The Winter 2025 issue of Strategic Perspectives presents in-depth and policy-relevant analyses of evolving security challenges at the regional and global levels. This edition brings together five articles that examine terrorism and radicalization, emerging weapons technologies, naval power transformation, great-power defense partnerships, and enduring conflicts shaped by occupation and identity.
The first article, “Theoretical Approaches to the Root Causes of Terrorism: An Analysis of ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the post-9/11 Middle East,” explores the complex drivers of violent extremism through a comparative analysis of ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Drawing on Relative Deprivation Theory, the study challenges monocausal explanations of terrorism by demonstrating how physical, symbolic, and sectarian deprivation interact with digitalization to facilitate radicalization. The paper highlights how both groups exploit perceived injustices and utilize encrypted digital platforms to mobilize support, underscoring the need for counterterrorism strategies that address structural inequalities alongside digital networks of extremism.
The second article, “The Hypersonic Missile Race: A Realist Analysis of Global Dynamics and South Asian Strategic Stability,” examines the destabilizing implications of hypersonic weapons through the lens of realism and the security dilemma. While hypersonic missiles may restore strategic stability among major powers by penetrating missile defense systems, the study argues that their introduction in South Asia would significantly compress decision-making timelines and heighten risks of preemption and arms racing. The paper warns that these developments could undermine deterrence stability between India and Pakistan, reinforcing the urgency of arms control and transparency measures.
The third article, “Indian Naval Modernization: From Buyers to Builders Navy and Implications for Indian Ocean Region Security,” analyzes India’s transition toward an indigenized, builder navy and its implications for regional maritime security. Using a neorealist framework, the paper assesses India’s pursuit of a blue-water navy under its self-reliance agenda and evaluates how expanding naval capabilities may alter the balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region. It raises concerns regarding regional stability as India seeks to project influence beyond its immediate neighborhood.
The fourth article, “India–US Defense Framework: Convergences and Divergences,” evaluates the strategic logic underpinning the evolving defense partnership between Washington and New Delhi. Employing a neoclassical realist approach, the study examines the political will, institutional capacity, and shared interests that enable cooperation, particularly in balancing China. At the same time, it identifies persistent divergences stemming from India’s strategic autonomy doctrine, interoperability gaps, and mistrust, which continue to constrain the depth of the partnership.
The final article, “Kashmir and Palestine: Comparative Study of Identity Crisis, Shared Narratives of Resistance and Occupation,” offers a constructivist comparison of two protracted conflicts rooted in unresolved self-determination. The paper highlights shared patterns of occupation, demographic engineering, human rights violations, and youth-led resistance, emphasizing how collective trauma and identity crises shape enduring narratives of liberation. By situating Kashmir and Palestine within a broader framework of ideological occupation and international legal stalemates, the study draws attention to their interconnected significance for the Muslim world and global justice discourse.
Together, the articles in this issue provide nuanced perspectives on conflict, deterrence, power transitions, and identity politics, offering scholars and policymakers critical insights into managing strategic instability in an increasingly fragmented international system.