Col KL Viswanathan (Retd.)

Col KL Viswanathan (Retd.)

About Col KL Viswanathan (Retd.)

More From Col KL Viswanathan (Retd.)

Making India a Space Power: Not Less Privatisation, but Better-Designed Privatisation

The last thing India needs is a debate in which concerns over public intellectual property become an argument against private participation. The country is already playing catch-up with the major space powers. We cannot afford to let a legitimate debate over ownership and sharing of value become an impediment to the much-needed privatisation of…

BRICS 2026: A Growing Global Force With Potential to Alter Economic and Geopolitical Balance

This raises an interesting question: what if Russia, India and China were to substantially deepen their strategic cooperation? Such cooperation, supported by other BRICS members and partners, could create a formidable economic and geopolitical grouping. 

Prolonged West Asia Conflict: US Loss of Credibility, Enormous Cost to the World

Here is something that is perhaps not widely reported. According to this account, Iranian forces were able to destroy a significant part of the logistics infrastructure supporting these large carrier operations. They struck the central logistics hub in Bahrain very early in the conflict.

Gen Z Should Guard Against Political Hijacking of Their Movement and Concerns

The challenge before Gen Z is therefore not to remain apolitical. It is to remain politically aware without becoming politically captive; to raise legitimate issues, demand change and participate in democracy, while retaining the independence to decide where the movement should go.

AI and Us: Decision Making Should Not Be Outsourced to AI

AI literacy should become as important as digital literacy. An informed user is ultimately the first and most effective line of defence against blindly accepting what a machine tells us.  

The Expanding Space Frontier: Can India Live Up to Its Challenges?

Biological systems behave very differently in orbit. Space research could lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, Alzheimer's therapies, protein crystallisation and even advanced prosthetics such as artificial retinas.

Reforming Higher Education in India: Institutions Should Have Freedom to Innovate While Remaining Accountable

The future of Indian higher education may depend not on greater central control, but on creating autonomous institutions operating within a strong framework of accountability.

Wolf World or a Multipolar World? How Major Powers Exercise Power Will Determine Emerging International Order

The growing role of middle powers adds another layer of complexity. Yet the term itself remains imprecise. Not every country outside the United States and China qualifies as a middle power, and many reject the label altogether. India, for example, increasingly sees itself as a leading power pursuing strategic autonomy rather than as a middle…

The Changing Face of Warfare and the New Definition of Victory

In earlier conflicts, victory was often measured by territory captured, armies defeated, or governments forced to surrender. In modern warfare, however, the outcome is far more complex. A nation may achieve battlefield success yet suffer demographic, economic, and infrastructural losses that take decades to recover from. 

Iran's Hormuz Card Has a Shelf Life: Energy Diversification Will Reduce its Strategic Leverage Over Time

India's energy profile has changed significantly over the past decade. Crude imports from Russia, increased purchases from the United States, Brazil, Angola and other suppliers, together with expanding strategic petroleum reserves, have reduced dependence on any single source. India's energy vulnerability has not disappeared, but it has become…