Can Unconventional Gas Be a Game-Changer for India? The discovery of extracting unconventional (shale) gas through hydraulic fracturing has revolutionised the gas industry in the US and has given rise to a debate over whether it has the potential to reverse the emerging geopolitical equations in the global energy sector which was hitherto seen to be tilting in favour of the conventional energy producers. Shebonti Ray Dadwal | March 2012 | Strategic Analysis
Political Islam: A Critical Reader by Frederic Volpi At the dawn of the 21st century, political Islam has become an influential religious and social force in many post-colonial states, from North Africa to South East Asia. In the context of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the ‘War on Terror’, much has been written. Little has been written, however, to enable a holistic understanding of political Islam. Though some work has been done by Western scholars like Olivier Roy, the post-9/11 world has a different dynamic in which political Islam is used by terrorists to set the global discourse on the West's treatment of Muslims. Babjee Pothuraju | March 2012 | Strategic Analysis
Vision for a Secular Pakistan? This article will bring to light the transformation of the Pakistani state from a relatively tolerant to an unstable state dominated by militancy and violence. In the formative phase of Pakistan, the notion of religious extremism was almost non-existent as the founder of the country, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, made it clear that the new state would not be theocratic in nature. Moonis Ahmar | March 2012 | Strategic Analysis
Maoist and Other Armed Conflicts by Anuradha Mitra Chenoy and Kamal Mitra Chenoy In one of the most well-written and extensively researched books on the subject, Anuradha Chenoy and Kamal Mitra Chenoy attempt to holistically examine the state of armed conflicts in India. In their own words, the book has the modest aim of understanding the roots, the nature and the impact of the armed conflicts in India. However, the title gives the reader the erroneous impression that the Maoist conflict will be the central theme while other conflicts will be peripheral. Vineet Thakur | March 2012 | Strategic Analysis
Reopening the Debate on Limited War The commentary makes the case for reopening the Limited War debate in order to inform explicit articulation of a Limited War doctrine. Ali Ahmed | February 29, 2012 | IDSA Comments
Anti-Talk ULFA Faction: Why a Comeback is Unlikely Given the hostility of Assamese society to indiscriminate violence and the sullied image of the ULFA leaders due to their amassing of wealth through extortions, the anti-talk ULFA faction would not be able to make a determined come back. Namrata Goswami | February 29, 2012 | IDSA Comments
Tougher US Sanctions against Iran: Global Reactions and Implications US President Barak Obama recently signed a tougher sanctions law against Iran in a continuing bid to coerce Tehran into abandoning its nuclear programme. This Backgrounder discusses the reactions of the emerging powers to the new sanctions and their implications. M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi | February 28, 2012 | Backgrounder
Obama and the Israel-Palestine Peace Process The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is so dependent on the vagaries of the US political and electoral system that any change in administration in November 2012 would certainly make or delay the implementation of the steps necessary to secure lasting peace. Sam Kuruvilla | February 27, 2012 | IDSA Comments
Growing Maoist Activism in Assam: Sinister and Calculated Moves Although law enforcement agencies have been receiving timely reports about growing Maoist activities in Assam, it appears that they do not pay much attention to the issue. Nihar R. Nayak | February 24, 2012 | IDSA Comments
A Gloomy Syrian Scenario Overthrowing Bashar is likely to result in an Islamist regime, which might turn out to be far worse for the country’s Kurdish, Christian, Druze and Armenian minorities. Jagdish N Singh | February 24, 2012 | IDSA Comments
