Abstract
The global strategic environment in 2017 remained mired in major crises. The international security landscape has mainly been characterized by a global wave of ultra-nationalism, divisiveness, and increased incidence of conflicts. A continuous worsening of international security and strategic stability in key global regions was witnessed especially in Asia, with North Korea’s new range of nuclear capabilities and belligerence towards US; continuing US military campaign in Afghanistan, worsening conflicts in Yemen, Syria and seething anger in the Muslim world consequent to recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by the United States. US relations with key global powers like China and Russia also witnessed fluctuations owing to the North Korean and Syrian imbroglio, respectively. In South Asia, the belligerence of India, manifested through its efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan and US South Asia strategy of putting more pressure on Pakistan, led to an overall worsening of the regional scenario.
In the global non-proliferation regime the main issues that remained in the limelight included: the continued challenges to global norms of non-testing as well as nonproliferation by North Korean nuclear program (with capabilities to target mainland US), Indian diplomatic initiatives to isolate Pakistan through global diplomacy, deterrence stability challenges posed by Indian nuclear modernization as well as shifts in nuclear posture and Pakistan’s efforts to mainstream itself in the global nuclear order through international diplomacy.