“We believe India faces a long-term terrorist threat from Sikh extremists that the government probably cannot eradicate…We believe Pakistan would significantly increase its support to Sikh extremists only if hostilities were breaking out with India over other issues, such as Kashmir” – Excerpt from 1984 declassified CIA report “India and the Sikh Challenge”: The
READ MOREIndia acted similarly to Russia, as the hegemon of South Asia, doing what it wanted to because it could, writes William Milam by William Milam August 25, 2019 I promised friends that I would write more this week about the contradictions and trade-offs involved in governing countries which revere free speech but face internal extremist
READ MOREBy Bertil Lintner, Chiang Mai August 23, 2019 Failed repatriation try signals a permanent and increasingly destabilizing refugee population in Bangladesh By Bertil Lintner, Chiang Mai Over 3,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were supposed to return to Myanmar on August 22, a repatriation that was supposed to mark the beginning of a process to resettle
READ MOREBy James M. Dorsey 23 August 2019 A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, and Patreon, Podbean and Castbox. Recent diametrically opposed responses to repression of Muslims by China, India and other Asian countries highlight deep differences among Gulf states that ripple across Asia.
READ MOREby M. Adil Khan 19 August 2019 The backdrop On Monday August 5, 2019, Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave special autonomy status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir; and Ladakh. The move has led to mixed reactions in
READ MOREThe Wayward Daughter is a compelling read that portrays a Kathmandu girl seeking out love, finding herself and her own life in her family’s journey through many trials and triumphs. By Neha Rayamajhi 19 August 2019 Shradha Ghale’s debut novel is one among many works of literature that pay homage to Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Unlike
READ MOREAugust 17, 2019 B.Z. Khasru Public speculation by many, including the prime minister herself, termed the tragedy as an external conspiracy. One explanation for the mutiny was that the rebel soldiers opened fire on their officers when they dismissed appeals for better pay. The viciousness of the mutiny convinced many Bangladeshis that something more than
READ MOREBy Asanga Abeyagoonasekera 9 August 2019 “TRADE FRICTION [WERE] STARTED BY THE US, IF THE US WANTS TO TALK WE WILL KEEP THE DOOR OPEN. IF THEY WANT TO FIGHT, WE WILL FIGHT UNTIL THE END…BULLY US? NO WAY,” ~General Wei Fenghe, Chinese Defence Minister at Shangri-La Dialogue 2019 Geography can provide safety and prosperity.
READ MORENew Delhi’s crackdown could send the region spinning into instability. BY MICHAEL KUGELMAN | AUGUST 5, 2019 On Aug. 2, the state government of Jammu and Kashmir issued an extraordinary order. Citing terrorist threats, it ordered tourists and pilgrims to evacuate, and it shuttered schools. This came several days after New Delhi deployed thousands of new troops to
READ MOREby Hari Prasad Shrestha 27 July 2019 It has been a regular phenomenon since a decade in Nepal, especially in plain land of Terai, bordering India, becoming catastrophic during monsoon rain, mainly caused by road, dams, and embarkments illegally built by India along the Nepal border. Every year, it kills hundreds of people, destroys thousands
READ MOREby Ali Riaz 27 July 2019 Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term governance, it has become a buzzword since the 1980s. Policymakers and academics seem to agree that governance is fundamental to both economic and social development and that it cannot be left to governments alone. Over the past decades, the
READ MOREby Adrij Chakraborty 22 July 2019 Politics with Policy As India steps into the second term of governance by the (Bharatiya Janata Party led) National Democratic Alliance, I attempt to analyse what caused the mammoth upsurge of votes in its favour. Amidst other significant reasons behind the ruling party’s landslide victory, there is a small
READ MORE“Fear cuts deeper than swords.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones by R Chowdhury 13 July 2019 Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame said, “Men go far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.” That describes Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh today.
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