FROM  THE DESK OF THE EDITOR

The  Calcutta Journal of Global Affairs, the Flagship publication of CENERS-K was launched online in October  2017. From its inception Dr. Harish C. Mehta was the editor in chief till June 2020. During this period of 3 years he brought this journal to its present prominence and being acclaimed Globally. All members of the editorial board extend  their compliments and gratefulness to  him for his visionary approach and dedication .

I, Maj Gen Shibnath Mukherjee having taken over the baton of editorship of this unique online journal seek help and cooperation from members of CENERS-K, the editorial board, all stake holders including Authors, Viewers Readers & the Publishing  house.Those who are new to CENERS-K and this journal, I will request them to visit the websites of the journal http://globaljouralceners.org/ and ceners-k.com (Although they are under refurbishment, will provide some useful input).

In this journal we use the peer review system in an effort to ensure that the highest quality of articles are published. Authors are requested to go through the stipulated guidelines The process in nutshell is as follows :  -

• Author submits article to the journal’s Editor by email attachment.(snmukherjee@ceners-k.com), their Biodata & request letter.
• The Editor assesses whether the article meets the journal’s areas of interest, and that it is an original work, or makes an original and innovative contribution. At this stage, the Editor decides whether to accept the article for further peer review, or to reject it.
• If the article is accepted for further review, the Editor sends it to the Editorial Board, or to the journal’s external peer reviewers, for an assessment of the article, and a decision on whether to publish.
• A period of two months is needed for the review process to be completed, at the end of which the reviewers send their decision to the Editor. The decision can be of four types: (1) To publish without changes; (2) Publish with minor changes; (3) Publish with major changes such as revising the thesis and arguments, and using new documentary and secondary materials; and, (4) To reject the article.
• Should the decisions of the reviewers differ totally, the Editor may assign another reviewer to evaluate the article.

• The Editor now informs the author about the decision through email, and he sends the details of the reviewers’ comments to the author.
• If the Journal accepts the article for publication, the article is edited and proofread by the journal’s production team, including a final proofreading by the author, and it is then published. If the article is to be revised by the author, the Editor provides the author with helpful and constructive comments on the revisions that are required.

Before mentioning about this September issue of the journal , a word about the pandemic.We all are aware that the first human cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by novel Corona virus causing COVID-19, subsequently named sars-CoV-2 were first reported in Wuhan city in China in December 2019. The first case in India was reported on 30^th January 2020. The WHO recognized the spread of COVID-19as a pandemic on 11th March 2020 as Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan reported surging numbers of cases. Later that month, the number of cases outside of China quickly surpassed the number of cases inside China. A very interesting and informative paper in this issue appears under the title “COVID-19 in India: some reflections”  authored by National Professor Jayanta Kumar Ray.

Keeping our focus on North Eastern region, a research article on “Assam GraminVikash Bank” authored by Mahuya Deb Purakayastha and Joyeeta Deb. MohuyaDeb Purkayasthais a PhD scholar at Assam University, Silchar.With M.Phil and M.Com degrees having her major research interest in banking. Dr. Joyeeta Deb is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Commerce at Assam University, Silchar. Her areas of interest are banking and microfinance. From the research conducted by the authors they have concluded that,as the responsibility of rural development is conferred upon the RRBs,the measurement of their performance is vital for their betterment.

A Very interesting paper by Ms. VishakhaDugar a research fellow on characteristics different bilateral or multilateral connectivity projects proposed or underway in the Bay of Bengal region. Her findings are that these projects have a common agendaof promoting sea connectivity while reducing time and costs incurred through existing methods of international maritime transport. The spirit of amity among the BoB littorals, who are developing most of the connectivity projects through mutual cooperation, is based on a convergence of their complementary interests.

Another  paper authored by Dr Akshay Kumar Singh &  Mr  Akshaya Saroha “Unending Strategic Discords and Emerging Dynamics in Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: Implications for India” will be of interest to many readers.  Their research concludes thatExpecting Pakistan making a policy reversal is tantamount to drop its decades-old policy that it pursued to gain strategic space in Afghanistan. However, with the emergence of Central Asia as a source of energy security for nations like China, India, United States, Russia and other countries, the instability in Afghanistan and the Talibanisation of the Pakistani society have emerged as grave concerns for a tranquil and stable region. It is quintessential from the fact that threats like terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism and conflict-induced poverty do not respect the international borders and are capable of making their repercussions felt across the globe. Any political solution for the resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan requires the international community to take cognisance of the source from where it emanates.

Ms. Tanya Kapoor a researcher from JNU after doing an extensive study on renewable energy opines that   geostrategic policy pursuits of Commanding and Compliant countries could be given a back seat to come out of the never-ending vicious cycle created and maintained by the energy-rich countries to continue reaping financial and diplomatic advantages.On one hand, the energy-abundant/ Commanding nations have favoured increased energy production, span of international exports and markets, as well as accumulation of energy wealth by virtue of their geographical advantage. On the other hand, the energy-deficient/ Compliant nations have favored a secure and predictable energy supply for their populace along with reduced trade and inter-related diplomatic dependence on the former nations.This is, therefore, a symbiotic relation between the Commanding and the Compliant nations which cannot work their way up towards their prosperity unless they join hands with one another. Though their respective unilateral interests would always be their prime negotiating agenda, they cannot quash the other side’s geopolitical, commercial and environmental requirements into oblivion.

A book review by Mr. Pramod Kumar on “Ian Hall, Modi and the Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy”.Parmod Kumar is a PhD research scholar at the school at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, JNU New Delhi. According to him the book is a little different from general studies of Indian foreign policy as it does not directly focus on India’s conduct of relations with foreign powers. It limits itself to the evolution and consequence of Modi’s intended reinvention of Indian foreign policy by highlighting major Hindu nationalist thought. The book is a significant contribution to the existing literature and can be beneficial for students, research scholars and policymakers in advancing their understanding of Indian foreign policy.