The report examines the reaction of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to various cross-LoC contacts that have been initiated by India and Pakistanwhich is an important bilateral Confidence-Building Measure (CBM) between India and Pakistan. This report also analyses the problems and prospects of opening of other routes.

• Smruti S. Pattanaik , Arpita Anant
• February 12, 2010
• Issue Brief

India is justified in seeing the US move to go ahead with the sale of the F-16s as an attempt to balance America’s strategic partnership with India by once again propping up Pakistan as a regional challenger.

• Gurmeet Kanwal
• February 11, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Whether the media groups succeed in achieving their “Aman ki Asha” is yet to be seen. But if they can sustain their vigorous campaign, the desire for peace in the region may deepen further.

• Shamshad A. Khan
• February 02, 2010
• IDSA Comments

This is a good time for India to review its Afghan strategy taking into account increasing war weariness of the Western forces and President Karzai’s policy of reintegrating the ‘good Taliban’.

• Arvind Gupta
• February 01, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Dam building in Arunachal Pradesh should not be perceived as an insurmountable irritant, but rather as a sign of a vibrant Indian democracy.

• Medha Bisht
• February 01, 2010
• IDSA Comments

The punishment of Mujib’s killers will hopefully now delegitimize this process and strengthen democracy in Bangladesh.

• Anand Kumar
• February 01, 2010
• IDSA Comments

To the credit of Shaikh Hasina she managed the foreign policy of Bangladesh as well as macro economic situation of the country well.

• Anand Kumar
• January 29, 2010
• IDSA Comments

The IPL decision not to choose Pakistani players proved a windfall for South Block, which had failed to convey India’s displeasure and unhappiness to the Pakistan government through the usual diplomatic channels.

• Ramesh Phadke
• January 29, 2010
• IDSA Comments

The Indo-Pak peace conference concluded with a pledge to uphold democracy, but failed to demonstrate it by limiting its invitation only to representatives from the Kashmir valley and ignoring other stakeholders.

• Senge H. Sering
• January 28, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Unless Baloch nationalists get their act together in pursuit of ‘achievable nationhood’, it will be only a matter of time before this latest upsurge in Balochistan will be brutally crushed.

• Sushant Sareen
• January 19, 2010
• IDSA Comments

The landslide victory of Awami League in Bangladesh elections created hope of revival of the 1972 constitution of which secularism was an important element. The government of Shaikh Hasina is trying to deal with this issue in a cautious manner.

• Anand Kumar
• January 19, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Bhutan and China have decided on a joint field survey to enable harmonising the reference points and names of the disputed areas.

• Medha Bisht
• January 19, 2010
• IDSA Comments

The issue of Bangladeshi illegal migration has troubled the state of Assam for decades now. Assamese political and social discourses fear that this unchecked migration from across the border will subvert their way of life and change the demographic profile of the state in the near future.

• Namrata Goswami
• January 14, 2010
• Issue Brief

India should clarify through actions and words that it has no intention of interfering in Nepal, that it respects Nepal’s sovereignty and that it is ready to work with any dispensation in Nepal for furthering mutual security and economic concerns.

• Nihar R. Nayak
• January 13, 2010
• IDSA Comments

If India indeed considers itself to be a rising power, it cannot remain a passive in the face of instability all around it.

• Ramesh Phadke
• January 12, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is visiting India on January 10, 2009. Both India and Bangladesh are looking foward to resolving some of the key bilateral issues. In the light of the new political climate in Bangladesh ever since Sheikh Hasina returned to power, what are the options for India?

• Sreeradha Datta
• January 06, 2010
• Issue Brief

It would appear that for the moment at least the TINA factor operates in favour of the Zardari/Gilani combine especially if they continue to occupy their offices without wielding any real power.

• Sushant Sareen
• December 30, 2009
• IDSA Comments

That the ISI patron is now becoming the victim of jehadi terrorism does not bode well for Pakistan, which now has to recast the agency’s role and organizational ethos to contain the Taliban.

• Harinder Singh
• December 24, 2009
• IDSA Comments

Getting the hard core Taliban to concede the fight without loss of face is preferable to destroying them. The latter course is rendered risky by the linkages between the Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban and Punjabi Taliban and their penetration of the Pakistani state and society.

• Ali Ahmed
• December 23, 2009
• Issue Brief

Obama’s signal that the United States seeks to exit in 18 months will be viewed with scepticism by fence sitters in Afghanistan who will identify the victor as the one who endures.

• Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
• December 14, 2009
• IDSA Comments