COMMENTARIES
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Responses from South and Southeast Asia
China’s Cartographic Aggression
Roomana Hukil · 04 Jul, 2014 · #4538 · Commentary
On the 60th Anniversary of Panchsheel or the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence between India, Myanmar and China, China released its latest ‘vertical atlas’ that depicts parts of J&K (Aksai Chin), the whole of Arunachal Prad...
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Global Nuclear Arsenals: Taking Stock of Current Trends
Ruhee Neog · 01 Jul, 2014 · #4537 · Commentary
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its annual data on the global trends and developments in world nuclear forces on 16 June, 2014. In its press release, the SIPRI had this to say: “The data shows that whi...
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Pakistan: Potential Blowbacks of Operation Zarb-e-Azb
Rajeshwari Krishnamurthy · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4536 · Commentary
On 15 June, Pakistan’s military launched its most ambitious offensive on terrorists living and/or operating from the country’s territory. The sharply-worded press statement marked a stark difference in Pakistan’s otherwise soft...
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IPCS Special Commentary
J&K: Forthcoming Elections and the Peace Process
Ashok Bhan · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4535 · Commentary
A series of credible democratic exercises since 1996 have contributed positively to the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. It may be recalled that the present conflict was triggered by what is often alleged to be the denial of political space t...
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Myanmar: How Free is the Contemporary Media?
Aparupa Bhattacherjee · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4534 · Commentary
In April 2013, for the first time in Myanmar, private newspapers were displayed in the newspaper stalls along with the state-owned newspapers that had not been censored by the Junta. In August 2012, President Thein Sein had announced the removal...
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Nepal and Ethnic Federalism: The Insufficiency of the Maoist Model
Subin Nepal · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4533 · Commentary
The last few years have seen a great rise in the discussion surrounding state restructuring in Nepal. At its very core has been the issue of ethnic federalism. First touted by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) in their agenda ...
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Comprehensive Nuclear Agreement with Iran: One Month Endgame
Ayesha Khanyari · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4532 · Commentary
Representatives from the P5+1 will meet their Iranian counterparts in Vienna on 2 July 2014 to continue talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Earlier, senior diplomats from both sides met in Brussels on 26 June 2014 for “an intense da...
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IPCS Book Discussion
The Warrior-State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World
Report · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4531 · Commentary
A discussion of Prof TV Paul’s Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World, organised by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), in collaboration with the India International Center (IIC), on 13 June 2014.
Initial Rema...
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Sushma Swaraj in Dhaka
India-Bangladesh: Hope for a New Beginning
Harun ur Rashid · 30 Jun, 2014 · #4530 · Commentary
The 38-hour trip of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Dhaka from 25 June was remarkable for various reasons.
First, it demonstrated the priority the Narendra Modi government places on India’s relations with Ban...
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Rim of the Pacific Exercises (RIMPAC): Thaw in China-US Tensions?
Vijay Sakhuja · 28 Jun, 2014 · #4529 · Commentary
Last week, Hawaii witnessed one of the largest assemblies of Navies for the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercises (RIMPAC) hosted by the Commander, US Pacific Fleet (PACFLT). Nearly 50 warships, half a dozen submarines, over 200 aircraft from As...
