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Showing posts from December, 2014

Happy new year

Wishing you and your family a happy and a prosperous new year Manoj Ambat

Why ISIS Could Destroy Itself ( Source- The National Interest, Author- Paul R. Pillar)

ISIS Militia ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Menendj) Source- The National Interest Author- Paul R. Pillar The fortunes of the extreme and violent group known variously as ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State seem to have changed markedly during the past few months. This summer the group was commonly portrayed, amid much alarm, as a relentless juggernaut that was scooping up so much real estate that it was a threat to overrun Baghdad and much else far beyond. But the progress that was so frightening to follow in maps in the newspaper has stopped. The juggernaut has stalled. There will be endless debate about the causes of this change of momentum, ranging from military measures that the United States has taken to the somewhat more enlightened policies of the Iraqi central government. These and other influences have their effects, but the larger phenomenon of the decline of ISIS—decline not just that has happened so far but is yet to come—can be explained most of all by the

INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY REIMAGINED – ANALYSIS ( Source- The Eurasia Review, Author- Neelam Deo)

Image credits- Flickr / Narendra Modi Official  © Source- The Eurasia Review Author- Neelam Deo The end of 2014 and the middle of Narendra Modi’s first year as prime minister is an opportunity to compare the style and substance of the foreign policies of his government with those of the previous dispensation. The contrast is most apparent in the energy and attention that has been invested in international relations, rather than in the direction. After all, while core national interests—such as border security and development—endure, the manner of pursuing them can indeed change. Modi’s articulation of his vision of the country has included new elements like the “Make in India” campaign; he has also brought a greater speed and intensity to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives such as attracting foreign direct investment to promote manufacturing in India. In pursuing the goal of industrialisation, Modi has shed some of the ideological elements of “third-worldism” an

Africa’s Moment, Dashed Again ( Source- The National Interest, Author- Samuel Rines)

A mobile advertisement van in Uganda ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Future Atlas) , Attribution- Future Maps Source- The National Interest Author- Samuel Rines Booming commodity markets and plenty of foreign investment made it appear that Africa was (finally) about to have its moment.  It was to be the new growth engine emerging to take the reins as Asian economies matured. Data from the World Bank indicate that Africa’s Gross Domestic Product has risen by 77 percent this century through 2013, with some of the larger Sub-Saharan nations performing exceedingly well. In total, Sub-Saharan nations have more than doubled their GDP and a few countries have tripled it. As commodity prices marched relentlessly higher, Africa stood a chance of becoming the latest economic miracle. But it was not meant to be. The old plagues of Dictators and Dutch Disease were only masked by the commodity boom. As China’s infrastructure investments wane and low (at least relative to re

Who Should Worry About Pakistan’s School Carnage? ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Malik Siraj Akbar)

Taliban man beating beating women ( Source- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- RAWA) Source- The Diplomat Author- Malik Siraj Akbar Pakistan has a unique relationship with terrorism: It is safe ground for terrorist training and offensives, it is a regular victim of terrorism, and, at the same time, it is a state that is perceived as an apologist and a justifier of terrorism. Pakistan’s complicated struggle with jihadists is no clearer than now in the aftermath of the Taliban school massacre in Peshawar that killed more than 130 children. It is not the right time, some may argue, to point fingers at the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies, which for years have had connections with and even supported the same jihadist elements that carried out the attack. After all, most of the children who were killed in the Peshawar attack by the Taliban were presumably from military families. Some would insist that tragedies like this one should convince the world that the Pakistani army

Is the Peshawar Attack a “Game Changer”? (Source- The International Policy Digest, Author- Saira Banu)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Open Street Maps Source- The International Policy Digest Author- Saira Banu On December 16, 2014, Pakistan witnessed the worst terrorist attack in its history in which innocent children were brutally targeted. Seven Pakistani Taliban militants stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar and killed 132 children and 9 staffers. The banned Pakistani Taliban terrorist organization, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and called it revenge for Operation Zarb-e-Azab – the Pakistan’s Army offensive in North Waziristan that started in June of 2014. TTP spokesman, Muhammad Umar Khorasani, said, “The army targets our families. We want them to feel our pain.” Following the attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that there will be no distinction between good and bad Taliban and the government described the attack as a “game changer.” Army Chief General Raheel Sharif visite

INDIA AND ESCAP JOIN FORCES TO STRENGTHEN EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS ( Source- The Eurasia review)

Aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami at Aceh, Indonesia ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- AusAid) Source- The Eurasia Review The Government of India and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) announced Friday a major new contribution of US$ 1 million to the ESCAP Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness in Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian Countries. The Asia-Pacific region remains highly vulnerable to coastal hazards such as tsunamis, tropical storms and storm surges. The contribution from the Government of India will boost ESCAP’s efforts to strengthen early warning systems through regional and South-South cooperation, to ensure that vulnerable communities receive the timely warning information that is required to save lives and livelihoods in disasters. “ESCAP is extremely pleased to partner with the Government of India to further strengthen regional early warning systems and build resilience to

ASYMMETRY IS STRATEGY, STRATEGY IS ASYMMETRY – ANALYSIS ( Source- The Eurasia Review, Author- Lukas Milevski)

Special Forces ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ United States Army) Source- The Eurasia Review Author- Lukas Milevski Much of the strategic studies literature of the past two decades identifies profound novelty in the conduct and challenges of modern war, novelty that ultimately calls into question the nature and even existence of war. War has allegedly now been transformed from a regular, conventional, purportedly symmetric exercise into an irregular, unconventional, asymmetric event, which must be understood anew. Of all the new descriptors for war, “asymmetric” is among the broadest. It has even been suggested that asymmetry does not bear definition: “to define the term defies its very meaning, purpose, and significance.”1 Some, undeterred by such extreme pronouncements, have attempted at least to categorize various existing and potential concepts of asymmetry. Thus, Jan Angstrom has identified four different prisms through which asymmetry may be interpreted: “pow