they found Pakistan was the loser. A crucial 'sub-text' to how bigger nations intervene to end a conflict between smaller entities is also now becoming available. For instance, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bartered his critical mineral resources to gain U.S. support in the war against Russia. In the Pakistan context, it is now being surmised that U.S. interest in claiming to having brought peace between Pakistan and India (notwithstanding denial by the latter) stems from U.S. interest in Pakistan's store of critical minerals, such as lithium, copper and rare earths. Also, intrinsic to this is the fact that the military in Pakistan, which is and has been, the critical player in the regional sweepstakes, is unlikely to forget the U.S. President's 'gesture' even if there is little substance to his claims. Peace in the subcontinent is the major casualty today, and not solely because of the short (recent) India-Pakistan conflict. India, and the region itself today, confronts a military Pakistan which has shed the cloak of democracy and is today a virtual military dictatorship. It has a titular civilian Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who is standing in for his brother (Nawaz Sheriff), who is legally constrained from holding an electoral office. More important, the government is 'in hock' to the army, and the latter after having denied Imran Khan an opportunity to contest elections, is now showing its true colours. A few weeks ago, Pakistan's current Chief of Army Staff, Gen., now Field Marshal, Asim Munir proclaimed that Pakistan is not a democracy, but a religious entity. He went on to say that in the history of humanity, there had been only two states based on the 'Kalima'. The first was the Riyasat-e-medina. The second, 1,300 years later, was Pakistan. He added that 'Pakistan is different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life — religion, custom, tradition, thoughts and ambitions' and that 'Kashmir was the jugular vein'. The rest is history — a future in which further conflicts should be anticipated. What to expect next It might, hence, be useful to surmise what one might expect from the recent India-Pakistan conflict. It is certain that there will be a recrudescence of religious nationalism, not only in Pakistan, but across parts of South and West Asia. Next, is the impact of the technological revolution — limited though the conflict might have been. The conflict has demonstrated the criticality of ensuring 'escalation dominance' in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, one should view the recent conflict as a kind of 'proxy conflict' between hi-tech military suppliers on either side. Each has been more anxious than the other to know how their equipment performed — the Rafale versus China's J-10C, for instance — hoping to find better answers to their respective electronic signatures during future operations. Also, India and Pakistan have demonstrated their ability to flood the heavens with inexpensive expendable reconnaissance and strike vehicles. Above all, there is a realisation that there is more to drones' warfare than was known till date. Reams have been written about Pakistan's use of Turkish Songer drones and China's J-10C during the recent conflict. India is said to have responded by using Kamikaze drones and the like. What is evident from all this is that air defence today involves several multi-layered air defence systems. Unproven, however, is whether Pakistan could integrate a Pakistani ground radar illuminating an Indian target enabling a Chinese J-10C fighter to launch its missile to hit its target as both China and Pakistan propaganda make out. The latter is solely in the realm of speculation — essentially by Pakistan and China — though what comes out loud and clear is the versatility of airborne early warning systems and the kind of system integration in place. All this has brought a new dimension to airborne warfare. Today's 'noise' is, hence, all about air-to-air engagement, with speculation being rife as to whether Chinese-origin weapon and air defence mechanisms have the measure of India's Rafale fighters and Western equipment. To equipment manufacturers, it is the effectiveness of the 'kill chain' that matters, or is more important, than the capabilities of specific fighters. What is, however, proven is that the Aakash Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile alongside Russia's S-400 and the Barak (jointly developed with Israel) provided India with more than adequate cover. India possibly did not need to employ or demonstrate its ultimate weapon, the Brahmos (jointly developed with Russia). Pakistan clearly has no answer to it. Both sides did, however, show an improved capability for electronic counter-counter measures to penetrate enemy jamming and evasion tactics. Technological warfare of the future The conflict, however, demonstrated in no uncertain terms that future wars will essentially be technological in nature. Technological dominance and the speed with which escalation takes place will dictate the course of future wars. Currently, India has an edge over Pakistan as far as escalation dominance is concerned, but this need not always be the case. It is also important to remember that in a fragmented, multipolar, geopolitical environment, there will be little scope or time for imposing restraint on a party, once a major conflict begins. Arms control agreements also may have little relevance in future wars. Worse, it is already the best known secret that new nuclear warheads and cruise missiles are being designed and kept in readiness for use. The realisation needs to dawn that the nuclear threshold is narrowing rapidly. It is germane to mention here that while India's position on land, sea, and air is more than adequate to deal with a Pakistan, the situation could alter in the event of a two-front war involving both China and Pakistan. In such a situation, India will need to balance the combined capabilities of Pakistan and China and this will throw up some neglected aspects such as India's lack of a dedicated satellite system and satellite-based surveillance network. It bears repetition that modern warfare increasingly depends on space-based assets to act as an early warning system and for a variety of tasks, apart from tracking and communication. This lacuna will need to be overcome in real time before the next outbreak of a major conflict, whether with Pakistan, China, or any other country, occurs. To reiterate, India cannot afford to overlook its inadequacies as far as space-based capabilities are concerned. Space is the new domain of warfare, and India must be fully prepared for this eventuality. M.K. Narayanan, former Director, Intelligence Bureau; former National Security Adviser; and former Governor of West Bengal
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Macron warns the West could lose credibility over Ukraine and Gaza wars
France's President Emmanuel Macron warned the US and Europe risked losing their credibility and being accused of "double standards" if they do not resolve the wars in Ukraine and Gaza soon. He also appealed to Asian countries to build a new alliance with Europe to ensure they do not become "collateral damage" in the struggle for power between the US and China. Macron was speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual high-level Asia defence summit held in Singapore. Among the guests listening were US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as top military officials from the region. Macron pointed out that if Russia could take Ukrainian territory "without any restrictions, without any constraints… what could happen in Taiwan? What will you do the day something happens in the Philippines?" "What is at stake in Ukraine is our common credibility, that we are still able to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty of people," he said. "No double standards." Many in Asia worry of instability in the region should China attempt to forcibly "reunify" with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. China has also increasingly clashed with the Philippines over competing claims in the South China Sea. Macron later answered a question posed by the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner on Europe's military role in Asia while a full-scale war was still raging on the continent. "If both the US and Europeans are unable to fix in the short term the Ukrainian situation, I think the credibility of both the US and Europeans pretending to fix any crisis in this region would be very low," the French leader said. US President Donald Trump has put increasing pressure on both Russia and Ukraine's leaders to end the war, and has appeared to give Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline. Trump has also previously berated Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and accused him of being "not ready for peace". Macron also made his point about double standards on the war in Gaza, acknowledging there was a perception the West has given a "free pass" to Israel. He stressed the importance of working towards a ceasefire and mutual recognition of a Palestinian state, saying: "If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we kill our own credibility in the rest of the world." In recent weeks, European leaders have criticised Israel's attacks for exacerbating the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza. Macron has moved closer to signalling recognition of a Palestinian state. Next month, France will co-host with Saudi Arabia a conference at the UN aimed at laying out a roadmap for a two-state solution. He has been fiercely criticised by Israel, with the foreign ministry on Friday saying: "Instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state." Last week, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also launched a blistering attack on Macron and the leaders of Canada and the UK, accusing them of effectively siding with Hamas and being "on the wrong side of humanity". Meanwhile the US has worked with Israel to table a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, while creating a much-criticised aid distribution model in Gaza. Macron also used his speech on Friday to sell his vision of "strategic autonomy", where countries protect their interests while also working closely together to uphold a rules-based global order not dominated by superpowers. He touted France as an example of being friends with both the US and China while guarding its own sovereignty, and said this model could form the basis of a new alliance between Europe and Asia. "We want to co-operate but we don't want to depend... we don't want to be instructed on a daily basis on what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life can change because of a decision by a single person," he said, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Trump or Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also made references to Trump's global tariffs and allies' uncertainty of the US's security commitments, saying: "We cannot just remain seated and say… what do we do with tariffs, okay we are not so sure that we have the full-fledged guarantee in the existing alliance, what do we do?" "We want to act, we want to preserve our stability and our peace and our prosperity," he said, calling for a "positive new alliance between Europe and Asia" where they would ensure "our countries are not collateral damage of the imbalances linked to the choices made by the superpowers". He noted that both Europe and Asia's challenges were increasingly intertwined, and referenced the Ukraine war again where North Korea has been aiding Russia's efforts with thousands of its troops. Macron said that in the past he had objected to the Western alliance Nato having a role in Asia, "because I don't want to be involved with someone else's strategic rivalry". "But what's happening with North Korea being present alongside Russia on European soil is a big question for all of us," he said. "So this is why if China doesn't want Nato involved in South-East Asia or Asia, they should prevent clearly [North Korea] from being engaged on European soil." Mathieu Duchatel, director of international studies at the Paris-based think tank Institut Montaigne, said Macron's comments on credibility had "implied criticism of the US's Middle East policy, and a direct call on the US to adjust its diplomacy towards Russia". Observers agree China would likely be angered by Macron's speech, with Dr Duchatel noting the French leader's comments on Taiwan were "the furthest he has gone" on the issue. Some parts of Asia may welcome Macron's message on strategic autonomy given their anxieties about choosing between the US and China, said Andrew Small, senior fellow of the Asia-Pacific programme of Washington-based think tank GMF. "His argument is that most of the rest of the world does not want to be stuck with this dichotomy and wants to hold together some version of global order - that's what a number of states in Asia would agree," he said. Among several European and Asian states, Dr Small said, there was "genuine concern about how China will interpret a Russian victory" in Ukraine, while "the Trump administration takes a different view and is trying to make the case that there is no read across". He added that Macron's mention of the recognition of a Palestinian state - on which France has been leading European efforts - was to signal "we are moving on this".
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Smartest strategy for boycotting nations
Boycotting is part of our national duty as (moderately) responsible citizens. We announce how we shall forgo doing any business with a country that has been anything less than respectful to India. Unlike boycotting businesses that have irked us - whether movies or retail brands - doing the same to countries wholesale has a certain heft and sense of unanimity to it. Whether it's Turkiye or Colombia, or any other country that has chosen the 'wrong side' less ambiguously than, say, Russia and the US, spurning these nations teaches them a lesson - and gives us a heady rush for doing something for our country. But now we need a strategy. Starting with shunning nations that treat us as if we don't Liechtenstein. Has any Liechtensteiner ever praised India? We didn't think so. Boycott it. Next up, Tuvalu. What is Tuvalu? A collection of atolls floating somewhere in the Pacific. Has it contributed to our ancient wisdom, economic progress or cricket tournaments? Hard no. Gone. Andorra? That tax haven for Europeans trying to avoid scrutiny. If we wanted tax havens - which, um, we don't - we'd just use Mauritius like sensible people. As proud Indians, we must refuse visas, reject imports and deny entry to diplomats from these nations. Boycotting countries that we don't ever deal with is the least we can do to show we stand with India.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hiring Kekalainen Gives Sabres A Draft Guru (And Potentially Their Next GM)
The fire underneath Kevyn Adams' chair just got a little hotter. The Buffalo Sabres announced they have hired Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor, serving to GM Kevyn Adams. The two executives will be working side-by-side in an effort to get the Sabres back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, as they pushed their drought to 14 straight seasons without a playoff berth. However, if things don't change fast for the Sabres, Adams could be looking at his next successor. Advertisement Kekalainen was a long-time GM for the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2013 to 2024. Following his dismissal in February 2024, he has served as a senior advisor for Liiga's HIFK in Finland. Bringing in Kekalainen gives Adams an extra set of experienced set of hands on the steering when it comes to managing his team, specifically for the upcoming draft where the Sabres have the ninth overall pick. Kekalainen, who with Columbus drafted Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli in the first round, has a track record of unearthing late-round gems, specifically Europeans. With the Blue Jackets, he also drafted Oliver Bjorkstrand, Vladislav Gavrikov, Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzlikins, Dmitry Voronkov, and several others who were selected outside the first round. With Buffalo looking to take the next step and get into the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if the Sabres keep their first-round pick or try and package it in a trade for a player who can help the team right now. Further to that, the team will be looking to add significant players in free agency, with Jarmo also has plenty of experience, having convinced Johnny Gaudreau in 2022 to sign in Columbus over the New York Islanders and other destinations. Opinion: Johnny Gaudreau Signing with the Blue Jackets Over Devils and Flyers Looks Like a Big Mistake Opinion: Johnny Gaudreau Signing with the Blue Jackets Over Devils and Flyers Looks Like a Big Mistake Johnny Gaudreau likely didn't expect the Columbus Blue Jackets to be this low in the NHL standings when he signed a seven-year deal. Should they consider a trade? Advertisement 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said in a statement. 'I spoke with a number of candidates about this role and it's clear to me that Jarmo is a perfect fit for our team. I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff,' the Sabres GM added. After his playing days, Kekalainen became a European scout for the Ottawa Senators for four seasons, before being promoted to the Director of Player Personnel. Later, with the St. Louis Blues, he became the Director of Amateur Scouting and eventually the assistant GM. Why Marner To Buffalo Is A Non-Starter Why Marner To Buffalo Is A Non-Starter The Buffalo Sabres have reached the highest level of hockey ignominity with their playoff drought extending to 14 seasons, but after strong statements regarding potential organizational changes last month at their season-ending press conferences, there have been only rumors of possible managerial and coaching shakeups. Advertisement In addition to Kekalainen being an asset for Adams, he could be a threat, too. Adams has been Buffalo's GM for the last five seasons, and they are yet to get a sniff of the playoffs or gradual improvement. With Kekalainen's experience and history, if the Sabres part ways with Adams in the future, the Finnish executive could be the next man up.
Saba Yemen
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Macron: If we abandon Gaza, let Israel do whatever it wants, we will lose our credibility
Singapore - Saba: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that "if we abandon Gaza and let Israel do whatever it wants, we will lose our credibility." The French president's remarks came at the opening of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's largest defense and security forum. In previous statements, Macron considered recognizing a Palestinian state not "just a moral obligation, but a political demand." Macron said that Europeans must "toughen up our collective stance" toward Israel, especially if it does not provide a response that meets the humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip in the coming hours and days. He added that in this case, the European Union should "implement its regulations and impose sanctions," referring to the partnership agreement between the 27 member states and Israel, which the bloc intends to review. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
