Gunners Shot

Lt Gen Satish Dua , Aadi and I got together on the latest edition of the Generals Talk after a long time. We discussed that in the prevailing geopolitical situation, India ia emerging to be a pivotal power. Very reassuringly, today I saw that Mr Shyam Saran had penned a similar article in the New Indian Express on India's Opportunities. and factors which favour its progress.  This talk and that article resonate.  It is time that our strategic community gives more attention to this issue and stop being self deprecative. We need to think positive and move resolutely forward.  

If you have not read the first two parts please read them before proceeding further. It will enable you to understand the context of this article from the larger perspective. .  1 - Preamble to the Wobble Please Click Here Part 2 - The Cobbles in the Wobble Please Click here Part 3 – An Analysis of The Hobbles of the  Wobble   In China,  politics is supreme,  above all other considerations. CCP has to remain in absolute power without any semblance of competition. Xi Jinping will do anything to stay in power for life. His USP has been back to Maoist ideas and he is taking China there. The period of capitalism with or without Chinese principles is definitely over. The cobbles of capitalism were only a stepping stone to common prosperity prior to entering a state of  total socialism. The cornerstones of the new China will be  ideology, nationalism, populism, self-sufficiency, and security. The indication that CCP will be in total contr...

AUKUS is the new alignment on the block. It is clearly meant for containment of China. In this context, what is the role and relevance of QUAD. That is what Aadi ands I have a discussion on. This discussion is a sequel to my article  where I have argued that QUAD and AUKUS are two sides of the same coin.   

  HAPPY GUNNERS DAY We Gunners Live By Our Guns And Die By Them To Pakistanis : Don’t tempt an Indian Gunner. He will send you to the same fate which your predecessors met in Kargil.  To Chinese : Ask the Pakistanis.       Recently, General Bipin Rawat, our CDS spoke of the necessity of Rocket Forces for India.  There are follow up articles which have appeared and suggested that India should have a Rocket Force. While it is a futuristic thought, it is also a nascent thought and it needs to be developed logically and taken to its final conclusion. One must also understand the conditions, implications and consequences of a Rocket Force. However it is a welcome thought that the nation has started thinking differently from its traditional mindset. It needs in depth thought.    Coincidentally,  a few months back I was approached by Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam (R) to write a chapter on ‘Firepower in the Indian Context’ as part...

  Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Divergent Convergence of QUAD and AUKUS  Original article @ Bharatshakti.in September 26, 2021 ; By:  Lt Gen P R Shankar (Retd)     Print   Email Editor’s Note AUKUS has raised quite a storm of divergent debates. Is AUKUS going to make a dent in QUAD’s importance? Or, would it enhance QUAD’s potential? There’s quite a maze to be navigating through. The article expands on the strategic, diplomatic and economic aspects of the AUKUS –QUAD equation to arrive at the relationship between the two. ……………………………………………………………………………. he announcement of the new trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) has created ripples across and beyond the Indo-Pacific. The AUKUS has triggered many epitaphs for the QUAD. Trigger happy analysts, diplomats, thinkers and some journalists have pronounced that – AUKUS spells the death of QUAD, QUAD has become irrelevant, AUKUS  has dimin...

Part 1 - The Preamble to the Wobble  If you have not read the first part please read it before proceeding further. it will enable you to understand the context of this article from the larger perspective. .    click here for Part 1 Part 2- The Cobbles in the Wobble   China has once again banned all crypto transactions and crypto mining, hitting bitcoin and other major coins.  This is yet another ban since 2019, in one of the world's largest crypto-currency markets. The difference this time seems to be the extent of involvement of all state agencies. The official statement is that the current ban is a resolute  clamp down on virtual currency speculation, and related financial activities and misbehaviour in order to safeguard people's properties and maintain economic, financial and social order. The reaction in social media is that ‘there is a degree of panic in the air’. Is the Government preparing the political ground for the fall of Evergrande and its ensu...

 Part 1- The Preamble to the Wobble Last year China was seen to be displacing USA as the undisputed global power.  It was the only large economy booming during the pandemic. It had declared victory over the Virus.  Militarily it was threatening against India and assertive in the South China Sea was. Hong Kong was swallowed into One China. Chinese Wolf Warriors were baying from all capitals. The Yuan was staking to be the reserve currency of Mother Earth. Xi Jinping was stridently proclaiming preponement of all timelines for ‘Rejuvenation of the Chinese Dream’ aka ‘Superpower Status’. The world seemed to be a Chinese oyster. We prepared to live with Super Power China as USA seemed to be declining. In the past Xi Jinping wore a suit and tie as against the Mao coat he is seen wearing these days. His talks are all about ‘Common Prosperity’ offlate. The news is all about Chinese crackdown/bailouts  on Fin Tech, Ed Tech, Real Estate, Entertainment , Gaming, ...