EVENTS

Abstract:

Infrastructural development in the border region could impact in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, it could strengthen regional connectivity, thereby boosting economic linkages at a sub-regional level, which may or may not impact the overall political relations between the countries. The benefits that can accrue to the border regions from trade cannot be overlooked. On the negative side, infrastructural upgradation could raise suspicions, up the ante and accentuate the possibility of a conflict along the border, as has been the case with India and China. Improved infrastructure has a critical role in enabling a nation to apply military power. On the India-China border, there is a clear military imbalance — not just in terms of equipment and forces, but also in terms of the physical infrastructure. An underdeveloped border region has serious consequences for India—the primary one being the inability to deploy forces on time. This could complicate India's options and lead to an unfavourable outcome, particularly in the initial stages of a conflict.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan is Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi. Dr. Rajagopalan joined ORF after an almost five-year stint at the National Security Council Secretariat (2003-2007), where she was an Assistant Director. Prior to joining the NSCS, she was Research Officer at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. She was also a Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute of International Politics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan in early 2012. She is the author of three books: Clashing Titans: Military Strategy and Insecurity Among Asian Great Powers; The Dragon's Fire: Chinese Military Strategy and Its Implications for Asia; and Uncertain Eagle: US Military Strategy in Asia.