AP Interview: India’s environment minister says reducing poverty is climate justice
Originally published at News Republic.
NEW DELHI (AP) — India will confirm plans next week for a fivefold increase in renewable energy by 2020, the environment minister said. But it will continue to champion poor countries in their demand that industrialized nations assume the brunt of responsibility for decades of...
50 Years After the 1965 War: What Has Changed in India-Pakistan Relations? September 9th...
Originally published at Hudson.
September marks the 50th anniversary of the seventeen-day war fought between India and Pakistan. The 1965 war involved nearly one million troops and ended in a ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union. The United States played an important role in the struggle, cutting off military supplies...
In Reversal, Obama Says U.S. Soldiers Will Stay in Afghanistan to 2017
Originally published at The New York Times.
WASHINGTON — President Obama halted the withdrawal of American military forces from Afghanistan on Thursday, announcing that the United States will keep thousands of troops in the country through the end of his term in 2017 and indefinitely prolonging the American role in a...
Hurting the Host: The Rationale of the Afghan Exodus
SIEGFRIED O. WOLF, OCT 8 2015
Image by Marianna Karakoulaki
Afghanistan has experienced close to four decades of perpetual violence wars, political upheavals, and religious and ethnic clashes, resulting in millions of Afghans fleeing to neighbouring countries for protection. Facing the Soviet invasion after the Saur revolution and the ensuing civil...
The Battle Over Kunduz and its Implications
By Dr. Siegfried O. Wolf
On 28 September 2015 the Taliban launched a major offensive in North Afghanistan resulting in the overrun of city of Kunduz. The fact that some hundred Taliban fighters were taking over a major urban centre- an area which was held by 7000 regular Afghan troops, in...
Who is fighting in northern Afghanistan?
Who is fighting in northern Afghanistan?
Reports have emerged that along with the Afghan Taliban, scores of Central Asian Islamists and Pakistani jihadists are fighting in northern Afghanistan. Are the militants becoming a multi-national movement?
It is true that the Taliban had to retreat from Kunduz, only days after taking over...
‘Some Islamist parties inciting extremism in Bangladesh’
'Some Islamist parties inciting extremism in Bangladesh'
Interviewed by Mizanur Rahman Khan | Update: 23:28, Oct 07, 2015
Dr. Siegfried O Wolf is Senior Researcher (member) at the South Asia Institute (SAI), Heidelberg University, and Director of Research at SADF (Coordinator: Democracy Research Program). He was educated at the SAI and...
The Rohingya: Humanitarian Crisis or Security Threat?
Source
Global attention to the Rohingya issue is rising, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
By Siegfried O. Wolf
October 06, 2015
Image Credit: Flickr/European Commission DG ECHO
This article is part of “Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis,” an ongoing series by The Diplomat for summer and fall 2015 featuring exclusive articles from...
Sri Lankan Presidential Elections
Source: .
ANALYSIS | Sri Lankan Presidential Elections2015 by Siegfried O. Wolf
IndraStra Global 9/08/2015 03:26:00 AM South Asia , Sri Lanka
Rather a Referendum than a Vote
On August 17, Sri Lanka’s 15 million strong electorate went to the national polls for the second time this year. Among analysts, there is no...
Nepal constitutional reform an uphill battle
Source:
25 September 2015
Author: Siegfried O. Wolf, Heidelberg University
Nepal is once again trying to change the nature of its political system. After the end of a 10-year Maoist insurgency in 2006, it is drafting a new constitution. Due to numerous unfortunate political undercurrents, numerous interruptions meant the constitutional-building process was...