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National Security

Published in Association with Vivekananda International Foundation

Current Volume: 9 (2026 )

e-ISSN: 2581-9658

Periodicity: Quarterly

Month(s) of Publication: Mar, Jun, Sep & Dec

Subject: Political Science & International Affairs

DOI: 10.32381/NS

Online access is free for the Research Faculty of VIF

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National Security is a policy-oriented quarterly journal of the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi. It focuses on the principal issues and trends in India’s increasingly complex national and international security environment. The journal carries holistic analysis and informed debates on all aspects of security and has emerged as an important forum for top thinkers, policy experts, and academics from India and abroad. It also aims to meet the needs of an international readership that is increasingly interested in India’s security policies as its role in world affairs grows. Recent issues of the journal have covered a wide variety of vital themes: India’s two-front security challenge, the Indo-Pacific and Quad, developments in China and India-China relations, Pakistan, nuclear doctrine, BIMSTEC, the status of Tibet, defence policy, terrorism, the scientific revolution and security, and nationalism.

ProQuest
Ebsco
Indian Citation Index

 

Editor -in -chief
Arvind Gupta

Director
Vivekananda International Foundation
He served as the Deputy National Security Advisor, Government of India
From 2014-2017 as is also former Director of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi


Editor
Sujit Dutta

Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation,
Professor, Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (retd.)
and M K Gandhi Chair in Peace and Conflict Studies,
Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
Former Senior Fellow, 
Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi


Editorial Committee
Arvind Gupta

Former Deputy National Security Advisor
Postal Address : B-24, IFS Apartment
Mayur Vihar Phase-1
Delhi - 110091


Gautam Banerjee

General Editor
Vivekananda International Foundation
Former Chief of Staff, Central Command
PVSM, AVSM, YSM, Editor


Ravi Sawhney

Center Head and Senior Fellow

National Security and Strategic

Vivekananda International Foundation

Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff

PVSM and AVSM


R. Rajagopalan

Indian Foreign Service (Retd), Former
Ambassador of India to Guyana,
Cuba and Morocco
& Former Managing Editor,
Indian Foreign Affairs Journal


Sudhir Saxena

Senior Fellow,
Vivekananda International Foundation


International Editorial Advisory Council
Andrey Kortunov

Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow


James Jay Carafano

Expert on Military Affairs and U.S. National Security, Vice President
Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, and the E.W. Richardson Fellow
The Heritage Foundation, Washington D.C.


Kanwal Sibal

Former Foreign Secretary, Analyst, Member of the Advisory Council

Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi 


Prabhat Shukla

Former Diplomat, Analyst, Member of the Advisory Council

Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi 


Dilip K. Chakrabarti

Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation Professor Emeritus,
South Asian Archaeology, University of Cambridge


Volume 9 Issue 2 , (Apr-2026 to Jun-2026)

Editor’s Note
Rethinking National Security amidst Global Flux

By: Arvind Gupta

Page No : i-iv

Read Now

Essay
India’s Foreign Policy in a World of Turmoil

By: Anil Wadhwa

Page No : 163-177

Author
Amb. Anil Wadhwa is a Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). He is a former Indian diplomat and Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs. He has served in China, Geneva, Italy and the Hague, among others.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.1

Read Now

Article
U.S. Withdrawal from Multilateral Institutions: Challenge to Viksit Bharat

By: Asoke Mukerji

Page No : 178-193

Abstract
The decision of the United States to withdraw from selected multilateral bodies has a direct impact on India’s reliance on a supportive multilateral framework for achieving its objective of becoming a developed country (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. By withdrawing from major international treaties and multilateral institutions involved in drawing up, and implementing, the sustainable development agenda, the U.S. effectively challenges India’s national priorities in leading through example on its sustainable development goals through international cooperation. This challenge includes repudiating special and differential multilateral legal provisions that anchor the “right to development”, which have enabled India to emerge as a major global economy. By undermining multilateral treaties and institutions, the U.S. seeks to coerce sovereign partner countries into accepting the extra-territorial application of U.S. domestic laws and priorities. Countering this challenge must be a priority for India as it transforms itself into a major power.

Author
Amb. Asoke Mukerji is a Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), New Delhi. He is a former Ambassador of India to the United Nations in New York.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.2

Price: 101

Article
European Perspectives on Indo-EU Relations amidst Global Discord, Power Shift

By: Prem Mahadevan

Page No : 194-208

Abstract
The India-EU relationship has been gathering momentum lately, with high-profile visits to Delhi. These positive developments need to be seen against a backdrop where both sides need each other owing to unpredictability in their own respective relations with the United States. In order that India might be understood on its own terms by EU interlocutors, there is a need to move away from Anglo-American narrative frameworks which still influence how India is perceived internationally. India needs to strengthen its intellectual and policy engagement with continental European countries while remaining aware that political moods can shift swiftly against it, as happened in the past with China, whose rise was once welcomed by the West but later viewed with suspicion. To keep EU businesses invested in its prosperity, India needs to be seen as a place where foreign investment is profitable.

Author
Dr. Prem Mahadevan is a Visiting Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). He has previously worked as a Senior Researcher with the Centre for Security Studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, as a Senior Analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in Geneva, and as a Senior Lecturer with the Department of International Relations and European Studies at Metropolitan University Prague.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.3

Price: 101

Article
Self-Strengthening First: A Blueprint for Economic Engagement with China

By: Manoj Kewalramani , Amit Kumar

Page No : 209-226

Abstract
This article contends that the global order is undergoing an epochal transition, defined by a fundamental realignment of power and intensifying competition between the United States and China. As the boundaries between geopolitics, national security, and economic policy blur, Indian policymakers face an increasingly complex landscape in their pursuit of the goal of developmental transformation. Within this context, the article advocates for a strategic recalibration of India’s economic engagement with China. Proposing a framework of self-strengthening and de-risking, it outlines specific policy interventions across trade, investment, and global governance priorities. Ultimately, the article argues for a pragmatic synthesis, i.e., leveraging economic ties with China to catalyse domestic growth while systematically mitigating the attendant security risks.

Authors
Manoj Kewalramani is the chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution. His research interests range from Chinese politics, foreign policy and great power competition to addressing questions of how India can work with like-minded partners to address the challenges presented by China’s rise.
Amit Kumar is a Staff Research Analyst with the Takshashila Institution’s Indo-Pacific Studies Programme. With a broader focus on China, he primarily studies issues at the intersection of economy, security and technology. He keenly tracks the geopolitical and geo-economic trends emerging from China.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.4

Price: 101

Article
Building a Trusted Photonics Ecosystem for India: Strategic Imperatives in an Era of Network-Centric Conflict

By: Jaijit Bhattacharya , Anushka Verma , Dipanjan Ghosh

Page No : 227-244

Abstract
India’s digital transformation, anchored by BharatNet, nationwide 5G rollout, power-grid modernisation, and defence digitalisation, ultimately relies on a single foundational layer: optical fibre networks and active photonic components, including optical transceivers that enable high-speed signal transmission and reception. Despite rapid expansion, India’s critical infrastructure remains strategically vulnerable. More than 70 percent of optical fibre preforms and nearly all optical transceivers are imported, largely from China and other unverified supply sources, creating long-term dependence risks. Judicial interventions and customs classifications have further redefined active optical components as “parts” or “raw materials,” permitting duty-free imports and weakening incentives for domestic manufacturing capacity. At the same time, optical fibre, historically treated as a commodity input, faces emerging risks of engineered material defects that may surface only years after deployment. In an era defined by network-centric warfare and digital economies, dependence on unverified photonic inputs could undermine national security, economic resilience, and infrastructure integrity.

Authors
Dr. Jaijit Bhattacharya, President of the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), is a leading voice on India’s digital economy, technological sovereignty, and national security oriented policy reform.
Anushka Verma is a Policy Consultant at the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), specialises in digital economy and technology policy.
Dipanjan Ghosh, Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), is an economist with consulting experience across ICT and public policy domains.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.5

Price: 101

Article
Criminal Justice at a Crossroad: AI’s Impact on Law Enforcement and Legal Systems

By: Vikas Katheria

Page No : 245-262

Abstract
The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly agentic AI capable of autonomous decision-making, planning and adaptive action, is transforming crime, law enforcement and legal systems. Moving beyond passive tools, these systems can independently interact across digital environments, creating both opportunities and risks. Criminal enterprises increasingly weaponise AI for cyber intrusions, fraud, identity manipulation and automated attacks, while law enforcement adopts AI for predictive analytics, surveillance, evidence processing and intelligence-led policing.
However, traditional legal frameworks grounded in human intent struggle to address harms caused by autonomous systems, producing accountability gaps and challenges in assigning liability. Algorithmic opacity, emergent behaviour, bias in datasets and the growing judicial competency gap further complicate the use of AI-generated evidence. At the same time, cybercrime’s borderless nature exposes the limitations of traditional policing structures. The article argues that incremental reforms are insufficient and calls for new liability models, stronger transparency standards and networked, technology-driven enforcement to ensure
justice systems remain effective and legitimate in the AI era.

Author
Vikas Katheria is a distinguished senior officer of the Indian Police Service. He is presently working as Deputy Inspector General (Intelligence), in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He has worked in the triad of intelligence-Operations- Investigations during his significant stints in National Investigation Agency, Nagaland Police and CRPF where he worked in the most sensitive assignments. His scholarly works include books such as ‘The Art of Scientific Criminal Investigations’ and ‘The Terror Matrix: Decoding Terrorism’. He regularly contributes articles on major national security and police journals.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.6

Price: 101

Article
Cyberspace and Youth Radicalisation: Emerging Trends in India with Special Reference to Tamil Nadu

By: Sri Kishor S M , Sai Krishna

Page No : 263-280

Abstract
Cyberspace has emerged as a powerful tool for radicalising youth globally, particularly in India. It not only enables the transmission and spread of extremist narratives, but also facilitates recruitment and the execution of operations across targeted geographic boundaries. This study examines how online platforms like social media applications and encrypted online forums interact with socioeconomic grievances, identity politics and local networks to produce pathways toward violent and non-violent extremism among young people, with a focused case analysis of Tamil Nadu. Drawing on multidisciplinary theory, including social-movement theory, moral-panic frameworks, this research integrates (a) an empirical case material from India’s investigation agencies (b) government reports and policy documents from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and (c) national and international scholarship on online radicalisation and youth vulnerability. Findings highlight three interacting mechanisms — algorithmic amplification, peer network formation and grievance activation — each shaping pathways to online radicalisation.

Authors
Sri Kishor S M, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology, Nehru Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Sai Krishna, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology, Nehru Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.7

Price: 101

Article
Tech and Terror: Pakistan’s Use of Drones in Cross-border Terrorism

By: J. Jeganaathan

Page No : 281-303

Abstract
The proliferation of drone technology by Pakistan has altered the cross-border terrorism landscape in India, with the increasing use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for logistical support and direct attacks on military assets. This article examines the evolving use of drones by Pakistan, focusing on arms and narcotics smuggling, as well as surveillance. The use of arms, drugs and drones highlights a sophisticated nexus among criminal syndicates and terrorist organisations operating with the support of the Pakistani military establishment. This article explores how commercially available drones — primarily of Chinese origin — are being modified for payload delivery and intensified security application against Indian border troops. While the direct use of drones in terrorist attacks remains limited in the region as compared to their use in the Middle East, their strategic value in sustaining Pakistan’s “proxy war” against India can’t be denied. This study also discusses the broader implications of this technological shift and the need for India to come up with effective counter measures.

Author
Dr J. Jeganaathan is an Associate Professor at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has also worked as an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of National Security Studies at Central University of Jammu from 2013-2023.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.8

Price: 101

Policy Brief
Ports as Economic Multipliers: Unlocking Industrial Potential, Trade Agreements and Infrastructure Linkages

By: Abhishek Agarwal

Page No : 304-323

Abstract
Ports play a transformative role as economic multipliers in the global and Indian contexts. They have evolved from passive infrastructures to active catalysts for industrial development, trade integration and regional growth. This study analyses global port performance, specialisation patterns and the strategic importance of such infrastructure for economic and territorial security, with a particular focus on India’s position in the Indian Ocean region. It explores how port-centric development generates cascading effects across logistics networks and industrial ecosystems, drawing lessons from leading port economies such as China, Singapore, the United States and the European Union. The paper examines structural constraints in India’s port economy, While ports handle 95 percent of India’s trade volume, major ports operate at less than 50 percent capacity utilisation. Low containerisation (22 percent EXIM share), and significant hinterland connectivity gaps. It recommends development of multimodal corridors and the need for a hierarchical logistics network planning inspired by international best practices. Coordinated institutional reforms, capacity building and targeted infrastructure investments are essential for India to realise its potential as a central node in global trade networks.

Author
Abhishek Agarwal is a Non-Resident Fellow, Infrastructure and Governance at NITI Aayog and a Visiting Fellow, Foreign Policy and Security Studies at Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Presently researching on India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and India’s connectivity with the globe, Opinions expressed in this article are personal and do not reflect the views of any organisation.
 

DOI : http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.9

Price: 101

Book Review
Reimagining India’s Neighbourhood Policy

By: Arvind Gupta

Page No : 324-330

Author
Dr. Arvind Gupta is the Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). He is a former diplomat and served as the Deputy National Security Advisor, Government of India (2014-17) and Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (2012-2014), New Delhi.

Price: 101

Instruction to the Author

Research Articles (Refereed)

  • Submissions should be approximately 6,000-8,000 words (not including notes and referencing).
  • The Manuscript submitted should be an original piece of work. The Manuscript once under consideration should not be submitted anywhere else for publication.
  • The article will be reviewed by the Editor, and upon his/her assessment it will be forwarded for peer review.
  • Lengthy footnotes are strongly discouraged. Authors are requested to use Chicago Style referencing.
  • An Abstract of not more than 200 words, as well as a list of keywords. Essays (Non-Refereed)
  • The Essays should be approximately 3,000-4,000 words (not including notes and references). Authors should refrain from exceeding the world limit mentioned.
  • The Essays submitted should be an original work. The Essay once under consideration should not be submitted anywhere else for publishing.
  • The Essay will be reviewed by the Editor. There will be no peer review for any Essay submitted.
  • Lengthy footnotes are discouraged. Authors are requested to use Chicago Style Referencing.

Book Reviews
Book Reviews should not exceed the word limit of more than 2,500 words. In case the word limit is exceeded, it will be considered in exceptional circumstances.
The top of the first page of the book review submitted should contain the following details in the order mentioned below;

  • Title of the Book
  • Name of the author/ editor/ translator (In Capital letters)
  • Publisher’s Name, city
  • Price
  • 13 digit ISBN number
  • The year of publication
  • Number of pages in the book

The Book Review will be assessed by the Editor. Contributors are requested not to paraphrase or quote directly from the book they are reviewing.
If the contributor is quoting from another book other than the one which is being reviewed, they are requested to mention the following:

  • Title of the book
  • Name of the author
  • Year of the publication

If the contributors are quoting from a journal or a magazine they are requested to mention the following:
• Title of the journal/magazine/newspaper
• Title of the article
• Name of the author
• Volume and Issue Date

National Security is committed to maintaining a high standard of original writing, argumentation, and research. Towards this end it follows the following policies:

1. Manuscripts submitted to the journal should be original contributions not published or submitted elsewhere, including open-access online publications/ web portals. The data user needs to be authentic and not misrepresented in any manner to support the conclusions.

2. Any material or quotations from another author/publication cited in the manuscript need to be duly acknowledged/cited. Long quotations may be avoided and where possible be paraphrased and the source cited. Research articles need to provide full details of citations.

3. We encourage authors to mention possible help, in terms of ideas and any other intellectual assistance received, in the acknowledgment for their articles.

4. The authors need to be cautious about conflicts of interest that may directly or indirectly influence their research. Conflict of interest most commonly arises from the source of funding. Therefore, the source of funding needs to be mentioned, in case funding for research has been received, in the manuscript submitted to the Editor.

 

Introduction:

National Security is a policy-oriented quarterly journal of the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi. It focuses on the principal issues and trends in India?s increasingly complex national and international security environment. The journal carries holistic analysis and informed debates on all aspects of security and has emerged as an important forum for top thinkers, policy experts, and academics from India and abroad. It also aims to meet the needs of an international readership that is increasingly interested in India?s security policies as its role in world affairs grows. Recent issues of the journal have covered a wide variety of vital themes: India?s two-front security challenge, the Indo-Pacific and Quad, developments in China and India-China relations, Pakistan, nuclear doctrine, BIMSTEC, the status of Tibet, defence policy, terrorism, the scientific revolution and security, and nationalism.

Topics:

Important and fundamental areas of Political Science & International Affairs

Subject Covered:

Important and fundamental areas of Political Science & International Affairs

Submit Your Article:

Sujit Dutta ; sujitdutta@vifinida.org ; national security@vifindia.org

Frequency:

4 issues per year. issues per year.

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