Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
Blog
If Asia is tired of ‘Emperor Xi’, it must get its head around India0
- Blog
- February 6, 2019
| This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post 6 February 2019 Karim Raslan is in India. Photo: Ceritalah India is a misunderstood giant – an economic presence that is fast becoming a critical engine of world growth But economics is just the beginning. A heavy handed China means Southeast Asia desperately needs India
Modi’s election budget widens fiscal deficit0
- Blog
- February 5, 2019
Asia Times February 5, 2019 Photo: Reuters With votes in mind the government is splashing the cash and creating a burden for the next regime By Puja Mehra, New Delhi The Narendra Modi-led government presented its last budget on February 1. Normally, a pre-election budget is meant to provide enough funds for the government to
Hopes And Fears Of Young Afghans As Taliban Talks Advance0
- Blog
- February 5, 2019
February 04, 2019 08:00 GMT This year the generation of Afghans born in 2001, when a U.S.-backed coalition toppled the Taliban, comes of age. As the United States engages in talks with the militants, young Afghans speak of their hopes and concerns for the future.
Rohingya Refugees Call for Justice as Angelina Jolie Visits Bangladesh Camp0
- Blog
- February 4, 2019
Rohingya Refugees Call for Justice as Angelina Jolie Visits Bangladesh Camp By Abdur Rahman and Jesmin Papri on Feb 04, 2019 Hollywood superstar and U.N. ambassador Angelina Jolie heard stories of abuse when she met Rohingya children and women at a refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh on Monday, authorities said, as she began a three-day
Sikkim’s political stability is crucial to India’s security0
- Blog
- February 2, 2019
In terms of India’s security, Sikkim remains a trend-setter and a model; India can’t afford to have insecure and ‘unhappy’ borders, when the northern neighbour is always ready to change the status quo, writes Claude Arpi for South Asia Monitor By Claude Arpi JAN 20, 2019 In the summer of 2017, the Doklam incident could
Foreign policy fiascos will haunt Modi in upcoming poll0
- Blog
- February 2, 2019
By BHIM BHURTEL FEBRUARY 1, 2019 India, the world’s largest democracy, is scheduled to hold its 17th Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) election this spring. Based on pre-election exit polls, political pundits surmise that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will fail to remain in the corridors of power. Despite
Commentary
Should Pakistan be granted an NSG Exemption?0
- Commentary, Issues
- April 27, 2015
For some time now Pakistan has been arguing for an exemption from the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). At the Hague Nuclear Security Summit in 2014, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appealed to the international support to have access to civilian nuclear technology. Pakistan contends that it must be accorded similar rights to engage in
Chinese and Indian Investment in South and Central Asia is Good for Washington0
- Commentary
- April 24, 2015
The United States is increasingly on the outside looking in as China — and India — invest across South and Central Asia. And that’s a good thing for Washington. On April 20, Chinese President Xi Jinping received a hero’s welcome in Islamabad. It’s easy to understand why. He was in town to announce a bonanza
Pascal’s wager in real time0
- Commentary
- April 12, 2015
The gamble in the Middle East and the gamble in Bangladesh Readers will understand that I am exercising heroic self-restraint by limiting my remarks on the recently-completed Nuclear Framework Agreement to two paragraphs. It is, to quote London’s Financial Times (FT) a “singular” achievement, and in my view another possible inflection point in the modern
What Iran Nuclear Deal Means for India1
- Commentary
- April 7, 2015
Lausanne witnessed a historic moment on April 2, when Iran and the P5 + 1 (United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany) announced the interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme. The agreement is currently in progress and the final deal is scheduled to be signed on June 30 (fingers crossed). If the agreement
Delicate Modernization in the Last Shangri-La0
- Commentary
- April 6, 2015
Bhutan is widely romanticized as the last Shangri-La meaning the “hidden paradise”. It would not be an exaggeration to state that this Shangri-la is a country known for its traditions, culture and identity. The importance of its traditions can be felt from the words of Harald Nestroy that the “early history of Bhutan is not
Playing with Peace in Myanmar0
- Commentary
- April 2, 2015
International aid and “statebuilding” exercises risk exacerbating ethnic conflicts in Myanmar. Here’s a more realistic approach. As ceasefires in Myanmar enter their third fragile year, international aid commitments geared towards “peacebuilding” have proliferated, particularly from the West and Japan. Although aid remains one of the few tools available to these governments, and there are countless
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Featured
Indian Navy benefits from Pentagon paranoia over China
US government in a hurry to get new sub-hunting helicopters into the hands of the Indian Navy by Dave Makichuk May 20, 2020 To say the Pentagon is concerned about China’s military expansion would be an understatement — just ask the Indian Navy. According to a report by Paul McLeary for Breaking Defense, the US
Dispute between Nepal and India Worsen over Territory of Kalapani
by Hari Prasad Shrestha 23 May 2020 In his address to the House of Representatives, Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, in response to the opposition lawmakers’ queries about the government’s annual policy and program, he remembered the motto of India’s state emblem, “Satyameva Jayate” (“Only truth triumphs”), and the four-head lion figure of