Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
Blog
An Indian journalist’s struggle for a free media0
- Blog
- September 16, 2019
Ravish Kumar wins Magsaysay Award for his efforts to preserve and promote critical, socially responsible journalism Mark Saludes India September 16, 2019 In the age of instant information via social media, an Indian journalist has been working to create a “space for ethical journalism” in the so-called mainstream media. For his “people-centered reporting,” Ravish Kumar
Kashmir-Government Detains Farooq Abdullah Under Draconian PSA0
- Blog
- September 16, 2019
The former chief minister had been under house arrest since August 5. The Wire Staff 16 September 2019 New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, currently a member of the Lok Sabha, has been detained under the Public Safety Act. The PSA allows detention for up to two years
India’s Democratic Dictatorship0
- Blog
- September 15, 2019
September 16, 2019 The Daily Star Shashi Tharoor Amid much fanfare, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has completed a hundred days of its second term. Despite his government’s poor record, Modi remains immensely popular personally. This does not bode well for Indian democracy. The Modi government’s supporters tout a slew of new repressive legislation—including
What is Ashura? How this Shiite Muslim holiday inspires millions0
- Blog
- September 15, 2019
Noorzehra Zaidi, University of Maryland, Baltimore County 15 September 2019 Tens of millions of Shiite Muslims from around the world will visit Iraq on Sept. 10 this year to see the shrines of Hussain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed, and his brother Abbas on the day of “Ashura.” This annual pilgrimage marks the 10th day of
“Key Individuals Management” and the Roots of China’s Anti-Muslim Surveillance System0
- Blog
- September 15, 2019
by Emily Dirks 15 September 2019 Introduction The repression of Xinjiang’s Uighur population by the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to horrify world opinion. Along with interning an estimated one million people in a network of re-education camps, the Chinese state has built extensive systems of daily surveillance directed at the
Why Bolton was fired; Bolton did not want to negotiate with the Taliban, North Korea or Iran0
- Blog
- September 11, 2019
By Stephen Bryen 11 September 2019 It was very important for President Donald Trump to fire National Security Adviser John Bolton rather than let him resign. But that does not erase the risk to Trump in foreign policy and his initiatives with North Korea, the Taliban and Iran. Trump now has to minimize his risk
Commentary
Learning to live with Pakistan – terrorism and worse?0
- Commentary
- March 12, 2019
The broad arguments for the war-psyche in India just now are based on the incontrovertible belief that Pakistan, whether Deep State or not, is incorrigible. N Sathiya Moorthy 11 March 2018 Post-Pulwama terror attack and subsequent air-strikes, an air of hyper-nationalism is getting increasingly ventilated, by a section of the political class and also the
Sri Lanka: To Geneva, thru Mannar and Jaffna?0
- Commentary
- March 11, 2019
N Sathiya Moorthy 11 March 2019 Reports that TNA’s Mullaitivu District MP, Nirmalanathan Sivamohan, wants the ‘Mannar mass-grave samples’ sent to a second lab for testing after one in Florida, US, has certified their age between mid-fifteenth to mid-eighteenth century, may require the party to clarify its position in the matter. Maybe, there is also
Kazakh police raid raises spectre of China’s long arm0
- Commentary
- March 11, 2019
By James M. Dorsey 11 March 2019 A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and Tumblr A police raid on a Kazakh group documenting the plight of Kazakhs and Uyghurs caught in a brutal crackdown in China’s north-western province of Xinjiang is about more than a government seeking
INDO-PACIFIC STRATEGY; Why it matters to this region and the rest of the world0
- Commentary
- March 11, 2019
March 11, 2019 The Daily Star ANM Muniruzzaman The strategic theatre for the interplay of the sovereign states’ interests has traditionally stood resolutely on solid ground. However, seismic shifts are beginning to displace this deeply entrenched worldview, triggered by the rising significance of the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). The IPS is a novel geostrategic (relating to
Increasing Lightning Death needs a new policy in Bangladesh and Northeast India0
- Commentary
- March 10, 2019
by Chandan kumar Duarah 10 March 2019 The maximum lightning incidents are attributable to climate change in the entire Indian subcontinent, central Bangladesh and Northeast India in the Brahmaputra Basin. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has recently issued a weather forecast for Assam and Meghalaya that, thunderstorm accompanied by lightning mostly occurred on March 5
WORLD PEACE: TWO PERENNIAL PROBLEMS0
- Commentary
- March 9, 2019
by F R Chowdhury 10 March 2019 In our childhood we used to study how the Kings and Emperors conquered land and territories to show how mighty they were. They would always find a reason to wage war. Most of the wars took place for expansion of borders. But the European conquerors established colonies overseas.
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Featured
Security Threats in South Asia: China’s Revised Assessment
by Mian Hameed 1 June 2020 Wisdom in my younger life was an unknown entity to me. In due course, I was able to fine-tune a process to gain wisdom. Though I am of no consequence here, the wisdom of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has implications for India. Here, I will not
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM- WOBBLY INDIA AND PAKISTAN’s RENASCENCE
By: Barrister Pirzada Aurang Zaib 27 May 2020 ‘You are free to go to your temples; you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of