Strategic direction or drift_ (1)

Ten years after the 26/11 attacks stunned Mumbai and nearly led to a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, the nuclear-armed rivals continue to update and transform their conventional and nuclear military doctrines, postures, and strategies. The past few years, in particular, have seen a range of developments, including speculation that India’s no-first use doctrine may be changing, India’s use of “surgical strikes” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a ten-year high in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, the testing of missiles such as Pakistan’s Nasr and India’s Agni-V, and increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both Indian and Pakistani policymakers and militarily officials. In light of these developments, SAV contributors Joy Mitra, Ali Ahmed, Maimuna Ashraf, and Sannia Abdullah reevaluate whether India and Pakistan are exhibiting strategic direction or drift.

Articles in Collection

Evaluating India and Pakistan’s Strategic Narratives Defense & Security

Evaluating India and Pakistan’s Strategic Narratives

In a recent series for South Asian Voices, two scholars…

India’s Nuclear Doctrine: Strategic Direction or Drift? Nuclear Issues

India’s Nuclear Doctrine: Strategic Direction or Drift?

India’s official nuclear doctrine has remained unchanged since its adoption…

Pakistan’s Consolidating Conventional Deterrence: An Assessment Defense & Security

Pakistan’s Consolidating Conventional Deterrence: An Assessment

Before the overt nuclearization of South Asia in 1998, three…

Pakistan’s Full-Spectrum Deterrence: Trends and Trajectories Nuclear Issues

Pakistan’s Full-Spectrum Deterrence: Trends and Trajectories

Twenty years ago, the government of Pakistan decided to respond…

Strategic Drift: India’s Conventional Military Strategy Lacks Purpose Defense & Security

Strategic Drift: India’s Conventional Military Strategy Lacks Purpose

India’s military threat landscape today consists of territorial and resource-related…