Articles in Courtesy: South Asia Monitor

India’s Af-Pak policy: Risks and Opportunities

India’s Af-Pak policy: Risks and Opportunities

By: Divya Kumar Soti | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 17 Dec , 2015

The Ufa Joint Statement issued by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan had envisaged a preliminary framework to address the issues of terrorism, ceasefire violations and to find out “ways...

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NSA meeting in Bangkok: Setting stage for Modi visit to Pakistan?

NSA meeting in Bangkok: Setting stage for Modi visit to Pakistan?

By: Cmde C Uday Bhaskar (Retd.) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 08 Dec , 2015

The unobtrusively arranged, below the radar meeting between the National Security Advisers (NSA) of India and Pakistan in Bangkok on Sunday (December 6) may be seen as a case of a belated but...

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Turkey downs a Russian bomber and stirs Syrian cauldron

Turkey downs a Russian bomber and stirs Syrian cauldron

By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 28 Nov , 2015

Two Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian Su-24M Fencer fighter-bomber at 9:24 AM local time on 24 November after it purportedly crossed into the Turkish airspace and ignored 10 warnings in five...

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Terrorist Attacks: Is the world really helpless?

Terrorist Attacks: Is the world really helpless?

By: NS Venkatraman | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 27 Nov , 2015

The massacre of more than 120 innocent people in Paris is not the first incident of horror in recent times. The massacre of school children in Pakistan, the September 11 attack in 2001 when...

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PM Narendra Modi visit gives India a higher profile in ASEAN

PM Narendra Modi visit gives India a higher profile in ASEAN

By: Mahendra Ved | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 26 Nov , 2015

A new and powerful economic community is emerging in India’s extended neighborhood at a time when the world as a whole is facing economic uncertainties, combating the scourge of terrorism and is...

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After Paris Attacks: Will Middle East again burn Western hands?

After Paris Attacks: Will Middle East again burn Western hands?

By: Divya Kumar Soti | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 23 Nov , 2015

As the horrors and plot of 13/11 Paris Attack unfold, its comparison with 26/11 Mumbai carnage becomes unavoidable given the striking similarities in the nature of soft targets chosen by the...

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Paris Assault: India needs to review threat assessment of IS

Paris Assault: India needs to review threat assessment of IS

By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 19 Nov , 2015

In near-simultaneous attacks on November 13, assailants armed with assault rifles and wearing explosive belts targeted six sites in Paris killing more than 120 people. The serial attacks have...

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India slips on Chinese oil in Nepal

India slips on Chinese oil in Nepal

By: Cdr Kapil Narula | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 06 Nov , 2015

Nepal, a landlocked country, lies between India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and has strong cultural and political links with India. Both countries share a “special relationship”...

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Time running out for Afghanistan

Time running out for Afghanistan

By: Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 24 Oct , 2015

War ravaged Afghanistan, the “graveyard of empires”, continues to descend into growing political instability and recurrent fratricidal conflict.  That the overall security situation in the...

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China’s Military Cut: Xi’s Attempts at Control

China’s Military Cut: Xi’s Attempts at Control

By: Divya Kumar Soti | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 09 Oct , 2015

During the September 3 celebrations marking China’s victory over Japan in the Second World War, President Xi Jinping announced a big military cut scheduled to be completed by 2017. The proposed...

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Why the Madhesi people revolted in Nepal

Why the Madhesi people revolted in Nepal

By: Sohan Prasad Sha | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 08 Oct , 2015

The past two decades in Nepal has witnessed a series of revolts, unrest and uprising of the people. Ever since the peace process started, with a popular 12-point agreement in 2005 between Maoists...

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Karakoram Highway: A security challenge for India

Karakoram Highway: A security challenge for India

By: Brig Anil Gupta | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 02 Oct , 2015

Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects Abbottabad in Punjab (Pakistan) to Kashgar, Xinjiang region of China across the Karakoram ranges. India has five mountain ranges which guard its northern...

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Sri Lanka: Key to Indian strategy in South Asia

Sri Lanka: Key to Indian strategy in South Asia

By: Aniket Bhavthankar | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 02 Oct , 2015

Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe came to India for his maiden overseas tour after his election from September 14-17, 2015. Since the appointment of Maithripala Sirisena as...

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India and Nepal: Review of policies likely

India and Nepal: Review of policies likely

By: KV Rajan | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 28 Sep , 2015

Nepal has a constitution at last. On September 20, 2015, an overwhelming majority of an elected Constituent Assembly voted in favour of a constitution ushering in a federal, democratic, secular...

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UNSC Reforms: India must make most of the momentum

UNSC Reforms: India must make most of the momentum

By: Chayanika Saxena | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 24 Sep , 2015

With the baggage of a moribund predecessor to tow around, the inception of United Nations was seen as a moment when initiatives geared at creating and sustaining international security could be...

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Refugee crisis in EU - Militarisation of response

Refugee crisis in EU - Militarisation of response

By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 22 Sep , 2015

Even as divisions deepen amongst EU member states on how to respond to the rising refugee influx, three narratives have dominated the refugee crisis in Europe. One, that Europe has been part of...

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Border Violations: Respond in Language Pak Army understands

Border Violations: Respond in Language Pak Army understands

By: Jai Kumar Verma | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 19 Sep , 2015

The relations between India and Pakistan are generally tense and both countries do not miss any opportunity to slander the other although several times the accusations and counter accusations are...

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50th anniversary of 1965 war: Lessons remain elusive

50th anniversary of 1965 war: Lessons remain elusive

By: Cmde C Uday Bhaskar (Retd.) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 04 Sep , 2015

The 50th anniversary of the 1965 war covertly initiated by Pakistan against India is being recalled by the Narendra Modi government in a month-long celebratory commemoration that commenced on...

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Red rags and preconditions: An opportunity lost between India and Pakistan

Red rags and preconditions: An opportunity lost between India and Pakistan

By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 24 Aug , 2015

Pakistan on Saturday night called off the first-ever NSA-level talks, with its Foreign Office saying that the proposed talks between the NSAs of the two countries would not serve any purpose, if...

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India badly needs a separate Ministry of Homeland Security

India badly needs a separate Ministry of Homeland Security

By: Brig Anil Gupta | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 10 Aug , 2015

It has been widely reported in American media that ISIS has a grand design of uniting the numerous Afghan and Pakistani terrorist groups to forge a new “Army of Terror” based in the Af-Pak...

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