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Multipolarity:
The Ultimate Global Reality
-- B
Ramesh Babu
To
be multipolar, i.e., to have multiple centers of power,
is the ultimate and eternal global reality. While, the role
and reach of the dominant power(s) in international politics
varied widely over the centuries, there has never been a
single nation or a bloc that enjoyed uncontested monopoly
of power over the planet. Exercise of power by its very
nature leads to the rise of countervailing centers of power
(at home and/or abroad). Military might has inherent limitations.
It certainly can destroy the enemy in a war, but cannot
necessarily win peace. Iraq is merely the latest testament
to the inadequacy of force. History tells us that power
prevails only when it is restrained by a redeeming social
and moral purpose. The US is certainly the most powerful
power in human history. Unlike the other Super Powers in
the past, America enjoys supremacy in every sector of life.
China, the second most powerful country, is miles behind.
However mighty the US might be, it is not the Almighty!
In today's world, the US is often thwarted in its effort
to "rule" the planet and the outer space. As the
lone Super Power (at its best), America is able to set the
global agenda, but not able to implement it. A variety of
new linkages and cross connections interdicting the legacy
of the Cold War alliances and relationships are emerging
and taking roots, especially since 9/11. An effort is made
here to analyze the contours of the emerging multipolarity
that could possibly define the architecture of the global
power structure in the 21st century.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
The
Limits of Law in an Anarchical Society
--
Harry
Papasotiriou
The
paper analyzes international relations from the perspective
of the anarchical society of sovereign states, according
to which two poles influence the state behavior. The first
pole derives from the societal aspect and creates imperatives
for state behavior according to common international norms,
values, principles and rules, including international law
and institutions. The second pole derives from the anarchical
aspect and creates imperatives for state behavior according
to the need of states to maximize their security and stave
off threats. The influence of these sometimes conflicting
imperatives is shown by an examination of collective security,
the inviolability of borders, the re-emergence of private
warfare, ethnic cleansing and pre-emptive plus preventive
warfare.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Cyber
Warfare and the Dilemmas of International Law
-- Jyotirmoy
Banerjee
Information
Technology (IT) is affecting almost all spheres of life.
Individuals and societies worldwide, have to adjust to its
continuous impact. The military is no exception. Traditional
concepts are increasingly becoming outdated. There arises
the need for new military thinking, dubbed Revolution in
Military Affairs (RMA). The core of RMA is information warfare,
which has various versions and stages such as network-centric
warfare (NCW), knowledge-centric warfare (KCW), etc. Today,
it is entirely possible to `defeat' a militarily powerful
enemy by manipulating its command and control (C2)
information. Since, the defence establishments have come
to depend on computer networks to speedily coordinate commands
to their armed forces and guide "smart weapons"
and a whole array of other tasks, paralyzing or corrupting
their computer data with a successful "cyber attack"
would lead to "defeat" without having a shot fired.
In the light of the above reality, the conventional concepts
of the laws of war turn out to be inadequate. Definitions
of terms , such as "war", "armed conflict",
"use of force" and "attack", need thorough
revision. For instance, it is conceivable that a cyber attack
is launched by civilian experts on the government without
direct involvement. The attack on computers are in the civilian,
even commercial, and private domain. An attack on key targets
such as power supply, transportation, health care, banking
and financial transactions and military C2, would
lead to a catastrophe on an unthinkable scale. It would
be equivalent to consequences unleashed by an attack with
weapons of mass destruction (WMD). But would such an "attack"
qualify as such under International Law? The latter needs
"platform-centric warfare", "kinetics"
(use of traditional force or violence), and engagement of
the military to be activated. In our hypothetical case,
no trace of these indicators are to be found. The need of
the hour, hence, is to switch to "effects-based"
legal concepts.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Tibet
Issue: Continuing Stalemate and International Apathy
-- D
S Rajan
A
solution to the Tibet issue seems to be far away, with the
Chinese side firmly rejecting the Dalai Lama's proposal
for "genuine autonomy" for the region and unambiguously
ruling out any government level negotiations on the subject.
In spite of major concessions including the key question
of Tibet's independence, made by the exiled Tibetan leader,
Beijing considers that the issue itself does not exist,
under the claim that Tibet is already a part of China enjoying
"full regional autonomy". For it, the only issue
that can be discussed is the Dalai Lama's personal future.
Reflecting an increased level of confidence against the
background of its enhanced international status and ability
to integrate Tibet with the mainland through landmark projects
like Qinghai-Tibet railway, Beijing appears to be dragging
its feet on holding further rounds of unofficial dialogue,
the last one having been quite some time ago, i.e., February
2006, perhaps under a premise that the issue would meet
its natural death once the 71-year old Dalai Lama passes
away. International powers including India are proceeding
cautiously on the issue, so as not to jeopardize their strategic
interests while dealing with a rising global power like
China. In such circumstances, the only hope to break the
impasse seems to lie with Beijing, which needs to understand
that rapprochement with the Dalai Lama is essential to achieve
its declared goal of "building harmony" domestically.
Any failure to settle the issue within the lifetime of the
Dalai Lama may, in all probability, go against China's interests,
impacting in an unpredictable manner on Tibetans in China
as well as the exiled community and even on the attitudes
of the world powers in the post-Dalai Lama period.
© 2007 the IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Factoring
Energy Security in India-Africa Relations
-- V
S Sheth
The
fast growing Indian economy is in need of energy resources
especially oil and natural gas. The domestic production
of natural gas has not matched the rising demand of energy
resources. India at present is heavily dependent on Persian
Gulf oil and that of Saudi Arabia to meet its energy requirements.
The heavy dependence on a few countries puts India at the
risk of totally losing oil supply in case of political crises
in those countries. The Gulf war of 1990 and the Iraq war
in recent times are the best examples. The African continent
possesses 17% of the known oil reserves of the world and
has a huge deposit of natural gas. India and African countries
before 1990 collaborated in the South-South framework. The
period after the 1990s has changed the module of cooperation
and activities of Indian private sector companies including
that of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which has
far reaching consequences in building a new cooperative
module with African countries.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
A
Comparison between Communist Networks in the 20th
Century and Islamic Terrorist Networks in the 21st
Century in Southeast Asia
-- Laurent
Metzger
The
world was taken aback by the September 11 terrorist attacks
in New York and Washington. A new threat has appeared but
governments do not know exactly how to deal with it. Maybe,
the past can help us in that matter. As a matter of fact,
it can be noticed that terrorists operate within more or
less organized networks. Earlier on, communists used to
operate along this pattern of networks. As communism has
fallen apart in most of the previous communist countries,
can the method used by governments and police to track down
communist agents and prevent them from taking part in operations
be followed to deal with the terrorist threat? According
to this paper, rather similar features can be observed between
the two kinds of networks and beyond, and the way previous
governments managed to control such networks of the past
could help us devise a new approach to fight terrorist activities
in Southeast Asia.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Book
Review
In
the Line of Fire: A Memoir
-- Author:
Pervez Musharraf Reviewed by Prof. P M Kamath
Normally,
men in power write their memoir soon after they retire from
power. But Pakistan's Military Dictator, Pervez Musharraf
has written his memoir before retirement. Who knows, he
must have had premonitions on impending disaster in his
life, which might not allow him any time to write in leisure
after retirement.
© 2006 Pervez Musharraf. All Rights Reserved. IUP holds the copyright for the review.
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