Peace and Stability in Afghanistan: The Role of Neighbours

Good governance, including a transparent system for the delivery of justice; sustained socio-economic development; and, a secure environment for the first two to flourish, are the three pillars of a successful counter-insurgency campaign. In Afghanistan, the post-ISAF security environment is likely to spin out of control if supplementary security arrangements are not conceived soon and put in place quickly with the help of its neighbours.

Afghanistan: The Smell Of Defeat

 Mike Whitney “These two visions, one of  tyranny and murder, the other of liberty and life, clashed in Afghanistan. And thanks to brave US and coalition forces and to Afghan patriots, the nightmare of the Taliban is over and that nation is coming to life again.” –  George W. Bush, The War College Address, 2004 [...]

West versus Rest

The world is no longer unipolar .  A cluster of powers is emerging now .While US remains pre-eminent but it is not the same hyper power as before. As predicted earlier by SAI , alliances are now being formed with or against US. An analysis of basic global power equations indicates  “West versus Rest”  clusters [...]

India’s Connect Central Asia Policy

India thus shall have to wait out the current geopolitical quagmire in Af Pak before any meaningful solution to the INSTC is found to manage connectivity. Unfortunately there is no scope for Jugaad (improvisation) here. We can also argue that India has no such restrictions in improving connectivity to South East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar to Thailand and beyond. Delivery has been a major Indian weakness.

Debating Russia Pakistan Relations

Russia’s (re)entry into the now emerging game in Af Pak signals a new great game for influence in the region. On the larger plane this may be a SCO backed initiative to marginalise US influence in the region. However, amidst the above stated chaos, Russia’s designs of building a house in Indian Ocean may not be very viable, at least for now. We need to watch this space.

Graveyard of Empires

Taliban have carried out the most serious assault in Kabul in 11 years, simultaneously attacking embassies, a supermarket, a hotel and the Afghan parliament, in addition to attacks on US bases and Afghan police stations in three other provinces. Hardly a spent force. In fact these attacks managed to achieve a great deal.

How to Become A Strategic Analyst Like Yours Sachly

South Asian Idea couldn’t help reproduce this brilliant piece which makes reading reams of paper on South Asian Strategies redundant.  By Major Bearls Oph Wisdom - The Major Bearls Blog I am pleased to see a new generation of Pakistani analysts: The twenty-somethings whose western education makes them credible in Pakistan and whose Pakistani heritage and once-a-year [...]

Preponing Afghanistan to 2013: Cause and Effect

Defence Secretary Panetta’s airborne disclosure of a 2013 winding down of combat operations in Afghanistan, one year ahead of schedule, has baffled political and military analysts world over. While it appears to be a political judgement in the election year, it has much wider ramifications for the region.

Pakistan: Soft Coup Appears Imminent

No democratic government has survived the full term in Pakistan. Something which the Pakistan Army takes great pride in having ruled Pakistan for half of its existence directly and the rest indirectly. In the worst face off between the civil government and the military, both of which are suffering legitimacy crisis in Pakistan, the scales [...]

More Equal than others in Death

By Tazeen Javed In the wake of the cross-border Nato attack in November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in Salala, the whole country was up in arms against the aggression of the allied forces. From the political parties to lawyers associations, from banned militant outfits to student organisations, from the head of the armed forces [...]

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