Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
Blog
America’s inevitable war is now an invisible one0
- Blog
- October 9, 2017
By Michael Kugelman Tillerson: We can turn tide in Afghansistan Source: CNN Story highlights Michael Kugelman: Sixteen years since US troops entered Afghanistan, the enduring conflict seems largely forgotten To eliminate terrorism, we must work to incorporate an economic and diplomatic strategy along with our military strategy, he writes Michael Kugelman is deputy director and
The caste politics curse that India just can’t shake off0
- Blog
- October 9, 2017
Maratha Kranti Morcha, a rallye for Marathi castes demanding respect of their rights in Mumbai last year. Mhidanesh/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA Afroz Alam, Maulana Azad National Urdu University India is still not able to do away with its caste politics as demonstrated by recent attacks on members of lower caste in south-western state of Gujarat during
Absence of ‘Region-ness’ in South Asia: A hurdle to Regional Economic Integration0
- Blog
- October 8, 2017
Credit: Musafir Nama Regional economic integration is considered to be one of the important components for the development of any region as it brings the unification of economic policies between different states of one region. To achieve regional economic integration, tariff and non-tariff barriers taking place between these states are reduced or abolished. Economic integration
Why the Nobel Peace Prize brings little peace0
- Blog
- October 7, 2017
Ronald R. Krebs, University of Minnesota The Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, an advocacy group that has worked to draw attention to their “catastrophic humanitarian consequences.” Every year, the winners of the Nobel Prizes are announced to great fanfare. And none receives more scrutiny than
The Curse of Religion & Casteism in India0
- Blog
- October 7, 2017
by Gaurav Tyagi Nirmala Dattatraya Yadav, a 60 year old woman was booked in the first week of September by the Pune City Police, in a case of impersonation following a police complaint filed by Medha Vinayak Khole, , a scientist with the India Meteorological Department (IMD). (1) Khole had accused Yadav of hiding her
India’s Growth Story – biggest rumor being propagated in the world0
- Blog
- October 7, 2017
~~By Gaurav Tyagi There are lies, damned lies and statistics. This phrase describes the persuasive power of numbers, especially the use of statistics to boost not so strong arguments. India defied expectations by coming up with an annual gross domestic product (GDP) figure of 7 percent for the October-December 2016 period and following the
How the Rohingya Crisis Is Changing Bangladesh0
- Blog
- October 7, 2017
By TOM FELIX JOEHNKOCT. 6, 2017 A Bangladeshi border guard sending Rohingya back across the border into their makeshift camp in Myanmar in August. Credit Adam Dean for The New York Times BANGKOK — Close to one million Rohingya from Myanmar are said to be living in Bangladesh at the moment, nearly half of
Why Are Washington’s Clients Getting Cozy To Moscow?0
- Blog
- October 7, 2017
October 6, 2017 Nauman Sadiq Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO, has been cooperating with Russia in Syria against Washington’s interests since last year and has recently placed an order for the Russian-made S-400 missile system. Similarly, the Saudi King Salman, who is on a landmark state visit to Moscow, has signed
Commentary
Countering supremacy: Johor Sultan battles Muslim equivalent of Islamophobia0
- Commentary
- October 16, 2017
By James M. Dorsey Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, the sovereign of the Malaysian state of Johor, does not mince his words. His repeated verbal assaults on Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism that traces its roots to Saudi-inspired puritan interpretations of the faith constitute an anti-dote to supremacist attitudes in parts of the Islamic world that rival
“Winning hearts and minds”: Assessing India’s soft power diplomacy in Afghanistan0
- Commentary
- October 15, 2017
Introduction Months before India threatened Pakistan to repeal Indus Water Treaty, nations heads of both India and Afghanistan inaugurated the Salma Dam built in cooperation with India, in the Herat province of Afghanistan. In the subsequent days of the “inauguration” diplomats, strategic and foreign relations experts “hailed” the joint initiative as a symbol of “extensive
THE MINISTER IS NOT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER; HE IS THE GOVERNMENT0
- Commentary, Events, Featured
- October 14, 2017
F R Chowdhury I understand that recently the Government in Bangladesh has decided that the minister in charge of a ministry shall act as the chief executive officer of the relevant ministry. This is wrong. The minister is a member of the cabinet, and so far it relates to that ministry, s/he is the government.
Is Sheikh Hasina’s faulty government hedging or seeking regime alignment over the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar?0
- Commentary
- October 14, 2017
By Humaiun Kobir* The United Nations has described Rohingya Muslims as the most prosecuted minority community in the world. Worldwide condemnation of the Myanmar regime over the brutal atrocities committed by the military in Myanmar has led to calls for the regime to be tried for initiating one of the most atrocious crimes against humanity
Happy Diwali
Featured
THE MINISTER IS NOT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER; HE IS THE GOVERNMENT
F R Chowdhury I understand that recently the Government in Bangladesh has decided that the minister in charge of a ministry shall act as the chief executive officer of the relevant ministry. This is wrong. The minister is a member of the cabinet, and so far it relates to that ministry, s/he is the government.