Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Terrorism

A Picture of Retired Lt. General Hamid Gul's 2007 Arrest

A Picture of Retired Lt. General Hamid Gul's 2007 Arrest

A pen and ink and suminagashi print of the 2007 arrest of the retired general and former Director of Pakistan’s spy agency, Hamid Gul. Lt. Gen Gul is thought to have managed ISI’s coordination with the Afghan Taliban in order to develop strategic depth in Afghanistan to counter any Indian intervention in that country.

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Floundering Pakistan

Floundering Pakistan

Zainab Jeewanjee discusses the intricacies of implicating Pakistan in the Wikileaks report. She elaborates on the history, motivations and interests of Pakistan and finds that negotiating with extremist groups is perhaps an inevitable reality that policy makers must take into account before implicating that the government in Islamabad aids insurgents.

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Subverting the Argument for a Separate Peace with the Tehrik-e-Taliban

If it wasn’t sufficiently clear before, it should be now: the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik e- Taliban) are out to bring down the ‘apostate” government in Islamabad, piece, region by region, piece by piece.  It were as if the Taliban were only moved to refute the writ and authority of the central government, which it thinks […]

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A Naxal threat to India's nuclear arsenal?

A Naxal threat to India's nuclear arsenal?

Someone recently asked me if the Naxalites could be considered a threat to India’s nuclear arsenal. My answer was a potential threat, but a highly remote one. The Naxalite problem in India has grown exponentially over the last few years, and they have become one of India’s biggest security risks. The recent attacks on security […]

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Forbes – "A Counterterrorism Ally In North Africa"

Forbes – "A Counterterrorism Ally In North Africa"

Present Dangers A Counterterrorism Ally In North Africa  Morocco’s remarkable soft-power strategy By Ilan Berman    Morocco can trace its contemporary approach back to the end of the Cold War. While many in the region saw the Soviet Union’s collapse as a destabilizing development–and consequently tightened domestic control–Morocco’s monarch did the opposite. The previously authoritarian […]

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Finding creative solutions

Finding creative solutions

Even as Indian treads the ‘dialogue-with-Pakistan’ path cautiously, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has reiterated the singular importance of dialogue between the two countries. Speaking on an Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Trialogue, she stressed the need to make boundaries “irrelevant” and find “creative solutions” to problems. Ironically, she failed to spell out these creative solutions even as she […]

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Don't use the Army against the Naxalites

Don't use the Army against the Naxalites

At present, there is a debate in India about the action to be taken against the Naxalities/Maoists who have increased their operations against the Indian government and civilians over the last few months. In the month of May, Naxalite attacks killed around 175 people including 29 security personnel. Prior to that in April, they carried […]

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Why is the US silent on China-Pakistan reactor deal?

Why is the US silent on China-Pakistan reactor deal?

China recently announced that it had reached an agreement with Pakistan for the construction of two new nuclear reactors there. These reactors would be built at the Chasma site already designated for Chasma III and IV. The first two reactors were built by China after a 1985 agreement with Pakistan regarding the same. The setting […]

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No New Nukes – Part Deux

No New Nukes – Part Deux

Yesterday I mentioned a number of big-ticket reasons to think that nuclear power is a very bad bet indeed:  It bleeds money from smarter, cheaper and much more climate-friendly options; it’s dangerous; it’s radically inefficient; it’s not, at the end of the day – that is to say, through the whole life cycle – a […]

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Ajmal Kasab sentenced to death

Ajmal Kasab sentenced to death

In a fitting end to the much publicized trial of Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving terrorist of 26/11, a death sentence was awarded to him on five counts, including waging a war on India. Judge M L Tahiliyani sentenced him to five life terms and five death penalties for his display of “exceptional depravity” during […]

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Developing Relationships Along the Somali Coast

Developing Relationships Along the Somali Coast

A bad problem grows worse: ransom money moves abroad as pirates and Islamists jostle for influence. Members of Hizbul Islam took over the Somali town of Haradhere earlier this week, pushing out the town’s previous pirate rulers. Everything happened without a shot being fired: the pirates gathered their TVs and trucks and simply moved north […]

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Essential surveillance and the right to privacy

Essential surveillance and the right to privacy

The last few days have seen significant uproar in the Indian parliament and media about the alleged wire-tapping of four senior politicians in India. The Outlook Magazine reported that telephones of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh were tapped by […]

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Nuclear Security Summit opens in Washington

Nuclear Security Summit opens in Washington

The Nuclear Security Summit has opened on a positive note. Ukraine has volunteered to get rid of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The bold and applaudable decision by Ukraine is sure to help global non-proliferation efforts and bring optimism into the Summit. However, it is sad that Pakistan was given the opportunity to be the lead speaker and demand a nuclear deal from the […]

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US should stay out of Kashmir

US should stay out of Kashmir

A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal argues that from the US point of view, improved Indo-Pak relations are the key to progress in Afghanistan. The Obama administration had therefore issued a secret directive to work towards easing tensions between the two hostile neighbors. That would, in effect, help the administration secure Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan. While the Obama administration may have […]

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Why a nuclear deal for Pakistan is a bad idea

As Pakistan and the United States begin their week long Strategic Dialogue in Washington, Pakistan based militants have renewed their call for jihad against India. On the occasion of Pakistan Day, hundreds of militants gathered in Kotli and called for jihad against India. Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the top militant groups in Pakistan, also announced an increase […]

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