South Asia

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Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project
Afghanistan, India, Pakistan

Staff

Barnett Rubin
Tom Gregg
Parnian Nazary
WPS Sidhu

India and the Ascendency of the Global South

The ascendency of the Global South is reinforced in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2013 Human Development Report aptly titled The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World. In particular 40 countries, including India, made gains on their human development index scores between 1990 and 2012. Several factors, including integration with the world economy and enhanced South-South cooperation, contributed to the improvement in human development.

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May 07, 2013
WPS Sidhu
South Asia, India
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
Emerging Powers

Diplomatic Fallout: Frustrations Mount for India at the U.N.

India has lost more personnel on blue helmet missions than any other country’s military. Although Indian officials argue that their country has been dedicated to the U.N. since the days of Nehru, their current attitude to the organization is characterized by a mixture of ambition and ambivalence.

Read the full World Politics Review article here

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Apr 15, 2013
Richard Gowan
South Asia, India
Prevention and Peacebuilding
India, United Nations

Afghanistan News: What Was the Point Of Taliban-Attended Paris Conferenc?

Given that the U.S. is slated to withdraw 34,000 troops of its 66,000 member force from Afghanistan by this time next year, any news regarding the political development of the nation is something policy makers will likely have their eye on.

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Mar 10, 2013
Center on International Cooperation, Alex Strick van Linschoten, Felix Kuehn
South Asia, Afghanistan
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project
Afghanistan, Fragile States, International Security

Why the ‘high table’ of power remains out of India’s reach

For India, gaining admittance into the club of Big Powers epitomized by the Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council, is a bit like jostling in a crowd to get into an unreserved railway compartment. You do whatever it takes to get in, while those inside the compartment are doing their utmost to keep you out.

Read the full First Post World article here

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Mar 05, 2013
Richard Gowan
South Asia, India
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
India, South Asia, United Nations

The Fading Dream of U.N. Security Council Reform

Diplomats are rarely dreamers or gamblers. The experience of grinding negotiations means that most ambassadors and their advisers dislike big ideas and unnecessary risks. But sometimes they have to take a gamble in pursuit of national goals.

Read the full World Politics Review article here

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Mar 04, 2013
Richard Gowan
Europe, Brazil, Middle East, South Asia, India
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
International Security, United Nations

India’s big bet at the UN

India’s recent stint at the United Nations Security Council leaves some questions unanswered.

Read the full Pragati article here

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Feb 08, 2013
Richard Gowan
South Asia, India
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
United Nations

Ban Ki-moon Must Apply U.N.'s Sri Lanka Lessons to Syria

For a man who regularly receives disturbing reports from war zones, last week was a particularly bad one for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Read the full World Politics Review article here

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Nov 19, 2012
Richard Gowan
Middle East, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Fragile States, South Asia, United Nations

How Do You Handle 70,000 Unemployed Afghan PSC? Very Carefully

Think of the Private Security Company (PSC) industry in Afghanistan as the canary in a coal mine. It (the PSC industry) is a bellwether of potential trouble ahead. Like Iraq, PSCs are linked to a privatized model of military and development contracting in a highly insecure post-invasion environment.

Read the full Huffington Post article here

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Nov 13, 2012
South Asia, Afghanistan
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project
International Security, South Asia, Transnational Threats

Contracting the Commanders: Transition and the Political Economy of Afghanistan's Private Security Industry

Over the past decade the United States and the international community have funded an unprecedented private security industry in Afghanistan. As a result, this industry has become entangled with the Afghan political economy, as international spending has been implicated in funding informal armed groups and commanders. Considerable uncertainty remains as Afghanistan approaches the 2014 deadline for assuming national security responsibilities.

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Oct 11, 2012
Matthieu Aikins
South Asia, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Fragile States, International Security, Transnational Threats
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

Building States to Build Peace

World Peace is a noble goal, but not one that can occur in one move. "Building States to Build Peace: A Project of the International Peace Institute" explains that World Peace starts at a national level. Like many things when they first begin, the early years of a state are vital for establishing it for stability and enduring peace. Covering topics such as law, economics, and finance, it also outlines examples ranging from Somalia to Afghanistan.

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Jul 08, 2008
Horn of Africa, South Asia, Afghanistan
Fragile States, Afghanistan, International Security
Prevention and Peacebuilding