South Asia Defence And Strategic Year Book 2009

The third edition of the South Asia Defence and Strategic Year Book offers an analysis of defence, economic and social issues that impact regional security in South Asia. The wide ranging perspectives give a deep insight into the factors and linkages that impact the emerging international relations of the region, with particular emphasis on India which is an economic, military and political powerhouse with an expanding footprint in the World. South Asia is a region that is rife with geopolitics. By virtue of its population and location, it is a reflection of the challenges of the interconnected, integrated and interdependent world. Its security environment is relatively unsettled and is a reason for both hope and despair. Its issues, which have international as well as regional relevance, have their own dynamics and trends that need a deeper understanding. The Year Book aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the security environment in the region by focusing on an in-depth analysis of military capabilities and strategic imperatives obtaining in the region. Apart from outlining the general security environment, detailed military balance, trends in weapon systems and technology, defence industry, missile and nuclear capabilities and terrorism issues have been highlighted. Growing strategic linkages and independence of nation states make it imperative to consider the region as a whole to incorporate a holistic approach. The Year Book also contains studies on China and other Southeast Asian nations to that effect. Thus the underlying theme of this publication is to enable 'understanding through information'. While the threat of terrorism remains at the forefront of most analyses, the move towards popular and democratically elected governments in South Asia has not eclipsed the existing challenges to governance in all the countries of the region. Poverty and economic disparities, coupled with ethic and social divisions, have created political and social fault lines that have been exploited by non-state actors with their own agendas. Thus we hope to promote peace through understanding by delineating the issues of concern in the region.

Pentagon's South Asia Defence and Strategic Yearbook is now in its fourth year of publication. It covers relevant issues of defence and security, military affairs and military technology written by experts and academicians themselves. These issues are important for defence services, foreign ministers and security experts spread among defence units, strategic think-tanks, government organisations / public sector units, national and international technology manufacturers and diplomats and bureaucrats. The book has been extremely well received and its circulation has grown tremendously in the last three years. It has been regularly reviewed in the USI Journal and other reputed journals and magazines. As The Book Review has commented: "In comparison to the other yearbooks, this book stands out due to the well documented opinion peices by the experienced people from the armed forces, think tanks and academics. It creats a space for dialogue on important topics..."

South Asia's complex geopolitical realities present a number of challenges to regional countries and dominate the discourse. Likewise, there are complex geostrategic issues which inhibit regional cooperation and add to trust-deficit. This 2008 volume captures the perspectives of experts and scholars on South Asia who offer insights of the region.

Launched in 1991, the Asian Yearbook of International Law is a major internationally-refereed yearbook dedicated to international legal issues as seen primarily from an Asian perspective. It is published under the auspices of the Foundation for the Development of International Law in Asia (DILA) in collaboration with DILA-Korea, the Secretariat of DILA, in South Korea. When it was launched, the Yearbook was the first publication of its kind, edited by a team of leading international law scholars from across Asia. It provides a forum for the publication of articles in the field of international law and other Asian international legal topics. The objectives of the Yearbook are two-fold. First, to promote research, study and writing in the field of international law in Asia; and second, to provide an intellectual platform for the discussion and dissemination of Asian views and practices on contemporary international legal issues. Each volume of the Yearbook contains articles and shorter notes; a section on Asian state practice; an overview of the Asian states’ participation in multilateral treaties and succinct analysis of recent international legal developments in Asia; a bibliography that provides information on books, articles, notes, and other materials dealing with international law in Asia; as well as book reviews. This publication is important for anyone working on international law and in Asian studies.