Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
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Bangladesh Opposition: Election Date Meant to Avoid Scrutiny0
- Blog
- November 13, 2018
By Jesmin Papri on Nov 13, 2018 Benar News A Bangladeshi opposition coalition on Tuesday slammed the Election Commission’s decision to postpone nationwide polls until Dec. 30, saying the move to hold the vote during the Christian holiday season was a ploy to dodge international scrutiny. Election officials announced on Monday that
BIMSTEC: Re-modelling for a Bigger Role?0
- Blog
- November 13, 2018
By Nazia Hussain 13 November 2018 Synopsis Changing geopolitical realities in the region have brought about a renewed interest in the Bay of Bengal. Can BIMSTEC utilise the momentum to remodel itself as a grouping to be reckoned with? Commentary BIMSTEC, officially known as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
China’s growing footprint in Nepal: Challenges and opportunities for India0
- Blog
- November 13, 2018
China’s growing footprint in Nepal: Challenges and opportunities for India Oct 03 2018 Anil Sigdel Abstract China is extending its hand to Nepal, India’s Himalayan neighbour, which for its part is understandably attracted to the prospects that are emerging on its Northern front. How does China’s expanding footprint in Nepal affect India? This brief examines
Iran prepares cryptocurrency as US cuts SWIFT services0
- Blog
- November 13, 2018
According to the US Treasury Department, Iran has now been cut off from the SWIFT financial messaging system. Photo: iStock Tehran feels forced to turn to crypto and will start to issue ‘digital Rial’ to banks and institutions for payment testing and interbank settlements By Luke Thompson November 13, 2018 Iran has now been cut
Bangladesh Opposition Vows to Challenge Ruling Party in General Election0
- Blog
- November 12, 2018
by Kamran Reza Chowdhury on Nov 11, 2018 Bangladesh’s main opposition party and a group of centrist parties vowed Sunday to participate in the Dec. 23 general election, posing the first electoral challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 10 years. Kamal Hossain, leader of the Jatiya Oikya Front (National United Front), made
Bhutan National Assembly Elections 2018: A Mandate for Change?0
- Blog
- November 12, 2018
Nihar R Nayak Nihar R Nayak is Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Click here for detail profile. More from the author Rajrajeshwari Singh Rajrajeshwari Singh is Research Intern at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. More from the author Ashok K. Behuria Ashok K. Behuria is Senior
Commentary
South Asia: Is ‘regime-change’ an end in itself?0
- Commentary
- November 13, 2018
The alternative for India would and should be to shed the post-Cold War past here and now — re-look at the South Asian priorities. N Sathiya Moorthy 12 November 2018 If there is a ‘lesson’ the ‘international community’ (read: West) has to learn (!) from some of the events standing also in their name in
Ron Paul: President Trump’s Iran Policy, Is It ‘Normal’?0
- Commentary
- November 13, 2018
November 13, 2018 Ron Paul It’s not often that US Government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy. The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a “liberation.” The 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a “humanitarian intervention.” And so on. So, in a way, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly
Rohingya refugees flee camps to avoid repatriation0
- Commentary
- November 13, 2018
Rohingya refugees perform prayers as they attend a ceremony organised to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on August 25, 2018. Photo: AFP/Dibyangshu Sarkar Rohingya refugees flee camps to avoid repatriation It’s not clear conditions
Russia’s Growing Clout in Asia Pacific Region0
- Commentary
- November 11, 2018
by Yead Mirza 11 November 2018 In their strategic calculus, the Asia Pacific major powers as well as other countries do not consider Russia a major military power for the region. Although these Asia Pacific countries understand Russia’s military clout in Europe and Middle East, they somehow fail to see how overall Russian military
The Khashoggi crisis: Saudi Arabia braces for tougher post-election US attitude0
- Commentary
- November 9, 2018
By James M. Dorsey 9 November 2018 A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Stitcher, TuneIn and Tumblr. Saudi Arabia is bracing itself for a potentially more strained relationship with the United States in the wake of Democrats gaining control of the House of Representatives in this week’s mid-term elections
Radicalization at Central Province in Sri Lanka: re-visiting the global responses0
- Commentary
- November 9, 2018
Image credit: INSSSL by Natasha Fernando 9 November 2018 In the month of March 2018, Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency following riots and communal violence in the Central Province. An incident in Ampara, of North Eastern Province followed a claim by an individual to have come across ‘infertility pills’ in a plate of food at
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Will Bangladesh polls sans Begum Zia spell victory for PM Hasina?
NOV 06 2018 PINAK RANJAN CHAKRAVARTY * 6 November 2018 In a double whammy, Bangladesh’s High Court has dealt another grievous blow to Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the major opposition party. The court enhanced her sentence in a corruption case from 5 to 10
Book Review: A Broken Dream: Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha
Updated 20 September, 2018 0600 Justice Sinha was born in Moulavibazar district in the northeast Bangladesh where he grew up in a family of six siblings, five brothers and one sister. His father was a dedicated teacher and a scholar of the Hindu religion. During Bangladesh liberation war in 1971, he experienced the same