Tuesday, January 5, 2016

[Editorial # 33] Time for a national security doctrine : The Hindu

[Following editorial has been published in The Hindu on 5th January 2016. Read through it and try to answer the questions that follow. Please do not copy and paste answers. The objective of this exercise is to get you in the groove of answer -writing. Try to write in your own words. Don't hesitate to write in a bulleted-format, if you are uncomfortable in writing in paragraph form.]
By restarting dialogue with Pakistan and acting with diplomatic restraint following the Pathankot attack, the Narendra Modi government has wisely differentiated between the Pakistan government and non-state actors. The challenge thrown up by the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air force base is to evolve India’s national security doctrine to include its response to non-state actors. While carrying on diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, India needs a firm strategy to deal with terrorist threats that are now the prime challenge to the state. Political consensus must be evolved, in a publicly transparent manner, to reflect the complex challenge facing the country, detail its thresholds, interests that would be protected at any cost and response calibration vis-à-vis armed aggression. The doctrine must be accompanied by a national security strategy that spells out the command and control structures for meeting eventualities such as terror strikes, so that last-minute goof-ups such as those that have been evident at the Pathankot airbase are not repeated. In the absence of such a clearly articulated consensus, India’s response is qualitatively linked to the government of the day, its key leaders and their personal ability, or inability, to understand and appreciate security challenges.
The proposed security doctrine must be anchored in the foundational values of the Constitution. India enjoys Westphalian sovereignty, which grants it exclusive right to its domestic affairs and security but also comes with a huge bundle of responsibilities. India still has no written national security doctrine, and whatever is practised as the doctrine, and strategy, is vastly inadequate. The political class across the spectrum needs to come together to define India’s permanent interests. It is time to move on from the unwritten grand strategy of working only towards the political unity and preservation of India to a written doctrine that defines India’s role in the world and its commitment to protecting the life, liberty and interests of its people. After every terrorist attack, there are shallow attempts by the establishment to fit episodic responses into academic frameworks and proposals for security establishment reforms, but in no time things go back to default mode, until the next terrorist attack. The recurring terrorist attacks are not just a humiliation for the country but also a nightmare that is repeatedly disrupting daily routines and taking away precious lives. The very foundations of India’s security establishment need to be reformed if a robust national security doctrine is to be implemented. The intelligence agencies are cloaked in mystery, and with no credible external audit. Given the opacity of these agencies, intelligence alerts often emerge that have no credibility. In the process, credible intelligence inputs, such as the one about Pathankot, are not treated with enough seriousness. The agencies that are to provide security cover and neutralise terrorist threats do not have a cohesive command and control structure. It varies according to who is in control in New Delhi. It is time to finally show that India can be more than a functional anarchy.
Questions:
1. What do you mean by non-state actors? Explain with examples?
2. Why is the editor emphasising on the need of a National Security Doctrine for India? 
3. What is meant by "Intelligence"? How does it help in ensuring national security?
4. What is the intelligence machinery existing in India? What all agencies are working towards intelligence gathering? Name a few international intelligence agencies.
5. What is meant by sovereignty? What is Westphalian Sovereignty? What are the ways in which sovereignty of a nation is breached? Give examples.
6. How does an event like terrorist attack impact the life of citizens of India? 
7. What measures do you suggest to tackle the issue of terrorism being faced by the world in general and Indian in particular?
8. What does the editor mean when he says "the intelligence agencies are cloaked in mystery, and with no credible external audit"?
9. "The very foundations of India’s security establishment need to be reformed if a robust national security doctrine is to be implemented". Comment (200 words)

15 comments:

  1. 1. What do you mean by non-state actors? Explain with examples?
    A.Those actors that doesnot represent the state but play a significant role on international platform are called non-state actors.
    for instance :NGO'S they play a role of promoting interests of the people and focus more on social , environmental aspects. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL- is an NGO with obective of preventing grave crimes against humanity and to seek compensation for the victims.
    GREEN PEACE: NGO Working to protect and improve environment

    MNCs:- WIPRO, TCS etc are also non-state actors who can influence the policies of the govt.
    INTERNATIONAL MEDIA:- BBC, ALJAJEERA,
    violent non state actors:- these are armed groups like alqeda, ISIS etc doesnot represent state but play significant role in international politics.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2. Why is the editor emphasising on the need of a National Security Doctrine for India?
    A. Doctrine galvanise the principles of state . Since India is facing challengers from neighbours on security issues like terrorist attacks, cross border exchanges across the boundaries both with india and china.
    However, being a developing nation which is ready to take off across all metrics interms of GDP, DEVELOPMENT,etc to name a few, there is a crying need of lucid policies in foreign relations.

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  3. 3. What is meant by "Intelligence"? How does it help in ensuring national security?
    A.the ability to perceive information, and retain it as knowledge .
    Intelligence helps in predicting the future events through the inputs gathering .Thus, any activities against the national interest can be halted.Thus we can ensure national security.

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  4. 4. What is the intelligence machinery existing in India? What all agencies are working towards intelligence gathering? Name a few international intelligence agencies.
    A.
    a)for cryptanalysis and encryption of sensitive data-JOINT CIPHER BUREAU
    b)internal intelligence agency-INTELLIGENCE BUREAU
    c)external intellgence agency- RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS WING
    d)technical intelligenc agency-NATIONAL TECHNICAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION.
    e)to fight drug trafficking and abuse of illegal substances-NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU
    f)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. US — Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
      UK — Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
      Israel — Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (Mossad)

      Delete
  5. 5. What is meant by sovereignty? What is Westphalian Sovereignty? What are the ways in which sovereignty of a nation is breached? Give examples.
    A. SOVEREIGNITY means that the state is not dependent on external players in making policies.A sovereign state is that which is not influenced by external entities.

    PEACE OF WESTPHALIAN is the fallout of the 30 years bloody war, the last of the religious war on european continent.The countries SPAIN, FRANCE, GERMAN and SWEDAN agreed on:-
    1.principle of sovereignity of states
    2. principle of equality among the states
    3.principle of non-intervention of one state into others
    The following are the ways in which sovereignity of country is breached:
    MEDIEVAL TIMES:
    colonisation
    imperialism
    ex:- india's colonization by british
    US attack on IRAQ, vietnam etc.

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  6. 6. How does an event like terrorist attack impact the life of citizens of India?
    A. The word terrorism has its origin in french revolution during the "Reign of Terror" where the state is the promoter of terror. Now, there is a paradigm shift in the use of word terror where the non-state actors harbours either for political or religious ideologies.
    ECONOMIC EFFECT:
    with the series of terrorist attacks there will be less investment through the FDI route due to failure of law and order. This reduces the economic activity, hence reduction in the wellbeing of the people.
    Tourism industry will severely be affected . This reduces the FOREX reserves.
    SECURITY:
    loss of life and property is the general fallout of any terror attack.
    PSYCHOLOGY:
    there will be inherent fear to move in the public places like parks, restaurants etc.

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  7. 7. What measures do you suggest to tackle the issue of terrorism being faced by the world in general and Indian in particular?
    A. According to FBI:"Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
    WORLD:
    POLITICAL:-GOVTs across the globe have to do away with the unilateral decisions to breach the sovereignity of nation states. However, the resolution in the UNs has to be the prerequisite for any military intervention.
    ECONOMICAL:-
    the roots of the terror financing has to be nipped in the bud. Hence MONEY LAUNDARING has to be ruled out through better implementation of the FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE.
    DEFENCE:-
    There should be an institutionalised mechanism for intelligence sharing across the nations.
    shared intelligence techniques, mechanisms, technology transfer etc are the need of the hour.
    supply of armed weapons to the war torn zones has to be impeded.
    POLITICAL:-
    mainstreaming of the terrorists through education, good health, employment oppurtunities to be provided after implementation of deradicalisation programmes of the governments . Their identity has to be changed and has to be under the supervision of government to avoid the social stigma in the society.
    INDIA:
    NCTC has to be implemented at the earliest
    2. consesus b/w the govt and religious heads has to be achieved to brainwash people about the socialist and humanistic angles in the respective religions.
    3. Families have to be cautious of the youth and their activites as they mmay fall prey to the external entities liKE ISIS as they are geared for recruitment from india.
    4. communal issues across the nation like the dadri killings, ghar vapsi has to be watered down.
    5.principles of nationalism has to be rewritten in patriotic angles without compromising rationality.
    ADMINISTRATIVE MEASUERS:
    police dept:

    1. police to pupil ratio has to be improved
    2. sensitizing the police is the need of hour
    3.equip the department with tech enabled services
    INTELLIGENCE:
    NIA, IB, RAW , state governmnets, state police all should be enabled to use the NATGRID for better cooperation and collaboration.
    TECHNOLOGY:
    Personnel has to be trained to meet the forth coming challenges like BIG DATA, INTERET OF THINGS, DARKNET etc.
    expenditure on R&D has to be improved which is not even 1% of GDP
    scientific temper has to be inculcated in all schools, colleges, universities, through incentives and scholarships .

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  8. 8. What does the editor mean when he says "the intelligence agencies are cloaked in mystery, and with no credible external audit"?
    A. There are a large number of agencies since time immemorial which are not under the supervision of any specialized bodies which can open about the reality of the existence and performance of intelligence agencies.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 5. sovereignty means having supreme power or authority. If a state has supreme power or authority to govern itself, govern its jurisdiction without any external threat or without any interference from outside bodies or state it is called Sovereign.

    Westphalian sovereignty: is the principle of international law that each nation state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs and there should be non-interference in another country's domestic affairs and all nations are equal.
    The doctrine is named after the Peace of Westphalia, signed in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War, in which the major continental European states – the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, Sweden and the Dutch Republic – agreed to respect one another's territorial integrity. (Source-Wiki)
    breach of sovereignity:
    * 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008 is indeed an attack on Indian sovereignity.
    * recent Pathankot airbase attack by terrorist is the breach of sovereignity of India.
    * the military action in killing the militants inside the borders of neighbouring Myanmar by Indian Army is the breach of Myanmar Soverignity.
    * 2003 invasion of Iraq by US was the breach of Soverignity.

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  10. 9. A national security doctrine serves as a guide by which leaders conduct the foreign policy of a country. At its most effective, a national security doctrine is the organizing principle that helps statesmen identify and prioritize that country’s geopolitical interests.”
    “A country’s national security policy is determined by many factors, including external threats, geography, political culture, military capabilities, economic needs, elite opinion, popular opinion (in democracies) and its leaders’ perceptions of the country’s interests.

    The National Policy Doctrine of the US has always found expression in its Foreign Policy Doctrines. These Doctrines have changed from time to time according to that country’s national concerns and national outlook towards the political world.

    Iran in our neighbourhood has based its national security doctrine on the basis of its reading of its strategic geopolitical location.
    When we talk of India’s National Security Doctrine in the present context, it must encompass the totality of this country’s military, diplomatic, economic and social policies that will protect and promote this country’s national security interests. Its Security Doctrine has to aim at warding off all tendencies that undermine its status as a nation and ensure its global status by consolidating its software and hardware capabilities.

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  11. 1. What do you mean by non-state actors? Explain with examples?
    These are non-state and non-institutional organisations that has power to influence and cause a change on the domestic as well as international subject matters.

    ex:
    i. NGOs (Civil Societies) such as Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (won noble peace-2016).
    ii. ISIS, Al-Qaeda and LeT etc,
    iii. MNCs
    iv. Media

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  12. 2. Why is the editor emphasizing on the need of a National Security Doctrine for India?
    The security agencies that neutralize and provide security cover in India are not having defined structure of co-ordination among themselves. It also lacks in controlled structure. As a result, during extreme events like terror attacks, the effectiveness of the counter operations are being at the risk of individual caliber of the officers and executive body. Many times it is costing India very adversely interms of casualties and injuries to the security personal as well as normal civilians.

    It is in these circumstances, the editor is emphasizing need for National Security Doctrine to combat the terrorist attacks efficiently and to reduce the Nation's losses.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 3. What is meant by "Intelligence"? How does it help in ensuring national security?
    Intelligence is the information that is collected and processed from various sources related to national security and other national interests.

    Timely inputs from Intelligence agencies can help security agencies to prepare for any extreme events and also to minimize the losses.
    ex:
    i. Arrest of Yasin Batkal was based on intelligence report which helped to arrest some more terrorists,
    ii. Intelligence report about the terrorist entrance at Pathankot has helped the security forces to be prepared and corner them outside the Air Base itself.

    ReplyDelete