Articles in Courtesy: South Asia Monitor
Pakistan’s Double-Game Stands Exposed Again
By: Jai Kumar Verma | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 05 Jun , 2016
Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the Afghan Taliban chief who was killed in a drone attack on May 21 in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan was a hardliner and averse to the idea of any...
Chabahar will provide a Strategic edge to India
By: Brig Anil Gupta | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 30 May , 2016
Chabahar is a deep-sea port located in Sistan-Baluchistan area of Iran at the mouth of Gulf of Oman. It is a strategically located port because it provides direct access to the Indian Ocean,...
Despite setback, Taliban will force greater violence on Afghanistan
By: Chayanika Saxena | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 28 May , 2016
Taken down in a drone attack, the rehbar (leader) of Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour is reported to have been eliminated on the evening of May 21, 2016. Confirming his death, official...
The Pakistan factor in India-Iran ties
By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 25 May , 2016
As Prime Minister Modi makes his first visit to Iran, numerous factors are at play ranging from the timing of the visit, which is taking place after his visit to Saudi Arabia and before an...
China’s Maritime Grand Strategy: Stoking Insecurities with Aggressiveness
By: Anubha Rastogi | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 23 May , 2016
According to Alfred Thayer Mahan, a 19th century American strategist, the concept of sea power was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide impact....
The ever present Civil-Military acrimony in Pakistan
By: Dr Sudhanshu Tripathi | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 19 May , 2016
It certainly looks clear that all is not going well in Pakistan between its civilian government and an all-time powerful army. With the recent Panama Paper leaks having landed the sons and...
Kashmir on the edge: Peace is far from sight
By: Gaurav Dixit | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 28 Apr , 2016
Four persons were killed and nine others were injured as personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police allegedly opened fired on the protesters in the Handwara town of...
The IS challenge: Europe needs to get its act together
By: Jai Kumar Verma | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 26 Apr , 2016
Islamic State (IS) which has already overtaken Al-Qaeda is currently the most treacherous, wealthiest and better organized terrorist organization in the international arena. While the continuous...
Thwarting the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism: India can lead the way
By: Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 09 Apr , 2016
‘Global challenges demand global solutions’ is an oft quoted truism, parroted by many global leaders, but on which there is hardly any display of concerted action. Be it the implementation of...
China courts Myanmar: A 'strategic asset' in Beijing's Indian Ocean connectivity
By: Joshy M. Paul | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 05 Apr , 2016
China, of late, has been pitching to increase its influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) through Myanmar. As an emerging maritime power in the Indo-Pacific, China is seeking a legitimate...
Myanmar's Transition to Civilian Rule: A path full of Hurdles
By: Obja Borah Hazarika | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 23 Mar , 2016
The election of U Htin Kyaw as President is a watershed moment in Myanmar’s history. Htin Kyaw’s government would be Myanmar’s first democratic administration since 1962 when the military...
How far will Pakistan use its Taliban Leverage?
By: Mahendra Ved | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 08 Mar , 2016
Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Affairs Advisor to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, has, for the first time by a top member of the establishment, acknowledged that Pakistan has influence over the Afghan Taliban...
Pakistan is the real bully in the South Asian region
By: Sobdar Baloch | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 05 Mar , 2016
The retired Pakistani generals who frequently appear on TV talk shows have been misleading the public opinion by trying to shroud the negative role of Pakistan and highlight all that which they...
International Fleet Review 2016: Foreign Policy by other means?
By: Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd.) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 04 Feb , 2016
India’s first citizen, President Pranab Mukherjee, will be accorded a rare honor by the Indian Navy (IN), on Saturday, February 6. Embarked on the, white-painted, Presidential Yacht,...
Saudi-Iran conflict: India needs to safeguard its interests
By: Meenakshi Sood | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 03 Feb , 2016
The execution of Shia religious scholar Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia set in motion a series of unfortunate events that have the potential to deepen instability in the volatile Middle East, and...
North Korea: A cancer in Asia that needs to be checked
By: Aniket Bhavthankar | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 09 Jan , 2016
On January 6, 2016 seismometers across the world had measured a 5.1 Richter scale seismic event. Immediately after that North Korea claimed that it has successfully conducted its first Hydrogen...
The forgotten war in Jammu and Kashmir
By: Praveen Davar | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 07 Jan , 2016
The 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war was observed in a befitting manner by the Indian defence forces this year. Five years from now it will be the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war...
2016: Year of reckoning for Modi government
By: Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd) | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 04 Jan , 2016
Elected governments for the tall claims they make to their overly aspirational electorates are expected fulfill millions of promises. This natural yearning of the people in any vibrant democracy...
India-Pakistan Relations: Modi diplomacy at its best
By: Monish Gulati | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 27 Dec , 2015
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lahore on Christmas Day for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. He was received by Sharif with a warm hug on the tarmac of Allama...
Maldives: Adopting the China model?
By: N Sathiya Moorthy | Issue: Courtesy: South Asia Monitor | Date: 22 Dec , 2015
Brushing aside the domestic political opposition and international pressure, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen seems to have put development ahead of democracy in the long run-up to his bid for...