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The Obama Administration’s Afghanistan–Pakistan Policy: In Need of an Urgent Rethink

If one needs to probe into the minds of what the Obama Administration is thinking in terms of its Afghanistan–Pakistan policy, the recently released Atlantic Council of the US report titled ‘Needed: A Comprehensive U.S. Policy Towards Pakistan’ offers important insights. It can be inferred from this report that President Obama's South Asia policy is going to revolve around Pakistan and Afghanistan, while the other actors in the region are relevant so long as they help the United States in its ‘war on terror’.

The Why and What of Water Security

That there is a freshwater crisis today is an irrefutable fact. That there is also a water policy that is in perpetual crisis is an equally undeniable fact. Continued population growth and the impact of global warming along with over-consumption, inadequate conservation, and wastage are putting enormous pressure on water resources. Water covers most of the planet but only 3 per cent is fresh water, of which a mere 1 per cent is readily accessible for human consumption. What it means is that less than 0.007 per cent of all the water on earth is available to drink.

Central Asian Geopolitics and China’s Security

From a geopolitical perspective, Central Asia is one of the most important regions of the world due to its impact over great powers. At the outset, it should be made clear that the Central Asian states are the host of this region, and that great powers cannot dominate the region. The relations of great powers, mentioned in this commentary, are just taken as an analytical frame.

Geopolitical Importance of Central Asia: Russian View

Geopolitics has always had a global dimension even since the time of H.J. Mackinder. In the current context, understanding of a region like Central Asia would be incomplete without comprehending the global military and political transformations that are taking place.

India and the Convention on Cluster Munitions

On May 30, 2008, the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) was adopted by 107 countries at a diplomatic conference in Dublin, Ireland. However, India was not a party to this Convention. The signing of the Convention took place in Oslo on December 3, 2008. It bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions, and places obligations on countries to clear affected areas, assist victims, and destroy stockpiles.

Naval Diplomacy and Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean

Maritime violence off the Horn of Africa has generated immense global attention. Ships carrying cargo that included oil, military weapons, and chemicals have been attacked. More than 20,000 vessels ply this strategically important area that includes the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the western Indian Ocean every year.

The Danger of Nuclear Terrorism: The Indian Case

The concept of nuclear terrorism is possibly the least understood of all dangers emanating from nuclear weapons. However, certain drivers like the nuclear black market (the AQ Khan Network), proliferation of nuclear technology, and the increasing demand for nuclear energy can make it easier for terrorist organizations like Al Qaida to acquire fissile material. The threat of nuclear terrorism cannot be ignored any longer. Nuclear terrorism is a plausible phenomenon that deserves adequate consideration, substantial countermeasures, expertise, and competence to combat it.

Arms to Agreement: Northern Ireland’s Move from War to Peace

For over three decades, Northern Ireland endured one of the most violent and intractable conflicts. Those years brought into focus the fundamental issues that have underlain the 'Irish Question' for many years - the British presence in Ireland, the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, the tensions between unionism and nationalism, the search for equality between all sections of the community, and, above all, the use of terrorist violence to achieve political ends.

The National Front in Afghan Politics: An Exploratory Study

The Jabhe-e-Melli or the National Front (NF) is largely considered inconsequential in Afghan politics. It is often dismissed as a loose mlange of elements from the former United Front or the Northern Alliance, some ex-communists, and former royalists, which is bound to wither away sooner than later. The Front is said to represent the interests of a political class which is disgruntled with the politics and the policies of President Hamid Karzai, and which is struggling to preserve its erstwhile status and relevance in the power politics of Afghanistan.

Jamaat and its Agenda of Islamic State in Bangladesh

The rise and growth of Islamist political parties in Bangladesh has been a cause of concern as these parties have the establishment of an Islamic state as their ultimate objective. Though some of these parties, especially the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, have tried to project themselves as 'moderate forces' and have participated in democratic elections, this article argues that the Jamaat is not a moderate force and has as its ultimate objective the establishment of an Islamic state, which does not go together with democracy.