Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
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U.S. Forces Recover Two Bodies From Plane Crash Site In Afghanistan0
- Blog
- January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan Afghan Residents Doubt Taliban Shot Down U.S. Aircraft WATCH: Afghan Residents Doubt Talibanblob:3649C392-A104-4334-9E7D-4B6D40F0407A Shot Down U.S. AircraftShare Helicopter-borne U.S. forces have recovered the remains of two personnel killed when a military communications aircraft went down in a Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan’s Ghazni Province, the Pentagon has confirmed.
Row over Hindu conversion of tribal Christians in India0
- Blog
- January 28, 2020
Hindu group Sangh Parivar accused of divide-and-rule tactics in Gujarat Bijay Kumar Minj, New Delhi India January 28, 2020 Church leaders and activists in India have criticized a Hindu group, which claims to have reconverted tribal Christians in Gujarat’s Dang district. As many as 144 members of a tribal community who had embraced Christianity many
Reimagining Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan0
- Blog
- January 27, 2020
By Rahim Nasar 27 January 2020 In Pakistan, agreeing on a single Pashtun-centric narrative is a major dilemma. This is where conflicts of interests and principles begin. The structural interference of powerful institutions and assurance of limited political and electoral interests make nationalist rhetoric even more troubling. As a result, young Pashtuns with political and
Republic Day 2020: Join India’s great big constitution party0
- Blog
- January 26, 2020
Forrest Brown, CNN • Published 25th January 2020 1/22The date is January 26, 1950, a defining moment in Indian and world history. Krishna Menon, India’s high commissioner in London, signs the Oath of Allegiance to a new constitution at a ceremony at India House. This signing marked India’s new status as a republic. And ever since, the
Activists Plan Boycott of US Companies Backing India’s Anti-Muslim Policies0
- Blog
- January 25, 2020
By Skanda Kadirgamar, Truthout January 25, 2020 Activists from South Asian caste and religious minority communities are coming together to organize against Indian American businesses that support India’s move to strip its 200 million Muslims of their citizenship. On January 19, around 50 protesters gathered in Jersey City, New Jersey, where they marched against India’s
Fear in Kashmir as top general talks of ‘deradicalisation’ camps0
- Blog
- January 25, 2020
Indian general speaks of ‘radicalisation’ of Kashmiri youth, drawing comparison with internment of Uighurs in China. by Akash Bisht 24 Jan 2020 AlJazeera Srinagar/New Delhi, India – India’s newly recruited Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has courted controversy after he claimed that so-called “deradicalisation” camps are operating in India, drawing a comparison with
Commentary
CAN A TEMPLE PRESCRIBE A DRESS CODE FOR VISITING? : STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN RIGHT TO FAITH AND RIGHT TO CHOICE IN INDIAN CONSTITUTION0
- Commentary
- January 28, 2020
by Rajesh Ranjan 30 January 2020 The decision of the Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi temple to enact a dress code for devotes has once again sparked the debate between the two facets of constitutional rights in Indian constitution, i.e. the dilemma between the liberty and faith. The dress code for the temples is not a new
Book Review: Kautilya and Non Western IR Theory by Deepshikha Shahi0
- Commentary, Reviews
- January 28, 2020
by Punsara Amarasinghe 29 January 2020 The international relations and political theory academia in modern world is mainly constructed by the narratives of Western civilization. Starting from Greeks to bio politics of Foucault the theories we reverently study is confined to the discourse coming from a different civilizational root which curtails our gaze to appreciate
Myanmar a perfect fit on China’s Belt and Road0
- Commentary
- January 27, 2020
Four priority BRI projects in Myanmar promise to make China a balance-of-power tilting Indian Ocean force By Bertil Lintner, Chiang Mai 27 January 2020 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Myanmar this month did not attract much regional media buzz, with most reports portraying the trip as more well-worn official promotion of his signature
A critical moment for US policy in South Asia0
- Commentary
- January 26, 2020
Michael Kugelman January 25, 2020 These are momentous times for South Asia and the next few weeks could be highly consequential for US policy there. In recent days, Ambassador Alice Wells, the top South Asia official at the US State Department, has held a series of meetings in India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, US-Taliban talks — back
Drawing battle lines: Centre-right parties take on civilisationalism0
- Commentary
- January 25, 2020
By James M. Dorsey 25 January 2020 A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox. The Centrist Democrat International (CDI), in an attempt to counter the rise of civilizationalist states and leaders, has called for the creation of an alliance
Questioning the Novelty of India’s New Normal0
- Commentary
- January 25, 2020
By Haris Bilal Malik 25 Janaury 2020 In recent years Indian notions of Pre-emption and so-called surgical strikes have been referred to as the ‘new normal’ by many in India. These have contributed to further affecting the security, stability and strategic equilibrium in the South Asian region. This is evident in how the top-brass within
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Featured
The Baghdad Air Strike: Pre-emptive self-defence or Assassination?
By Devansh Kaushik | January 9, 2020 Introduction In the early hours of January 3, missiles launched by a USAF MQ9 Reaper slammed into a convoy exiting the Baghdad International Airport, killing Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, deputy commander of an Iraqi militia. General Soleimani was the leader of the elite
Indian Muslims: Are they ‘invaders’, ‘scumbags’ or equal citizens?
By Adil Khan Broadly speaking most Indian Hindus seem to entertain three perceptions vis-à-vis the Indian Muslims – that Muslims are: (i) ‘invaders’ and thus have no place in Hindu India; (ii) ‘scumbags’, liars, cheats and terrorists and thus be shunned; and finally, to some (iii) they are equal citizens and thus be treated accordingly.