Kavita Bapat

Kavita Bapat

India’s Defense Procurement: Part I – The Rough Start

[captionpix align=”right” theme=”elegant” width=”360″ imgsrc=” http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/20110312_WOC327.gif” captiontext=” The world’s biggest defence budgets: The Economist. “] Last month’s announcement of India’s national budget found the country increasing its defense expenditure by 19% with 40% delegated for capital acquisitions. This has put India’s defense spending at the comparatively high figure of approximately $38.5-billion USD. The spending increase comes Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Kavita Bapat

Guatemala: Central America’s Most Tormented Nation II

By: Kavita Bapat The advancements to the drug trade made by the Mexican Zeta cartel in Guatemala have turned the nation into more than just a way station for drugs travelling from Colombia to the US. Guatemala is increasingly becoming a storehouse and staging area for drugs awaiting safe passage into Mexico. Although military rule Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Kavita Bapat

Guatemala: Central America’s Most Tormented Nation

By: Kavita Bapat On 8 December, Mexican police seized 205 tons of drug precursor chemicals at the bustling Lazaro Cardenas port. The chemicals originated in China and were destined for Guatemala’s Puerto Quetzal, one of the world’s busiest intersections for illegal drugs. Guatemala’s position as an interlocking state between Colombia and the US along with Read More…

Asia-Pacific Kavita Bapat

Rebranding Burma

By: Kavita Bapat Friday 18 November marked a decisive shift in Burma’s long-isolated history, as its main opposition leader Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, agreed to rejoin the country’s political system and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the first high-ranking American official to visit the Southeast Asian nation in over 50 years. Read More…

Kavita Bapat

Another Roadmap for Afghanistan

By: Kavita Bapat A decade ago, an international conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, Germany, attempted to plan for the future of the war-torn country. At that time, aspirations for a successful transfer of power in Afghanistan, as well as for security and the development of human rights were spoken about. Amid ongoing uncertainty ten years Read More…

Kavita Bapat Terrorism

Stuck in the Middle with You: Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Indian Nexus

By: Kavita Bapat On 4 October, India and Afghanistan signed a significant partnership pact agreeing to increase cooperation on counterterrorism efforts, the training of security forces, and boosting trade relations. Though the pact is a considerable step forward for the India-Afghanistan nexus, it has raised concerns of antagonizing Pakistan at a decisive juncture in the Read More…

Canada Kavita Bapat NATO and Canada

Canada-NATO Relations, the Future of Afghanistan and its Implications on the Transatlantic Alliance

By: Kavita Bapat In July Canada began the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan after nearly a decade of engagement in the war torn country. In the early days of the Afghan conflict Canada contributed troops to Joint Task Force 2 with the aim of routing out remaining Taliban and al Qaeda forces. In 2003 Read More…

Kavita Bapat Terrorism

Pakistan’s Security Dilemma

By: Kavita Bapat In recent years, Pakistan has faced an internal and external security dilemma concerning an asymmetric balance of power between the nation’s military complex and its government. The Pakistani army is by and large considered the most influential governing national institution and has been steadily increasing its power since the nation’s first military Read More…

Kavita Bapat Terrorism

Pakistan: The New Terror Hotspot

By: Kavita Bapat With the drawdown of NATO troops from Afghanistan this summer, questions have been raised about South Asia’s long-term security and stability. In particular, international concern has shifted towards neighbouring Pakistan, which has quickly become South Asia’s terror capital. Concerns about Pakistan’s security are steadily increasing as more suicide attacks destabilize Pakistan’s major Read More…

Kavita Bapat Terrorism

Mullah Mohammad Omar-Wanted: Alive or Else

By: Kavita Bapat. Taliban leader Mullah Mohamad Omar was a recluse even before the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001. It is therefore no surprise that along with his comrades, he has eluded capture by western coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the past 10 years. Richard Holbrooke, the late US envoy Read More…