Blog

Remedying Bangladesh’s killing spree 2
- Blog
- May 23, 2016
Not selective justice but democracy and rule of law, the answer The spate of killings that have gripped Bangladesh lately and especially those that relate to the killings of atheist bloggers, a sufi, an alleged Islam bashing Hindu in a village and a homosexual and his friend (the homosexual, an employee of Dhaka USAID office)
READ MORE
Death of 1947 in Bangladesh’s Popular Memory 4
- Blog, Issue 18 - Fall 2016
- May 18, 2016
Introduction I have been exploring Bangladeshi newspapers and textbooks for school children to study how the partition and the end of British colonialism in India in 1947 is depicted. The objective was to conduct a qualitative content analysis to evaluate the significance of 1947 in Bangladesh’s official and public narratives. I intended to examine state-mandated
READ MORE
An overview of South Asian Nuclear developments: View point from Pakistan 0
- Blog
- May 18, 2016
“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” – Ayn Rand (1905-1982) As long as some states have nuclear weapons, others will want to acquire their own. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stressed that disarmament is the main way to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. But did these international bodies,
READ MORE
India’s green energy; past, present and the future 0
- Blog
- May 18, 2016
I. Background India’s green energy revolution is gradually picking up momentum owing to increased concerns for climate change and its impact on environment, human being, and above all a bigger concern for protecting mother earth for the future generation. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) 2008[i] proposed setting up 8 missions including the
READ MORE
India needs to recalibrate its policies in South Asia 0
- Blog
- May 13, 2016
The Nepali government’s allegation that India was plotting a regime-change in the young Himalayan Republic should make both nations think. Even as India has refuted the allegation, as in the normal, obvious course it would have, the Nepali envoy, who has ostensibly been recalled from Delhi, has contested it all, though from a personal angle
READ MORE
Is Age Just a Number?0
- Blog
- May 10, 2016
In late 1970s, the Pulitzer Prize winning historian Barbara Tuchman declared: “Of all the characteristics in which the medieval age differs from the modern, none is so striking as the comparative absence of interest in children.” So central is the question of child rights in the modern world that the presence of a highly developed
READ MORE
Singapore And The ISB Arrests 0
- Blog
- May 7, 2016
The recent arrests of an eight-man cell of Bangladeshi migrant workers calling itself the Islamic State of Bangladesh illustrates the reality and potential of the “insider threat” of transnational terrorism. The discovery of an eight-man cell of radicalised Bangladeshi foreign workers in Singapore calling itself the Islamic State of Bangladesh (ISB) is unsettling. It is
READ MORE

Running scared of China 0
- Blog
- May 6, 2016
From all accounts, it was a major event – the conference of Chinese dissidents in Dharamshala, India. It brought together Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, Taiwanese and Falun Gong practitioners among 69 foreign delegates. Yet, for the otherwise proactive Indian as well as the world media, it was a non-event. As of now, very little is known
READ MORE
Politics and legitimacy of news in Bangladesh 0
- Blog
- April 23, 2016
The importance of media in a democracy is well-known. The media in a democracy seeks to play the role of a fourth estate by informing and educating people about various aspects of state, including the functions of a government. Therefore, historically, whenever a government comes into power without the mandate of the people who it is
READ MORE
The Lahore Attack: Limits Of Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Policy 0
- Blog
- April 18, 2016
The devastating terrorist attack in Lahore last month has exposed the limits of Pakistan’s militarised counter-terrorism approach and signifies a revival of the Pakistani Taliban groups in Afghanistan. A comprehensive counter-terrorism policy and counter-terrorism cooperation with its neighbours are required if Pakistan is not to suffer from intermittent terrorist attacks. By Abdul Basit The Easter
READ MORE
Indo-Pacific: US’ New Asian Pivot?0
- Blog
- April 16, 2016
On January 30, USS Curtis Wilbur, a US missile destroyer, went tantalisingly close (12 nautical miles) to Triton Island (which is a part of the disputed Paracel Islands) without any prior information to the countries in dispute. This is on the back of a similar move by the US in the South China Sea (SCS)
READ MORE
CPM-Congress alliance in West Bengal makes perfect sense in terms of electoral maths 0
- Blog
- April 12, 2016
Even a few months ago, if one were to do election forecasting in West Bengal, few would have predicted any contest. The Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee was widely seen as the undisputed winner – well on the way to repeat or even better the 2011 Assembly election performance that brought the once unvanquishable
READ MORE
Climate change impact in Nepal 0
- Blog
- April 2, 2016
Involved in drafting team of Intended Nationally determined Contribution (INDC), Ugan Manandhar , talks about the document.” Nepal prioritizes adaptation but is looking forth to sectoral low carbon development options in its INDCs” he says. Manandhar is Deputy Director of World Wildlife Fund Nepal. He has been following negotiations as a government delegate since 2008
READ MORE
Kanhaiya – Is Left’s Aam Admi Emerging 0
- Blog
- March 6, 2016
Kanhaiya’s recent remarkable speech in JNU and the series of interviews with prominent news channels aftermath reflect an articulate and an energetic politician in him. His much used Azaadi cry speaks of his urge for the inner social development in the country and fight against deeply embedded exploitation, disparity and perpetual alienation that millions of
READ MORE