Covering Policy Issues from South Asia
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Kashmir: Islamic Groups Reject India’s Ceasefire0
- Blog
- May 25, 2018
May 24, 2018 UCAN By UCAN By Umar Manzoor Shah Islamic militants and separatist groups working to free the Kashmir region from India have turned down a federal offer of a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The United Jihad Council (UJC), an amalgam of militant groups leading an armed struggle against India’s military, on
Is Pakistan Army Chief’s Offer For Talks Serious?0
- Blog
- May 25, 2018
May 24, 2018 Observer Research Foundation By Harsh Kakkar Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had recently stated, during the passing out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy, that “it is our sincere belief that the route to peaceful resolution of Indo-Pak disputes, including the core issues of Kashmir, can be found through
Bangladesh’s Escalated Anti-Drug Campaign Draws Fire from Rights Activists, Opposition0
- Blog
- May 24, 2018
Kamran Reza Chowdhury Dhaka 2018-05-23 Police in Barisal, Bangladesh, present suspected drug dealers who were arrested as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown against illegal drugs, May 23, 2018. BenarNews Bangladeshi rights activists and opposition politicians are criticizing as heavy handed this month’s intensified nationwide anti-drug crackdown in which, police agencies say, officers gunned down
At Kumaraswamy’s Swearing-In, Political Rivalries Set Aside For Fight Against BJP0
- Blog
- May 24, 2018
With party equations and alliances yet to be ironed out for the 2019 general election, the coming together of anti-BJP leaders at Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in will likely kickstart the battle to counter BJP nationally. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, BSP’s Mayawati, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Electoral Tsunami for Malaysia0
- Blog
- May 24, 2018
Malaysians recover from the election shock, ending UMNO’s 60 years of power, and prepare for tougher job: ending corruption Philip Bowring Tuesday, May 22, 2018 Tsunami treasure: An electoral upset put the 92-year-old former Premier Mahathir Mohamad back in power; police haul away cartons of jewelry and other luxury items from defeated Prime Minister Najib
Managing Change in Myanmar: Policymaking after Dictatorship0
- Blog
- May 23, 2018
May 23, 2018 By Matthew Arnold As Myanmar’s fitful democratic transition moves forward, many observers are torn between early, high hopes for the end of military rule and a growing pessimism about wider democratic, economic, and social reforms. In the international community, much of this pessimism is a result of the dire and well-publicized situation in
Commentary
CAN INDIA PREVENT MALDIVES FROM GOING UNDER CHINA’S CONTROL?0
- Commentary
- February 15, 2018
by N.S.Venkataraman 15/2/2018 The present disturbed condition in the Maldives has made some people including opposition parties in the Maldives say that India’s military intervention is necessary. It is now becoming increasingly clear that Pakistan and its friend China think that war in one form or the other, in cold form or hot form, is desirable
INDIAN AMBITION AND REGIONAL INSTABILITY0
- Commentary, Issue 24 – Spring 2018
- February 14, 2018
On 18 May 1974, Indira Gandhi gave the go-ahead for India’s first nuclear test at Pokhran in the Rajasthan desert. This explosion was labeled by the Indian government as a ‘Peaceful Nuclear Explosion’ (PNE). Following this path of nuclear development, Indian nuclear explosion affected the region the most as, later, it again conducted nuclear tests
Sri Lanka: The New Regime and the Revolution1
- Commentary, Issue 24 – Spring 2018
- February 13, 2018
Le nouveau Régime et la Révolution by Prof.Asanga Abeyagoonasekera 13/2/2018 “The most perilous moment for a bad government is one when it seeks to mend its ways.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville, L’Ancien Régime et la Révolution (1856) At a meeting in Davos in 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a speech supporting the agenda
Chinese extradition request puts crackdown on Uyghurs in the spotlight0
- Commentary, Issue 24 – Spring 2018
- February 13, 2018
By James M. Dorsey 12/2/2018 A Chinese demand for the extradition of 11 Uyghurs from Malaysia puts the spotlight on China’s roll-out of one of the world’s most intrusive surveillance systems, military moves to prevent Uyghur foreign fighters from returning to Xinjiang, and initial steps to export its security approach to countries like Pakistan. The
Surrendering a Brussels mosque: A Saudi break with ultra-conservatism?0
- Commentary
- February 13, 2018
By James M. Dorsey 13/2/2018 Saudi Arabia, in an indication that it is serious about shaving off the sharp edges of its Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, has agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels. The decision follows mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism that was being propagated by the mosque’s
Union Digital Center: Expectation and Challenges in Services Delivery to the Rural People of Bangladesh1
- Commentary, Issue 24 – Spring 2018
- February 13, 2018
by Abu Sufian Shamrat and Md. Amjad Hossain 13/2/2018 Abstract The major focus of this study is to assess the expectations and the challenges of Union Digital Center in providing service to the rural people of Bangladesh. Majority percent (70%) of people live in rural areas of Bangladesh. Rural local government bodies of
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ISSN 2471-951X (online)
Featured
Will Bangladesh polls sans Begum Zia spell victory for PM Hasina?
NOV 06 2018 PINAK RANJAN CHAKRAVARTY * 6 November 2018 In a double whammy, Bangladesh’s High Court has dealt another grievous blow to Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the major opposition party. The court enhanced her sentence in a corruption case from 5 to 10
Book Review: A Broken Dream: Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha
Updated 20 September, 2018 0600 Justice Sinha was born in Moulavibazar district in the northeast Bangladesh where he grew up in a family of six siblings, five brothers and one sister. His father was a dedicated teacher and a scholar of the Hindu religion. During Bangladesh liberation war in 1971, he experienced the same