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Gunfight at the Waziristan Corral
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Terrorism Apr 13, 2004

Gunfight at the Waziristan Corral

The story began on March 18th, when Pakistan¿s leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf casually mentioned in an interview with CNN¿s Aaron Brown that it is likely that Pakistani troops have surrounded a ¿High Value Target¿ in the tribal ¿agency¿ of South Waziristan. Some enterprising Pakistani ¿intelligence ...

Fast-tracking Sri Lanka peace talks
International Affairs | Neighbourhood Apr 09, 2004

Fast-tracking Sri Lanka peace talks

By declaring that India should be actively involved in the Sri Lankan peace process, Mahinda Rajapakse, the newly sworn-in Prime Minister of the island-nation has put both the peace process and India back at the centre-stage back again. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the ruling dispensation¿s foreign policy ...

Sri Lanka: Poll Results and the Peace Process
International Affairs | Neighbourhood Apr 06, 2004

Sri Lanka: Poll Results and the Peace Process

The just-concluded parliamentary polls in Sri Lanka may have a lesson or two for political parties in India, which too is facing elections in the coming weeks. If past parallels are any indicator of a sub-continental voter-behaviour, the average Sri Lankan has gone with bread-and-butter ...

Uzbekistan Bombings: A pattern
International Affairs | Terrorism Apr 05, 2004

Uzbekistan Bombings: A pattern

The recent suicide bombings in Uzbekistan that killed more than 40 persons, mostly policemen, reveal an emerging pattern of terrorism in the region.

China's Quest for Closer Military Ties
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Defence and Security | China Foreign Policy | China Military Apr 05, 2004

China's Quest for Closer Military Ties

Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan's tri-nation goodwill tour started with Pakistan on March 22, 2004 and ended with Thailand, with an in-between five-day visit to India from March 26 to 30.

Tiananmen Revisited
International Affairs Apr 05, 2004

Tiananmen Revisited

June 4th was the fifteenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident. In 1989, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was widely reviled for its violent handling of peaceful student protests. The crackdown prompted stringent political censure of the CCP by the international community and economic sanctions ...

Noises of peace in Nepal
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | United Nations Mar 31, 2004

Noises of peace in Nepal

Noises of peace are once again emanating in Maoist insurgency hit-Nepal. The Maoists have expressed their desire to sit at the negotiating table, while, at the same time, creating a blood bath in different parts of the Himalayan Kingdom.

Major Sop for a Non-ally
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | US Foreign Policy | Terrorism | Multilateralism Mar 31, 2004

Major Sop for a Non-ally

After a groundbreaking visit to India, which focused on strengthening the Indo-US ¿strategic partnership¿, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was supposed to take a tough message to Pakistan¿s Gen. Musharraf. Nuclear proliferation and Pakkistan¿s reluctance to clean up its tribal areas were slated to ...

A Nation in Need of Leaders
Domestic Politics and Governance | National Politics Mar 31, 2004

A Nation in Need of Leaders

Elections-2004 has thrown up a question without addressing it, leave alone answering it. By drumming up on the Vajpayee leadership, the BJP-NDA may have kept the nation¿s focus away from the obvious question, but the latter does remain, however much in the background as they ...

The Great Electoral Debate 2004: A Snapshot
National Politics Mar 29, 2004

The Great Electoral Debate 2004: A Snapshot

The forthcoming general election is being watched with bated breath and ever increasing curiosity by different observers. Although the election arithmetic remains more or less the same as it was in 1999, the sheer intensity in which the election is being fought and the issues ...

Yassin's killing: Possible Impact
International Affairs | Terrorism Mar 24, 2004

Yassin's killing: Possible Impact

The targeted assassination of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the founder of the militant Hamas group, by Israel was a dangerous act of escalation. Hamas, locked in a violent campaign with Israel, responded to the outrage with threats to "send death to every house, every city and ...

The reign of the Non-proliferation Ayatollahs - 2
International Affairs | Defence and Security | United Nations | Multilateralism | Nuclear Security Mar 24, 2004

The reign of the Non-proliferation Ayatollahs - 2

The first part of this effort documented the various acts of omission and commission by the non-proliferation ayatollahs that led to the 1998 nuclear weapons testing of India, followed by Pakistan. However, the stark reality of the consequences of the dubious policies adopted by the ...

The reign of the Non-proliferation Ayatollahs - 1
International Affairs | Defence and Security | United Nations | Multilateralism | Nuclear Security Mar 23, 2004

The reign of the Non-proliferation Ayatollahs - 1

Once the US successfully built and used nuclear weapons to devastating effect to end the Second World War, other great powers of the time realized that the acquisition of nuclear weapons was essential to maintain their status. In 1970, after three decades of hectic developments,

Missile Antics by India and Pakistan
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Indian Foreign Policy | Defence and Security | Nuclear Security | Indian Defence Mar 22, 2004

Missile Antics by India and Pakistan

On March 9, 2004, Pakistan test fired solid propellant Shaheen-2 ballistic missile, which is supposed to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead upto a range of 2500 kilometers. The aim of the test as stated officially was ¿to ensure the reach of the missile ...

Pakistan as a Major Non-Nato Ally(MNNA) of US
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | US Foreign Policy | Terrorism Mar 22, 2004

Pakistan as a Major Non-Nato Ally(MNNA) of US

During his visit to Islamabad last week,Gen.Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, announced the decision of the Bush Administration to designate Pakistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) of the US. The decision would become effective 30 days after a notification in this ...

An arms race? And to what end?
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | US Foreign Policy Mar 22, 2004

An arms race? And to what end?

By announcing the American decision to ¿nominate¿ Pakistan as a ¿major non-NATO ally¿, US Secretary of State Colin Powell may have done a calculated disservice to the ongoing peace process between Islamabad and New Delhi. His reference to greater military-to-military cooperation with Islamabad may have ...

Use a Cockroach to Catch a Cockroach
International Affairs | US Foreign Policy | Terrorism Mar 19, 2004

Use a Cockroach to Catch a Cockroach

On September 17, 2001, six days after the terrorist strikes in the US, I had written an article under the above title which was carried the same day by the South Asia Analysis Group. Many of my observations made then remain as valid today as ...

China and the 'Global War on Terror'
International Affairs | China Foreign Policy | Terrorism Mar 19, 2004

China and the 'Global War on Terror'

2003 was an important year in the evolution of China¿s counter-terrorism policy. In December last, its Ministry of Public Security issued a list of identified 'Eastern Turkistan' terrorist organizations. Figuring in the list are the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the World Uighur Youth Congress ...

Observer Research Foundation (ORF)-Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP)
International Affairs | Indian Foreign Policy Mar 18, 2004

Observer Research Foundation (ORF)-Pacific Council on International Policy (PCIP)

The first meeting of the ORF-Pacific Council Task Force on India-US Relations was held at Jamnagar on March 18-19, 2004.

Media and Naxalism in Andhra
Domestic Politics and Governance | Defence and Security | Media and Internet | State Level Politics | Internal Security | Media Mar 17, 2004

Media and Naxalism in Andhra

A news report in the internet edition of Times of India, on March 16, 2004, said Naxalites of the People¿s War Group (PWG) possess Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers. It further claimed that, at a meeting of the Andhra-Orissa Border Special Zone Committee (AOBSZC), PWG ...

Relating to the 'Karuna factor'
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Terrorism Mar 17, 2004

Relating to the 'Karuna factor'

Whatever be the end-game in the ¿Karuna rebellion¿ within the monolithic LTTE, the development may have heralded a process of ¿social justice¿ or social re-engineering¿ as is understood in India ¿ and also come to stay, in a way. To the extent, the ¿Karuna factor¿ ...

A new nuclear non-proliferation initiative? The American Hypocrisy and Pakistan
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Defence and Security | US Foreign Policy | Terrorism | Nuclear Security Mar 17, 2004

A new nuclear non-proliferation initiative? The American Hypocrisy and Pakistan

In February 2004, President George Bush outlined his new nuclear non-proliferation approach, in his ¿seven points¿ speech at the National Defense University. It include the setting up of proliferation security initiative which will control and monitor not only shipments and nuclear transfer of material/technology but ...

Al Qaeda: Casablanca & Madrid
International Affairs | Terrorism Mar 16, 2004

Al Qaeda: Casablanca & Madrid

Sections of the Spanish media, quoting the authorities investigating the Madrid blasts of March 11,2004, have reported that the terrorists, who orchestrated the blasts, had used the mobile telephones as timers for the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along with copper detonators, different from the aluminium ...

Contributors

Siranush Melikyan

Siranush Melikyan

Siranush Melikyan is an Assistant Professor at the Yerevan State University. ...

Read More + Tigran Yepremyan

Tigran Yepremyan

Tigran Yepremyan is the Dean of the Faculty of International Relations and an Associate Professor of World History and IR at the Yerevan State University, Armenia. ...

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