
Latest Articles about South Asia
Chinese Trade-Charm Push Reaches UK and India
China’s trade-backed charm offensive has reached India and the United Kingdom, as Chinese leaders signed a raft of trade deals with the United Kingdom and a border pact with India that may reduce incidents along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These follow high-profile trade... MORE
Controversy over Rogun Dam Complicates CASA-1000 Plans in Central Asia
The CASA-1000 project is confidently moving forward (see EDM, October 7) and the construction work, although a little delayed, reportedly will start in 2014 (https://www.regnum.ru/news/fd-abroad/polit/1708783.html). CASA-1000 is a large-scale proposed series of hydroelectric dams and power generation sites in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that would be... MORE
India Looses out to China in Central Asia’s Uranium Competition
During the first week of October 2013, a high-level delegation of India’s Department of Atomic Energy visited Uzbekistan to discuss bilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. According to several informal reports published in the Indian media, New Delhi expects to sign a four-year... MORE
India in the South China Sea: Commercial Motives, Strategic Implications
Although India is not a party to the South China Sea dispute, in recent years—particularly since Secretary of State Hilary Clinton vigorously advocated freedom of navigation in the South China Sea at the Asian Regional Forum meeting in Hanoi in July 2010, and India endorsed... MORE
CASA-1000 Project Moves Forward Despite Security Risks
On September 16–17, officials from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Islamabad to sign a Resolution on Contracting Structure and Commercial Principles in the effort to launch the CASA-1000 trade and energy project in 2014. The parties hope CASA-1000 will help bring electricity from... MORE
The Jihadi Demagogue: A Profile of Maulana Masood Azhar of Pakistan
Maulana Masood Azhar is one of the most dreaded Pakistani jihad leaders within the Indian political and security establishments. Formerly associated with the Harkat troika (Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami [HujI], Harkat-ul-Mujahideen [HuM], Harkat-ul-Ansar [HuA]—HujI-HuM-HuA), Masood Azhar and his Kashmiri militant brethren brought the government of Indian Prime Minister... MORE
The Sinking of the INS Sindhurakshak Strains Russo-Indian Military-Technical Cooperation
A series of explosions and a deadly fire ravaged the Kilo-type (project 877EKM or Varshavyanka) 3,000-ton submarine INS Sindhurakshak on August 14 as it was moored in Mumbai harbor and preparing to sail the next day, on August 15—India’s Independence Day. Eighteen sailors are feared... MORE
Central Asian Leaders Wary of Post-2014 IMU Threat
In a June 19 press release, the Taliban, referring to itself as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” stated that it will not “allow others to use Afghan soil to pose a threat to the security of other nations! [sic]” (https://shahamat-english.com/index.php/paighamoona/32948-statement-regarding-inauguration-of-political-office-of-islamic-emirate-in-qatar). Despite this promise and against... MORE
Chinese Premier Li’s India Visit: Sifting through the Charm Offensive
A state visit to India by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in late May this year has taken on more importance in the wake of an unusual combination of diplomatic openness and military tension between China and India. Li's visit was not only the first ever... MORE
A Post-Mortem Analysis of Pakistani Taliban Military Strategist Wali ur-Rehman
Wali ur-Rehman, the deputy commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP – the Pakistani Taliban) was killed in a drone strike on a compound in the village of Chasmepul (a.k.a Chashme), three kilometers (1.8 miles) east of Miranshah, the administrative center of the North Waziristan Agency,... MORE