Comment 160: The Crime-Terror-Drugs Convergence in South Asia
The Crime-Terror-Drugs Convergence in South Asia
Comment submitted under invitation from SADF.
The convergence between crime, terrorism and drug trafficking poses an enduring threat to South Asia. Readers may ask: why segregate ‘crime’ from ‘drug trafficking’ when they are part of the same phenomenon? The answer is that government officials deal...
COMMENT 159 – Bangladesh Student Politics: From promotion to truncation of democracy?
Despite its significant role in the country’s history and contemporary political development, the phenomenon of student politics in Bangladesh was until now largely ignored by the international media – and neither did it receive much attention among the western academic community. The sporadic news on atrocious acts of violence...
SADF Comment 158- Quo vadis Sri Lanka? Post-election outlook
SADF Comment 158- Quo vadis Sri Lanka? Post-election outlook
By Silvia Mayr and Siegfried O. Wolf
Overall assessment
Saturday’s presidential electionsin Sri Lanka saw Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the neo-conservative party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) emerge as the race’s winner. The polls registered a record turnout of 83,7 percent (“Sri Lanka election...”,...
COMMENT 157 Sri Lanka- Shadows of the civil war loom over presidential elections
Introduction
Still recovering from a deep political crisis in late 2018 and shattered by the terrorist attacks of Easter 2019, Sri Lanka is now preparing to hold presidential elections on 16 November 2019, which many hope will bring an upswing to the country. “A stuttering economy, national security, corruption allegations...
COMMENT 156 – On the Asian Century, Pax Sinica & Beyond (VII): Towards...
In the shadow of the latest plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the current government of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan pushed the promulgation of two ordinances: ‘The CPEC Authority Ordinance, 2019’ and ‘The Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019’ (PT, 2019, October 8). Distracted by the...
COMMENT 155 – A Papyrus Victory: Pakistan’s latest escape from the FATF’s blacklist
Pakistan has a long record of establishing, nurturing and protecting jihadist networks with a strong potential to export terrorism across borders. The hard-liners within the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) remain to this day in control of decision-making—blocking any change in the country’s mindset and obfuscating any liberal...
COMMENT 154 – Northeast India needs digitalisation for economic prosperity
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, is pursuing a digitalisation drive to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Such a turnaround, when achieved, will place India in a formidable position to compete with other countries in the...
SADF Working Paper 14: Alternative views for Afghanistan
SADF WORKING PAPER 14: Alternative views for Afghanistan
Abstract:
In Central and South Asia ‘the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan is perceived to be growing, with foreign fighters who have returned from the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq increasing their numbers in Afghanistan’. SADF has dedicated a great deal of research...
FOCUS 47 – The myth of Pakistan acting as ‘protector’ of the Kashmiri people
Abstract
Since the end of the British colonial rule over the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the subsequent restructuring of the political map of the region, and the transfer of power to the successor states, the former principle state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) turned into the major flashpoint in South...
FOCUS 46 – Cross-border terrorism: The case of the former princely state of Jammu...
Abstract
Cross-border terrorism has been present in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1947, when both the dominions of India and Pakistan were created. One of the first documentations of the phenomenon was maharaja Hari Singh’s letter addressed to Lord Mountbatten, dated 26 October 1947, which accompanied...