Opinion Asia - South Asia

Cruel Times for Democracy in Pakistan

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:27:23 +0800

Should the present or next US government have to choose, it would perhaps prefer the fall of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition government than see President Parvez Musharraf impeached. Blame Nawaz Sharif and the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan for this.

The ambivalent US-Pakistan Liaison

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:13:27 +0800

The Americans were always sceptical about Pakistan’s democratic credentials. On the other hand, the Pakistanis were not averse to fighting communism, but their main objective was to acquire American weapons and technology to brace their military capability against their much bigger rival, India. There is little to suggest that the core of this relationship is any different today.

Nepal Watch: The Monarchy is Dead! Long live the Republic!

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:10:56 +0800

In a country which was united by its monarchy and identified by its religion, the new political order has thrown up many more questions than there are answers. Can Nepal's atheist, ultra left live side by side with religion and ritual, support both private enterprise and democracy, and help draft a new constitution that respects fundamental rights?

High Noon in Sri Lanka: For real this time?

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 11:17:06 +0800

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa called it the “Final Battle” while the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), speak of a “Highway of Death”. Terminology notwithstanding, the government has asserted that the 25-year old separatist conflict should be over by April next year.

The Emergent India-China Competition: Benign Intent or Aggressive Design?

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:45:54 +0800

China’s strategy in the India-China border and boundary dispute is staightforward - freeze the issue to engage India economically so as to augment its own growth. The contentious issues would be raised when China finds necessary to contain India. However, Beijing has since been alarmed by India's closer relations with the US, Japan and separately, with its engagement in East and Southeast Asia.

How India could have its atomic cake, and eat it too

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:46:53 +0800

Despite the cold reception of India’s nuclear tests at Pokhran ten years ago, India has gone on to enjoy a decade of rapid economic advancement, greater international influence, and recognition as a rising global power. To other aspiring nuclear powers, India’s gate-crashing of the nuclear club might seem a tempting precedent. But the tale of how India could emerge unscathed from breaking the no-test taboo represents a crucial exception.

Nuclear India: Ten Years after Pokhran II

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:05:56 +0800

Many reasons were attributed to former PM Vajpayee’s decision to bring India’s nuclear weapons out of the closet in May 1998. However, the primary motivation stemmed from threat perceptions: a dangerous nuclear neighbourhood with two inimical nuclear powers, China and Pakistan, colluding with each other to destabilise India through a nuclear warhead-ballistic missile nexus and a long-drawn proxy war under the nuclear shadow.

Judges and the Judiciary in Pakistan: Judgement Day round the Corner?

Fri, 9 May 2008 17:40:46 +0800

The new deadline for the restoration of the deposed judges has been extended to May 12th, 2008. One possibility is that the PPP will approach the judiciary for a “deal” which ensures its political survival. However, if the deposed judges are restored by May 12th, it will be difficult to predict the extent to which the Supreme Court will become hostage to party politics in Pakistan.

Ahmedinejad’s visit to India: Is the gas pipeline project on?

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:48:03 +0800

Iranian President Ahmedinejad’s brief stopover in New Delhi on 29 April for talks with Indian leaders expectedly aroused great interest throughout the world. When the Americans suggested that India should use the occasion to press Iran to stop nuclear enrichment, India tartly responded that it did not need any “guidance” on how to handle its relationship with Iran.

Constitutionalising social justice in India: the role of the Supreme Court

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:33:07 +0800

Despite having stirred the sensibilities of both the socially advantaged and disadvantaged sections of society, the 1990 Mandal reservation scheme has brought about radical changes in Indian polity and society. The grammar of entitlement has now become an integral part of the language of politics in contemporary India.

India on Tibet: Genuflecting before the Middle Kingdom?

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 11:46:14 +0800

India’s deafening silence on the PRC’s brutal crackdown on the hapless Tibetans makes a complete mockery of its much-vaunted independent foreign policy. Sadly, this utterly misguided set of policies has a long and tragic lineage harking back to India’s dealings with the PRC from the 1950s.

Defence Diplomacy or Foreign Policy? Hectic lobbying for Indian fighter deal

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 15:17:50 +0800

In more ways than one, the MRCA contract will not only go down as a defence deal - it will represent one marker in the increasingly sophisticated foreign policy juggling act that India will engage in, in the years to come.

Enter Gilani: Pakistan's transition to democracy?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:54:20 +0800

There is widespread speculation that Zardari will soon get himself elected to the National Assembly through a by-election and replace Mr Gilani as prime minister, but other reports suggest that the PPP wants to retain him as prime minister for the full term until 2013. His stay in office will naturally also depend on the stability of the coalition government.

Democracy divides India and the United States

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:33:14 +0800

A concert of democracies is not a concept that will bring India and the United States closer than they are. Indeed, their common system of government, democracy, has kept them near and far at the same time, and ironically driven them to cultivate proximity with dictatorships.

The NATO rift and a bear security market in Afghanistan-Pakistan

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 11:49:31 +0800

A NATO summit is due in April in Bucharest, where the vitriol of the words exchanged might well approach the ferocity of fighting in southern Afghanistan's opium-addled Helmand province. However, by then, NATO might face a more complex strategic dilemma in the region, depending on how Pakistan's elections pan out.