Commentary

The pain is doubled when the government keeps saying Bangladesh has democracy 2
- Commentary
- May 13, 2017
Sheikh Hasina has choked her grip on the citizens of Bangladesh using all kinds of rules and regulations. Bangladesh passport bill is the latest one. This law can refuse issuance or renewal of anyone’s passport if the government suspects someone to be anti-state. Mixing up the state with the government, anyone can be accused of
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Ambassador Nikki Haley Is Completely Clueless 0
- Blog, Commentary
- February 26, 2017
Ambassador Nikki Haley Is Completely Clueless United States’ Nikki Haley. Photo Credit: Office of the President-elect, Wikipedia Commons. By Daniel McAdams February 26, 2017 Just when we thought the great national embarrassment of a UN Ambassador Samantha Power was over, we are suddenly faced with a new US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley,
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Indian concerns over Maldives island-lease: It’s not about China but about sovereignty talk 0
- Blog, Commentary, Issue 20 - Spring 2017
- February 2, 2017
Indian concerns over Maldives island-lease: It’s not about China but about sovereignty talk N Sathiya Moorthy, South Asia Monitor, 1 February 2017 At a New Year news conference in Male, Chinese Ambassador Wang Fukang reportedly expressed ‘surprise’ over “concerns raised by Indian journalists over the leasing of the Maldivian island of Feydhoo Finolhu (an uninhabited island
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Will new leadership continue with Jayalalithaa’s policy priorities?0
- Blog, Commentary
- December 17, 2016
N Sathiya Moorthy How the post-Jayalalitha leadership of new Chief Minister O Panneerselvam takes forward her initiatives remains to be seen It’s not only in the political arena that the demise of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa be felt for a long time to come. In the larger area of policy-formulation too, it would be
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Corruption: A Legacy Not Easy To Give Up For Bangladesh 0
- Blog, Commentary
- December 17, 2016
Kazi Mukitul Corruption, an infamous and recognised evil, remains a major challenge to socio-economic development in Bangladesh. From the title of champion in corruption in the early 2000s, the country’s progress in fighting the evil is still mediocre, compared to pompous claims by the policy makers. Bribe given to different government sectors is equivalent to
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For Whom All Does The Bell Tolls, When, Why And For How Long?0
- Blog, Commentary
- December 12, 2016
N. Sathiya Moorthy The Holiday Season sets the mood for rejoicing and relaxing, but anyone in his senses and decision-making positions in this country cannot be doing that. But even during the long years and decades of ethnic war(s), Sri Lanka was not known to have taken a holiday from those holidays, just as the
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Unresolved issues 0
- Blog, Commentary
- December 7, 2016
Javeed Bin Nabi Ever since 1947 partition of British India, Kashmir has always dominated the regional and national psyche. The partition of British India which divided the subcontinent into two big ideologies, cultures and created two rival countries and vying for control over Kashmir has caused immense damage to the economy of Kashmir as well
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A Brief History of Arakan: From Kingdom to a Colony 0
- Blog, Commentary
- December 7, 2016
Abid Bahar On December 31st, 2011, Arakanese Diaspora marked its 227th anniversary of the fall of the great Arakanese medieval kingdom. Arakan’s powerful kingdom was established by King Noromikhla. Arakanese nationals didn’t forget, in 1784 Burmese king Budapaya sent a large army led by his son who mercilessly razed the city to ground and
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Power struggle intensifies in ruling coalition in Maldives 0
- Commentary, Issue 18 - Fall 2016
- July 12, 2016
Dunya is the third of the fourth Gayoom children to ‘revolt’ against Yameen, after half-sister Yumna, who made a quite exit as a junior minister a couple of months ago. Faaris is younger to the two, followed by brother Ghassim. His decision on staying on in the Yameen ministry will be watched – more for
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Sri Lankan government’s unprincipled stand on visa for the Dalai Lama 0
- Commentary
- July 10, 2016
Government of Sri Lanka has refused to grant visa for the Dalai Lama to visit Sri Lanka on several occasions in the past. While earlier Rajapaksa government took such negative stand towards the Dalai Lama, the present Sirisena government is also adopting the same policy and approach. Such stand has resulted in the denial to
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Why Obama Should Support Modi’s Play in Iran and Afghanistan 0
- Commentary
- June 10, 2016
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inked a major transport corridor deal withIran and Afghanistan. According to the terms, India will provide $500 million to develop a port in the southern Iranian city of Chabahar. New Delhi also pledged to invest $16 billion in a free trade zone around the city. Additionally, there will
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Water Resource Competition in the Brahmaputra River Basin: China, India, and Bangladesh 0
- Commentary
- May 12, 2016
by Nilanthi Samaranayake, Satu Limaye and Joel Wuthnow Abstract The Brahmaputra River originates in China and runs through India and Bangladesh. China and India have fought a war over contested territory through which the river flows, and Bangladesh faces human security pressures in this basin that will be magnified by upstream river practices. Controversial dam-building
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Persisting Madheshi trouble bodes ill for Nepal in its Constitution making process 0
- Commentary, Issue 18 - Fall 2016
- May 9, 2016
Introduction Nepal has been passing through a series of transitional phases in her march towards democracy and rule of law. The latest phase began in 2006-2007 with the promulgation of the Interim Constitution and the start of the Peace Process. In fact, Nepal’s People’s Movement of April 2006, was instrumental in bringing the decade-long Maoist
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Afghanistan’s new approach towards Pakistan 0
- Commentary
- May 6, 2016
Hamid Karzai, former President of Afghanistan, in his 13 year’s Presidency made 20 trips to Pakistan hoping Pakistan would help stabilize Afghanistan. Karzai knew Pakistan ISI’s non-state network backwards because he lived in Pakistan in early 1980s, operating with anti-Soviet Mujahedeen. As President, he even once said if US attacked Pakistan, Afghanistan will side with
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