Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
Blog
Agalega: A glimpse of India’s remote island military base0
- Blog
- March 3, 2021
SAMUEL BASHFIELD Satellite imagery reveals the transformation of an IndianOcean island into a strategic outpost. Many questions remain. Indian Navy ensign (R. Karthik/Flickr) 2 Mar 2021 Lowy Institute The small, remote Mauritian island of North Agalega, located in the south-western Indian Ocean, 1,122 kilometres north of Mauritius, is currently a hive of construction activity. India
Cracks beginning to appear in the Russia- India relationship0
- Blog
- March 3, 2021
HENRY STOREY But Washington’s interests might actually be servedby New Delhi and Moscow muddling through. Vladimir Putin listens as Narendra Modi speaks to the media following Russian-Indian talks in 2019 (Kremlin.ru) 3 Mar 2021 Lowy Institute India’s annual summit with Russia was cancelled last year for the first time since its inception – the official
Why repressive Saudi Arabia remains a US ally0
- Blog
- March 3, 2021
Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “approved an operation … to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” according to a scathing new report from the Biden administration. Yet President Joe Biden says the U.S. will not sanction the Saudi government, calculating that any direct
CLIMATE: Dams, roads worsened Himalayan flood impact manifold0
- Blog
- March 3, 2021
Climate change made the Uttarakhand flash flood possible, and poor development policies made it disastrous The Thirdpole 2 March 2021 NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and topographic data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Joydeep Gupta February 25, 2021 The February 7 flash
China challenges UN high commissioner: Come to Xinjiang, but not for ‘investigation based on guilty before proven’0
- Blog
- March 3, 2021
by Countercurrents Collective — March 3, 2021 China has said that the door to Xinjiang “is always open” for UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, after she claimed Muslim Uighurs are suffering arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in the area. The statement was made on Tuesday by the Chinese delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in
Bangladesh: UN rights chief urges transparent probe into writer’s death, review of law under which he was charged0
- Blog
- March 2, 2021
UN Photo/Laura Jarriel United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (file). 1 March 2021 Human Rights The UN’s top human rights official on Monday called for transparent investigation into the death in custody of a writer in Bangladesh, who was held in pre-trial detention for nine months for publishing an article and sharing
Commentary
China in the Middle East: Stepping up to the plate0
- Commentary
- March 3, 2021
By James M. Dorsey 3 March 2021 By defining Chinese characteristics as “seeking common ground while reserving differences,” a formula that implies conflict management rather than conflict resolution, Messrs. Sun and Wu were suggesting that China was seeking to prepare the ground for greater Chinese engagement in efforts to stabilize the Middle East,
Resolving the WHO’s Constitutional Muddle in Holding China Liable for Covid-190
- Commentary
- March 2, 2021
by Anirudh Tyagi 2 March 2021 There has been a substantial demand in first-world countries to account for China’s liability for the Covid-19 pandemic. Many reports published in the U.S. and most recently in Australia have concluded that had China been more vigilant, the fatal consequences could have been mitigated. The U.S senate had vowed
Sri Lanka: Borrowers, Big and Small0
- Commentary
- March 1, 2021
by N Sathiya Moorthy 1 March 2021 The US national debt now stands at a record $ 29 trillion, up from, $ 23.4 trillion. According to Congressman Alex Mooney, the figure stood at $ 23.4 trillion, or $ 72,309 upon the head of every American. Higher the debt now at $ 29 trillion, “that is
US intelligence report leaves Saudi Arabia with no good geopolitical choices0
- Commentary
- February 28, 2021
By James M. Dorsey 28 February 2021 The Biden administration’s publication of a US intelligence report that holds Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi creates a fundamental challenge to the kingdom’s geopolitical ambitions. The challenge lies in whether and how Saudi Arabia will seek to further diversify its
Interview: Dr. A. Velumani speaks to Elsa Lycias Joel0
- Commentary
- February 28, 2021
by Elsa Lycias Joel 28 February 2021 Dr. A.Velumani speaks to Elsa Lycias Joel about becoming an entrepreneur, the challenges he faced with creating Thyrocare Technologies Ltd., a chain of diagnostic and preventive care laboratories headquartered in Navi Mumbai, why he holds his mother in high regards, National Health Mission, and his father in
Hoping for Best: Future of U.S-Pakistan Relations under Biden Administration0
- Commentary
- February 28, 2021
by Khawaja Dawood Tariq 28 February 2021 As Mr. Biden was sworn in, policymakers in Islamabad took a sigh of hope. After the contentious Trump presidency, Islamabad was hoping for a reset of its relation with the US. President Biden was awarded Pakistan’s second-highest civilian award back in 2008 in recognition of his
ISSN 2471-9501 (print)
ISSN 2471-951X (online)
Featured
Bangladesh: Torture, Custodial Deaths, and Unfair Trials after the 2009 Mutiny of the Bangladesh Rifles
www.hrw.org/ “The Fear Never Leaves Me” “The Fear Never Leaves Me” Map of Bangladesh Map of BDR Pilkhana Headquarters, Dhaka Summary Methodology I. The Bangladesh Rifles II. The February 25-26 Mutiny III. Abuses against Suspected Mutineers IV. Due Process and Fair Trials Concerns V. Recommendations Acknowledgements DOWNLOADS Download the full report Download the report in
POLITICAL HYPOCRISY KNOWS NO BOUNDS OR BORDERS
by William Milam February 19, 2021 Just when I thought I had witnessed the ultimate in political hypocrisy at the end of Donald Trump’s historic and depressing impeachment trial, Sheikh Hasina – the prime minister of Bangladesh – has restored my faith that South Asian politicians can match any politician anywhere on the hypocrisy
SAJ on Facebook