My name is Joseph Lin, and I’m a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ll be in Delhi for the next several weeks conducting field research for my dissertation, which is tentatively titled: “Import Diversification and Indigenization: A Theory of Rising Power Military Modernization.” I am examining how rising powers, such as India and China, modernize their militaries in an effort to catch up with (and, possibly, even surpass) the military capabilities of contemporary great powers. Specifically, I’m interested in the weapons acquisition and development strategies that these countries adopt in order to overcome the high barriers to entry in fielding a conventional modern military.

Back in the States, I’m a recent transplant to Northern California, but for the past decade, I’ve lived, worked, and studied in various mid-Atlantic States. 

In the next couple weeks, I’ll use the blog as an opportunity to share some of my thoughts on the current state of the Indian defense economy as well as some general observations about how life in Delhi compares to that in Beijing. (I was previously trained as a Sinologist and have spent some time living in Beijing and Shanghai.)