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Afghan President Hamid Karzai is desperately seeking external support in order to secure the nation's future. The impending December 2014 deadline for the drawdown of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the consequent reduction of western military and developmental

The confirmations about the death of Mullah Omar, who is said to have died in 2013, may not have taken many by surprise. His absence from the public domain for years led to various theories about his possible whereabouts.

Though there is a need for a neutral Afghanistan, the prevailing geopolitics of South Asia and the domestic politics of Afghanistan make the 'Congress of Vienna' model and a neutral Afghanistan too utopian a dream to be achieved anytime soon.

The situation in Afghanistan is grim. There is a tendency to confuse random acts of violence with the instability caused by the the Taliban or the neo-Taliban. An analysis of the violent incidents in Afghanistan in the past few years has revealed that more than two-thirds of the violence has been related to land, resources or power-politics, pointing towards unequal sharing of power at the sub-national level. A round-table discussion on Afghanis

The killing of a former Taliban minister, Mullah Abdul Raqeeb, has raised questions about the involvement of the Pakistan establishment in the peace process and a possible rift within the ranks of the militant movement.

For the first time, Taliban and Government representatives met publicly on June 27 in Japan, signalling another round of parleys between the belligerents to find a negotiated end to the insurgency.

As the US pulls out its troops from Afghanistan, all eyes are set on the potential role China can play in the region. China has shown signs of stepping up its engagement with Afghanistan since the formation of the new government in Kabul in September 2014.

The 13th century Italian theologian and philosopher, Saint Thomas Aquinas, said that in order for a war to be just, the three things needed would be the "authority of the sovereign," a "just cause," and a "rightful intention." By that moral compass, the war in Afghanistan could probably be on its way to becoming one-third "just."

The recent developments in the Afghan reconciliation process have evoked a new sense of optimism regarding a peaceful solution to the conflict in the country. First, there was the release of 26 prisoners, in batches, by Pakistan and then the two-day talks in Paris,

In Afghanistan, how the unity government strikes an internal balance will in turn determine in long run its ability to carry forth a range of bold policy initiatives through political consensus. It would also to an extent impact morale on the battlefield.

India's most significant investment project in Afghanistan has been the Hajigak mines in Bamiyan province. A Steel Authority of India Ltd-led consortium of six companies had won the rights to extract iron ore from the mines in 2011.

The US position on Afghanistan has many weaknesses. Having announced prematurely that the US would withdraw in 2011, efforts at backtracking have only meant that the locals and their Pakistani masters believe that it is a matter of time before the US and NATO will leave.

Afghan refugees in Iran are experiencing increasing hostility as State policies become explicitly discriminatory. The recent persecution of these displaced persons has brought this fact to light.

The people of Afghanistan have not forgotten what the Taliban did to them and their country when they ruled Afghanistan with Pakistan's political and military support. The Taliban are not popular in Afghanistan.

The possibility of, and debate about, a 'zero option' for American troop presence, or absence, in Afghanistan post-2014 has surfaced once again. According to The New York Times, the US administration has not ruled out the possibility of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan come 2014.

The recent US decision to suspend training of Afghan local police has underlined the growing worries in Washington over the incidents of Afghan soldiers killing American troops in 2012.

In the context of the African Union-International Criminal Court confrontation, the court is no longer about finding justice for the victims as many wrongly assume and believe; rather the process is now about whether an ICC faced with prosecuting cases that don't belong there,

During the UPA years, Delhi often proclaimed itself as a "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Modi has certainly put security cooperation at the very heart of his regional diplomacy. But the institutional framework in Delhi for such cooperation remains to be developed.

Some of the best performing countries of Africa -- Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana -- have GDP growth rates comparable with the fastest developing countries of the world. Their GDPs are the least volatile in Africa. Rwanda was declared the best reformer by the World Bank for encouraging business in the country.

The 18th African Union summit, held on January 30, ended without a clear winner for the contested position of the Commission's Chairperson. The election had taken place through a secret ballot and the two contenders for the position were the incumbent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's muscular outreach to the world has evoked intense curiosity. Foreigners are lining up to check if we are ready to walk the talk. Does reality match the hype? It helps that India has a global reputation for gorgeous shopping ? the jewelry, the silks, the pashmina, fashion wear, all available at competitive prices.

One runs the risk of stepping on many corns by attempting an objective assessment of the place of the late Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), in history.

The high table at the NATO Summit at Chicago will discuss some withdrawal agenda, but the real policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan will only be delineated when the new administration takes charge in Washington in November.

The problem of contemporary India's foreign policy making is not that states have acquired a veto over the Centre. Most state leaderships have not only supported regional economic integration and trans-border connectivity, but are also craving for it.

The United States has, in its history, vacillated between global dominance and isolation. A phase of inwardness may be in the cards.

There is no question that Pakistan's Afghan strategy is evolving. If the Taliban seemed inflexible about negotiations in the past, Pakistan is promising to make it more reasonable. Many in the West and China are ready to accept, at least for now, Pakistan's claim that a new and moderate Taliban is at hand.

After the court sentencing of former Maldives President Nasheed, India has expressed 'deep concern over the developments' and said that it was watching the situation. Yet, it may not be the best of time for Nasheed?s supporters in Maldives and sympathisers in India.

With much of the international fury directed at Russian President Putin for supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine, the suspects in shooting down the Malaysian airliner, Narendra Modi may soon find that there are costs associated with India's "privileged" partnership with Russia.

What impact the capture of Saddam Hussein by the US troops on the night of December 13,2003, would have on the ground situation in Iraq? Would it lead to a petering out of the resistance movement and the acts of terrorism against the coalition troops, their Iraqi collaborators and foreign organisations? Would it weaken the Iraqi opposition to the occupation of Iraq by the US and allied troops? Would it mark the beginning of the return of normalcy

In the domain of water cooperation between India and Pakistan, maybe it is important to look at actors beyond the Ministry of Water Resources. Greater cooperation between the farming communities could be one more logical step towards building a substantial peace constituency in Pakistan.

China has been cracking down on US companies for a while and the pressure has intensified after revelations that many of them have collaborated with the NSA to spy on the Internet. Google is virtually persona non grata in China now, as are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Indian Navy requires at least 30 submarines to fulfil its commitments. But the Navy currently has only 13 subs - that too fairly old diesel electric conventional submarines . Shockingly, only half of them are operational at any given time.

Across Asia, there is a great demand for India to play a more active role, one befitting its size and interests. But, whenever push comes to shove, we run up against two problems-first, our economy that lacks heft and second, our military which unable to play a role outside our borders.

The successful Agni V test adds to the incremental steps that India has been taking to enhance its strategic deterrent capabilities. This has been marked earlier this year by the commencement of the sea trials of the Arihant, nuclear propelled ballistic missile firing submarine.

From Agra to air-link, it has been one long U-turn for the Pakistani leadership of President Pervez Musharaff. Today, he readily agrees to address peripheral issues affecting relations with India, and has even ¿unilaterally¿ announced the restoration of over-flights for Indian craft. Going a step further, he has mooted the conferment of Nishan-e-Pakistan, the nation¿s highest civilian title on Prime Minister Vajpayee, if and when the latter ma

India and Bangladesh relations got a major boost following the signing of two agreements, an extradition treaty and a liberalised visa agreement between the two neighbouring countries.