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May 28, 2026
Shots on the roof that persuaded a surrender
At times, unnerving the enemy with minimal force yields better results than killing him with massive force. Not only does it get you general goodwill, but also allows you to claim a clean victory. In this 21st instalment of 'Tactics and Tacticians', we look at how a neat surgical air strike on Dacca yielded India a clean victory in the 1971 war
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May 26, 2026
Thucydides Trap and the claptrap
Xi Jinping invoked Thucydides, a fifth century BC Athenian naval commander and historian, whose account of the Peloponnesian War led to the theory that when a rising power seeks parity with an established power, it could lead to war
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May 17, 2026
Letters for post: Vajpayee to Vijay
Vijay lacks the versifying talents of Vajpayee, but is blessed with a filmy charisma that should stand him in good stead
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May 14, 2026
Battle of Assaye: Where Wellesley found two villages and a way
A smart strategist is also a sharp-eyed quartermaster. Arthur Wellesley was one such. In this 19th episode of ‘Tactics and Tacticians’ on the Battle of Assaye, we find out how his sharp eye found a crossing point in a flooded river which no one knew about.
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May 10, 2026
Connecticut Yankees & Charles’s speech
Kingship may survive centuries, but would the idea of liberty?
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May 07, 2026
The unsettled affair of Sivaji’s claws
How would you describe the slaying of the Bijapur nobleman Afzal Khan by Sivaji? A battle? An assassination? A clever stratagem? In this 15th edition of ‘Tactics and Tacticians’, we examine the lesser-discussed battle doctrines that were relied on by both adversaries.
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May 07, 2026
Ride light and shoot straight: The Battle of Agincourt and the underdog's triumph
Ease of use is what matters in battle more than the technological quality of the weapon. Simple weapons have often prevailed over complex systems because they are user-friendly. In this 18th instalment of 'Tactics & Tacticians', we examine how the simpler English peasant-warrior’s longbow beat the advanced French crossbow in the Battle of Agincourt.
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May 04, 2026
A requiem for AAP
Where it went fundamentally wrong was that it missed the two I-s, one of which every party needs—ideology or identity
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April 30, 2026
Light as straw, on camelback: The tactical mastery of Nadir Shah's invasion
Very often, it is not the most powerful or sophisticated weapons that win battles, but smaller and less advanced ones. Put differently, it is not the size or superiority of a weapon that matters more; what matters is how the weapon is used. Military history offers several examples of this. In the 17th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tacticians’, let us examine one such example from the Indian history.
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April 25, 2026
Ladies’ seats? Why not from 543?
What tax-paying mortals would like to know are: with about three million elected men and women strutting around from panchayats to the presidential house enjoying pay, perks and pensions, do we need more or fewer netas?
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April 23, 2026
Alexander of Macedon's masterstroke: A little trick, and an empire falls
In the 16th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tactitians’, we examine the tactic Alexander of Macedon employed in his greatest battle
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April 18, 2026
Keep kids away; prez’s speaking
Nice people in America would cringe if they read the presidential lips these days. More so if kids are around
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April 16, 2026
'Between Tehran and Tel Aviv' book review: The Gaza catalyst in the West Asian crisis
Originally intended to focus on Palestine, the book ends up being currently relevant by tracing the seeds of the Israel/US-Iran conflict to the killing fields of Gaza
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April 11, 2026
Get me an enemy of my stature
If the BJP claims India is growing because of Modi, Stalin is talking of how Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka are growing despite Modi
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April 09, 2026
Washington’s many ferries to victory
Armies never use the same tactics twice against an enemy who is likely to anticipate them. In this 14th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tacticians’, we will look at how George Washington defied this maxim of common sense and scored victories
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April 04, 2026
God save the archbishop
For an old institution, the Church of England has been fairly open to reforms, especially in the post-war era, ordaining women as priests, recognising gay and lesbian rights, and now getting a woman archbishop
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April 02, 2026
Humayun: Trapped by the rains and a river
A good understanding of the change of seasons, a close reading of the changes in weather, and an understanding of how these affect the land and the terrain can be of great help in battles. In the 13th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tacticians’, we will see how Sher Shah Suri made use of the change in seasons to defeat a much larger Mughal army of Humayun.
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March 28, 2026
Persian genies turn Iranian geniuses
Iran is not only the knowledge leader in the Islamic world, but is aspiring to be among the world leaders in technology
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March 26, 2026
Trap in a Delhi swamp, laid by Lake
In the 12th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tacticians’, let's see how Lord Gerard Lake seized Delhi from the Marathas in 1803 by executing a calculated feigned retreat to lure the enemy into a deadly trap
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March 21, 2026
China, a sleeping Kumbhakarna
China may have all the attributes of a superpower—money, minerals, missiles, manufacturing plants, digital skills and even AI wizardry, but it lacks two things
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March 20, 2026
The grand deception behind D-Day landings
The Normandy landings, the largest amphibious invasion in world history, were an eminent success thanks to a grand deception plan that made the Germans look for the enemy in the wrong places. The 11th instalment of ‘Tactics &Tacticians’ unravels the massive deception plot.
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March 14, 2026
Will Trump, Netanyahu be wise enough to quit Iran war now?
Iran's military capabilities, particularly its missile arsenal and air force, have been significantly degraded, no longer posing a substantial threat to Israel or its Arab neighbours
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March 14, 2026
Carney sees evil in the world
The fact is, the Canadians had been innocent to the bad ways of the world
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March 13, 2026
When media played a Yudhishthira trick in the Bangladesh war
In the 10th instalment of ‘Tactics & Tacticians’, let’s see how the Indian leadership employed the tactic of propaganda in the 1971 Bangladesh War
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March 06, 2026
How Napoleon lured an army to frozen death
In part 9 of 'Tactics and Tacticians', we will see how the hero of France scored a brilliant victory at Austerlitz by luring the Austrian and Russian armies to where he wanted them, and destroying them
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