Gunners Shot

The collapse of the ANA, the hasty withdrawal of USA and the rapid gains of Taliban in Afghanistan have major lessons for military and political leadership. ANA lost it completely due to poor motivation and training.  Its leadership was too political, corrupt, and unprofessional. Lesson: Nations cannot afford poorly trained and unprofessional Armed Forces dabbling in politics even if well equipped. The USA is facing yet another major international embarrassment.  Its political and military leadership were on the same page at combat level but on vastly different pages at political level. USA is facing a political defeat rather than a military one. The criss-crossed lines between successive White House administrations, State Department, Pentagon, and CIA, led to gross inaccurate assessment  about the enemy and ground situation. USA has been consistently blind to the fact that Pakistan was its real enemy while it was fighting the Taliban. Lesson:  la...

Let me start by putting the  cart before the horse. Rising China is already an economic superpower. It is flexing diplomatic, technological and military muscles to be the next all-round superpower as analyses about a declining USA abound. However, China itself is  declining. A couple of years back when people spoke of this decline, they were pooh pooed. China was expected to overcome its hurdles effortlessly to become a superpower. When the Chinese Virus broke, everyone seemed crippled against its onslaught. China went from strength to strength. It virtually rewrote the world order and rules as per its aggressive writ. China was a step away from being a superpower. Then subtle changes started.  Demography and the virus turned the tide. Analysts are now  writing  that China has peaked. If China has peaked it will not be a superpower. That is my considered opinion. It is based on an overview of the canvas which has been unfolding in front of all...

Freedom is something that money  can’t buy; it’s the result of the  struggles of many brave hearts. Let us honor them today and always.  🇮🇳Happy Independence Day!🇮🇳 I ndian Armed Forces are required to safeguard India’s national interests which are enshrined in our constitution. These are a. protection of land borders, coastline, island territories and sea lanes from external aggression from land, sea and air b. protection of people and the constitution internally against terrorism, extremism, insurgency and militancy and c. protection of Indians during natural disasters and other war torn contingencies anywhere in the world. On India’s 74th Independence Day, it is necessary to examine if these interests have been achieved in the past and will they be guaranteed to us in future by our Last Bastion - Indian Armed Forces. Also, we need to reflect if our collective aspirations as a rising power are achievable in the context of the prevalent geopolitical environment, it...

This is an interesting discussion with Aadi on Pakistan and its Taliban.  The discussion is largely based on an earlier article written by me - The Sum of Pakistani Wishes    

They say  ‘Be careful of what you wish for. It might come true’! Pakistan keeps boasting that it had defeated a superpower – USSR. Now it is loud mouthing that it is defeating another superpower- USA. Technically, the speed of Taliban advance and the rate of withdrawal from Afghanistan marks it as a US defeat. Pakistan’s wishes are probably coming true. Has Pakistan won again? USA and Pakistan were supposed to be on one side. However, Pakistan and Taliban were also on one side. As are Pakistan and China. Pakistan always defeats its friends to stay relevant. Is it the shape of things to come in future? In defeating USA, has Pakistan defeated itself? As long as USA was around in the area and Taliban were negotiating, Pakistan and China were on free ride. With USA stepping out of the scene, and Taliban making rapid advances into power, things have come to a head. Everyone is scrambling for cover including Taliban. Most of all it is Pakistan which is running around since...

In this video, Aadi and I discuss various hues of the China Pakistan nexus. We trace this nexus from its roots and analyse as to why two ideologically opposite nations have gone to great lengths to forge a relationship. We also analyse this relationship in contemporary times and examine as to how it will affect India. We also analyse the collusivity factor against India.    

    Many call him ‘Im the Dim’, But he is far from that. He is popular for his U-turns and is known as the U Turn Khan. Christine Fair calls him a political IED. It is not a matter of coincidence that     the Prime Minister of the hybrid government of Pakistan is also widely known as the Taliban Khan,. This man must be admired. He is one of the few in Pakistan who has perfected the art of having his toast buttered on both sides (on one side by the Pakistan Army and on the other by the Taliban) and eating it without soiling his pants. Welcome to the world of Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan and his merry brand of ‘Normal’ men in Afghanistan and Pakistan who besides creating mayhem there are poised to rule the country either in a power sharing agreement or in a solo mode. We need to understand this set of dynamics in Pakistan better. We need to understand it better since it is Pakistan which will benefit the most from the Taliban in Afghanistan and it will also get hit the most fr...