COMMENTARIES
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Will China ‘Rig’ the Indian Ocean?
Shreya Upadhyay · 20 May, 2014 · #4452 · Commentary
China’s deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou 981, a massive billion-dollar rig designed to drill oil, in the South China Sea (SCS), has sent a clear message to the region – Beijing will drill as and where it pleases.
Is Chi...
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China, the CUES, and Freedom of Navigation
Vivek Mishra · 20 May, 2014 · #4451 · Commentary
The issue of freedom of navigation in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea (ECS), has been a disputative one, involving narratives and counter-narratives of what constitutes a ‘code of conduct&...
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Indus-tan
Modi-fying India-Pakistan Relations
Sushant Sareen · 19 May, 2014 · #4449 · Commentary · Column
Given the decades of hostility between India and Pakistan, animosity and prejudice is entirely understandable; even natural; but the sheer ignorance about each other never ceases to surprise. The Pakistani reaction to the victory of Narendra Mod...
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Dateline Kabul
Taliban’s Spring Offensive: Are the ANSF Prepared?
Mariam Safi · 19 May, 2014 · #4448 · Commentary
On 12 May, the Taliban commenced their annual spring offensive with a series of attacks that left over a dozen killed and many more injured in the Afghan provinces of Helmand, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Parwan and Kabul. Calling it ‘Khaibar’...
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Nuke Street
Looking Up in North East Asia
Sheel kant Sharma · 19 May, 2014 · #4447 · Commentary · Column
For weeks before President Obama’s visit to Seoul in April 2014 there were a series of reports, spurred by deliberate North Korean announcements, about an impending nuclear test. It has not happened so far, nor any missile test for that ma...
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Dhaka Discourse
Bangladesh-US: Towards New Engagements?
Delwar Hossain · 19 May, 2014 · #4446 · Commentary · Column
The third round of the 2014 Bangladesh-US security dialogue was held in Dhaka on 22 April. It focused on issues such as peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, disaster-management, maritime security and regional security. The security dialogue is part ...
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Red Affairs
Naxalism: The Insufficiency of a Force-Centric Approach
Bibhu Prasad Routray · 19 May, 2014 · #4445 · Commentary · Column
In the first week of May 2014, security forces launched a fresh anti-Naxal operation at the Saranda forests in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. The operation was started following intelligence inputs that a squad of armed Maoists had ent...
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South Asian Dialectic
India-Pakistan Relations: Modi’s Options
PR Chari · 19 May, 2014 · #4444 · Commentary · Column
How will Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi deal with Pakistan? He made a passing reference to China when he visited Arunachal Pradesh during the election campaign. An uncomplimentary mention of Bangladesh was also made as the major originat...
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US in Asia Pacific
Rebalancing: Part of its Grand Strategy?
Simi Mehta · 16 May, 2014 · #4443 · Commentary
In order to bolster the role of the US in the Asia-Pacific, the Obama administration has identified the region as part of its geostrategic priority by announcing its ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy. The ‘pivot to Asia’ was annou...
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J&K
Competing poll narratives
Shujaat Bukhari · 14 May, 2014 · #4442 · Commentary
The decades old distances that exist between New Delhi and Srinagar have again been reflected in the just concluded elections for the Lok Sabha. While the battle in rest of India was about managing more seats to come to power apart from the insi...
