Research Interests

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War, Civil-Military Relations, South Asian Security, Women in Combat, Conflict, Terrorism

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Hindutva Extremism

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Monograph - Culture, Context, and Capability: A Comparative Study of Counterinsurgency Doctrines in India and the United States (published by IDSA, New Delhi, December 2016)

Can similar counterinsurgency doctrines be applied with success in different contexts or cases? This is the primary research question guiding the investigation of this study. I argue that if successful lessons from counterinsurgency operations are to be drawn, three specific variables will determine the success or failure of counterinsurgency strategies in both the Indian and American case. These are: organizational culture, historical context, and military capability. (Please see detailed research proposal attached.)

For the 2015-2016 academic year, I will be on sabbatical leave from my college. I intend to use that time to produce a compelling research paper. IDSA’s Visiting International Fellowship Program will offer me just the opportunity to explore and develop my work on counterinsurgency operations; a theme of the last chapter of my book, The Soldier and the State in India, published in 2013. This project is a significant departure from previous work in that it broadens the discussion of counterinsurgency to include a comparison with American approaches to counterinsurgency. The value of such a project is to specifically test the relevance of three variables: culture, context, and capability while comparing counterinsurgency doctrines. The goal is to help explain when and how such doctrines can be applied successfully in the study of civil-military relations. This project is particularly relevant to IDSA’s Thematic Studies and Area Studies concentration. The project will require me to conduct interviews with retired and serving military officials, civilians in government, bureaucrats and journalists. Information and data will be collected from specific archives, libraries and institutes in New Delhi. A majority of the work will be completed in New Delhi. A possible survey of military responses to counterinsurgency may also be conducted. The expected duration of this research is 6 months starting in July 2015 and ending in December 2015. The intended goal of the research is two-pronged. First, to produce a monograph or scholarly article; second, to use the comparative study of American and Indian Counterinsurgency Doctrines in my International Relations and International Conflict courses offered at King’s College. I hope to use this sabbatical to enhance my own professional development while continuing to contribute to the literature on Indian civil-military relations.