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Right from the Himalayan hermit kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan to the island and archipelago countries of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the sheer variety of South Asia not only in geographic terms, but also in terms of culture, language and tradition is unparalleled. A wide array of religious beliefs existing in the region alongside distinctive mind-sets, tend to differentiate the countries that make up South Asia. The divisions however, of the region among countries are not the same as the divisions among cultures/religions. This book titled: Transforming South Asia: Imperatives for Action is the outcome of serious deliberations among well-known scholars, diplomats and policymakers at the Third Conference of the Asian Relations Conference Series organized by Indian Council of World Affairs in collaboration with Association of Asia Scholars in March 2012. Papers presented in the conference were thoroughly revised before publication and editors acknowledge with gratitude these insightful contributions. Most contributors to this volume believe in the pertinence of regional integration amongst various South Asian nations. Specifically, the volume sheds considerable light on the issue of regionalization and co-operation as tools to achieve the much longed for transformation in South Asia. Experts do not shy away from examining issues of conflict and how border disputes have often marred the positive spirit of regionalization as also other mechanisms of SAARC in its day-to-day functioning. Therefore an effort to present the complex reality objectively is visible. Contributors also underscore India's role in regionalization of South Asia as being far more pragmatic since it has strengthened local synergies, especially at the level of their civil societies.

India-Nepal Relations are unique for reasons ranging from geographical contiguity to intense cultural bonding. We share extensive institutional and social relationships. Cultural, economic and geographical factors as well as the common bond of a shared religion have had a great influence on bilateral relations. Despite some turbulence, India-Nepal relations have remained close, stable and mutually beneficial. And yet, as two sovereign nations, both India and Nepal are naturally guided by their national interests in cultural, economic and security issues. In this context a comprehensive analysis of the Indo-Nepal relations with their domestic determinants is of immense importance. The objective of this collection of essays is to provide a detailed analysis of the legal complexities that exist between Nepal and India and to analyse the major problems from an international legal perspective. It is hoped that this volume will fill the significant gap that exists in the literature on this subject, which is devoted more to political and economic issues than to legal ones. There is virtually no work which thoroughly examines the major international legal issues relating to Indo-Nepal relations.

While the strategic dynamics in the IOR are complex and involve many powers there is little doubt that the "strategic triangle" involving the US, China and India is one of the key traditional security issues facing the IOR. Given Sri Lanka's geopolitically significant location in the IOR this strategic triangle is bound to have an impact on its national interests and security. The central questions raised by this volume are the following: 1) What are the prospects of competition and cooperation within the strategic triangle? 2) What structure or pattern will the triangular relations assume? 3) How can stability be maintained in the triangular relationship in the interest of peace in the IOR? and 4) What would be the impact of this strategic triangle on a small country such as Sri Lanka situated in a geopolitically significant location in the IOR? The dynamics of the US-China-India strategic triangle in the IOR will be complicated, containing elements of both competition and cooperation. The research contained in the substantive chapters of this volume present a multiplicity of views on the possible patterns that the strategic triangle can assume. Based on Harry Harding's typology of the strategic triangle in international affairs, these include: one mediating the conflict between the other two; two-against-one; and all-working-together. The multiplicity of patterns that the strategic triangle could assume indicate that there is likely to be considerable fluctuation in its structure. What is important in maintaining stability is that the competition is not allowed to become unmanageable, and the fostering of cooperation based on common interests. The US-China-India strategic triangle poses Sri Lanka as a country situated in a geopolitically significant location in the IOR with both challenges and opportunities. The most fundamental challenge is posed by the tendency of each of these three major powers to subordinate Sri Lanka to their grand strategic objectives and interaction with each other. The fundamental opportunity presented to Sri Lanka by the strategic triangle is that of using its geopolitical importance to each of these three major powers by virtue of its location in the IOR to its own advantage in a way that best serves its national interests.

Unmanned aerial systems, popularly known as drones, have been in the news for all sorts of reasons-good and bad. The media has focussed equally on them for their use in hunting down terrorists and quickly eliminating them, as also for the inadvertent killing of innocent civilians and collateral damage to private property. Infringement of sovereignty is another pertinent area of international concern. Though historically associated with military missions, drones are increasingly proving their utility for internal security and disaster management. Lately, civilian and commercial uses are also proliferating. Indeed, drones have truly become a versatile flying platform. As an aerial machine, drones have started encroaching upon the common-user air space and are striving to integrate their operations with manned military aircraft and civil airliners. The problems of air traffic management and compliance of safety measures are formidable while civil and commercial uses infringe upon personal privacy and property rights. Third-party liability is another important issue for settlement. Comprehensive regulations to handle incumbent problems are not yet in place even as drones are racing ahead in technological development and operational mandates. This book will find interested audience among managers of aviation and air space, as well as persons from the Air Forces worldwide. It will also be of relevance to practising lawyers on air litigation, scholars of air law, as well as the aware layman.

This is an explosive and topical book about the one threat that is exercising the minds of security planners the world over - the looming threat from a rising and increasingly assertive China. China is emerging as a global superpower and a regional hegemon. Its economy that grew at a scorching, double-digit pace for two decades is now slowing down. What does the current phase of Chinese aggression against all its neighbours signify? Will China engage in conflict? if so when and where could that conflict occur? This book is a structured net assessment of China's military power by a reputed and well-known Indian military analyst. The growth of Chinese military power has been examined with emphasis on how it primarily affects India. The book analyses how India must respond. It has an exhaustively researched section on how the Chinese PLA has performed in actual combat since 1949, and a detailed analysis of the evolution of China's military doctrines and strategic culture. With this as a backdrop, there is a detailed chapter each on the structure and modernisation of the PLA, the PLAN and PLAAF. The most dangerous for India is the exponential growth in the Chinese Airpower (PLAAF). China has already changed Asia's balance of power. The Gulf War in 1990 had shown to China how backward it was in terms of military technology and weaponry. A radical transformation in Chinese military thought and practice led to a transformation towards introduction and absorption of latest technology. This has been accompanied by a ruthless reduction in manpower. The dynamic unleashed by the Chinese has prompted the biggest military buildup in Asia since World War II. China's nuclear force structure and employment doctrines as well as its military industrial complex are examined and the strength and Chinese weaknesses underlined. The crux of this book lies in the concluding chapters on Alternative Economic and Military Futures for China. Whether China will engage in conflict is not so much a question of "if" but "when". It will largely be dictated by the performance of the Chinese economy. China will initiate a conflict when it feels its Comprehensive National Power (CNP) has become sufficiently strong in relative terms. This could well happen by the middle of the next decade, i.e. 2025. This book is a must read for military professionals and laymen alike.

What are the implications of a rapidly rising China for India, and the rest of the world? How will the Sino-Indian relations unfold in the future? What are India's options? These questions were addressed in our first volume published in 2010 by writers who included former senior civil servants, academicians, and military experts. Continuing the effort are writers to the second volume, and we are sure that their findings will be useful to the policy planners as well as the research scholars both in the country and abroad.The scholars of the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), a non-profit public policy think tank in Chennai devoted exclusively to China Studies, focus on analysis of contemporary economic, political, strategic, and international issues relating to China. Its website www.c3sindia.org provides a forum for specialists in India and abroad to closely examine the relevant issues.