Afghanistan's war has a new battlefield
The raids this week by United States special forces into Pakistan in search of al-Qaeda and militant leaders mark a new era for Pakistan under president-in-waiting Asif Ali Zardari. In preparation for his expected anointment this weekend, "Iron Man" Zardari, with strong backing from the US, has skillfully consolidated his hold over the security and intelligence services and is ready to prosecute the "war on terror" with a vengeance. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 5, '08)

CHAN AKYA
Triangulating an Asian conflict
It's possible that in the near future Islamic extremists will have their finger on the Pakistani nuclear trigger, while Han nationalists in China and Hindu fundamentalists in India likewise control their nuclear-armed countries. These are the trends shaping tomorrow's world, writes Chan Akya, who does not see the avalanche of words about a US vice-presidential candidate as particularly relevant. (Sep 5, '08)

BOOK REVIEW
The ashes of American morality
The Dark Side by Jane Mayer
The core of the book is a dissection of the United States' reaction to the September 11 attacks and how it led to the "war on terror" - a war the author describes in all its sordid details. The deduction drawn is that the US has seen many of its core values eroded to the point of endangering the very principals on which American society is allegedly based. - Alexander Casella (Sep 5, '08)



Time for Zardari to meet challenge
After months of grim political infighting, the likely election on Saturday of Asif Ali Zardari as Pakistan's president gives the country's leaders a chance to turn their attention to an economy beset by soaring prices, a crashing stock market and a widening trade deficit. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Sep 4, '08)

For Prachanda, a tale of two cities
Nepali Prime Minister Prachanda broke tradition and made his first state visit to Beijing, instead of Delhi. It was controversial until a devastating flood hit Nepal and exposed unfavorable pacts, such as the Koshi Agreement with India. Now the ex-Maoist is pushing to renegotiate the deals and is gaining support for his rebalancing act with Nepal's two neighbors. - Dhruba Adhikary (Sep 4, '08)

How the Taliban gave a French lesson
France has admitted its troops were guilty of overconfidence ahead of walking into a "well-organized Taliban trap" in Afghanistan last month that killed 10 of its soldiers and wounded 21. The ambush quickly led to a breakdown in the French troops' command and communications, and the repercussions are reverberating in Paris. (Sep 3, '08)

A sting in Pakistan's al-Qaeda mission
After pounding Bajaur Agency for three weeks, the Pakistani military has called off its operation, claiming "mission accomplished" against militants. The offensive was in fact a smoke screen for Islamabad and its NATO allies across the border in Afghanistan to flush out Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, and it failed dismally. The militants have already started taking revenge, the latest attack being on the premier's motorcade on Wednesday. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 3, '08)

Extraordinary rendition, extraordinary error
Mamdouh Habib, an Australian citizen, is yet another instance of the United States "outsourcing" torture by transferring terrorism suspects to countries that violate human rights norms. The policy relies on disingenuous diplomatic deals, and such cases have become an al-Qaeda recruiting tool. (Sep 3, '08)

Tigers' backs to the wall
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have once again shown their aerial capabilities by bombing a Sri Lankan naval base. But on the ground they are taking a beating, so much so that India could be tempted to pressurize Colombo not to go for an all-out military victory, given the likelihood of high civilian casualties. - Sudha Ramachandran (Sep 2, '08)

India's little car on crash course
Tata Motors' plans to roll out the world's cheapest car by October are threatened by protesting farmers demanding back their land. That isn't the only reason investors are dumping stock in the new owner of Jaguar and Range Rover. - Raja Murthy (Aug 29, '08)

Afghan violence hits home in Japan
The killing of a young Japanese aid worker in Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban will raise serious questions about Tokyo's refueling mission for United States-led coalition vessels in the Indian Ocean. Early elections for the Lower House are likely, and they could even lead to a change in government. - Kosuke Takahashi (Aug 28, '08)

India's nuclear deal headed for fiasco
Delhi seriously underestimated the opposition the United States-India nuclear deal would arouse in the international Nuclear Suppliers' Group, which must grant India a waiver from its tough rules on nuclear trade. The frantic scramble for a compromise US-drafted waiver motion leaves Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a lose-lose position. (Aug 28, '08)

Politics hold Pakistan economy hostage
The breakup of Pakistan's short-lived ruling coalition adds to concerns for the economy, with foreign investors already pulling out funds and the risk of debt default growing. Islamabad may yet have to go with begging bowl in hand to the International Monetary Fund. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Aug 27, '08)

Recycling the Himalayas
India's has a trash crisis, while rapidly growing wealth levels have kick-started rampant regional construction. Both have encroached on the sacred landscape of the Himalayas and the Ganges River. A rag-tag bunch of volunteers has stepped in with a "devotional" response, which they aim to replicate nationwide. - Raja Murthy (Aug 27, '08)

Setback for Pakistan's terror drive
The defection to the opposition of the second-largest party in the ruling coalition in Pakistan will not immediately bring down the government. It will, however, significantly strengthen the forces opposed to Islamabad's participation in the "war on terror", and make the military less willing than ever to crack down on Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 26, '08)

False notes threaten India's economy
The Indian government is dragging its heels in combating the spread of counterfeit rupees worth billions of US dollars. Alleged culprits range from criminal gangs to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. As inflation passes 12%, the threat to the economy grows. - Raja Murthy (Aug 25, '08)

Georgia war rooted in US 'self-deceit'
Whether Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had encouragement from his "buddies in the White House" or not, the deeper roots of the Russia-Georgia war lie in US bureaucratic self-deceit about the objective of expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization up to the borders of a highly suspicious and proud Russia in the context of an old and volatile ethnic conflict. - Gareth Porter (Aug 25, '08)

Low-profile president stirs India
Apart from toting an AK-47 and telling women to learn karate, India's 73-year-old first female president, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, has had a quiet first year. Wisely reticent amid political crises and overcoming diplomatic gaffes, Patil has generated immense public curiosity. But a potentially explosive national election may test her political expediency. - Neeta Lal (Aug 22, '08)

Militants ready for Pakistan's war
Pakistan has declared all-out war on militants. This will delight the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Washington, which for many years have complained of the country's spotty record. Militants previously allowed to operate under the radar will now have to fight back. Thursday's suicide attack on an ordnance factory in which scores of people died is a portent of things to come. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 22, '08)

The mystery of Aafia Siddiqi
The resurfacing in a United States jail of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqi, who inexplicably vanished along with her three children in Karachi in 2003, has only deepened the mystery of her absence. The US believes she's a terrorist caught red-handed in Afghanistan. Her family see her as a "fun-loving people's person" caught in a bizarre nightmare. (Aug 21, '08)

Musharraf not the problem, or solution
Washington has shown with India it doesn't need a military dictator to influence a South Asian country's policies or power. It can do the same with the civilian government in Pakistan now that former president Pervez Musharraf is out of the picture. In the case of Afghanistan and the Taliban-led insurgency, it is the US's policies that dictate events, with or without Musharraf. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 21, '08)

Prachanda's journey begins in Beijing
By attending the Summer Olympic's closing ceremony in Beijing, Nepal's Prime Minister Prachanda will set a precedent for relations between his country and its two most powerful neighbors. The newly appointed former revolutionary may have embarked on a course to reduce Nepal's dependence on India, but his sincerity is another matter. - Dhruba Adhikary (Aug 21, '08)

Afghan numbers don't add up
From the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to think-tanks, the consensus is that more troops must be sent to Afghanistan to counter the spiraling insurgency. The emergence of warlords on the side of the Taliban, though, has added a new dimension to the struggle, and one which cannot easily be countered by placing more boots on the battlefield. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 21, '08)

Bush buried Musharraf's al-Qaeda links
Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf's cozy relationship with the US earned him lavish political and economic benefits. But behind the public support, the George W Bush administration covered up the Musharraf regime's involvement in the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear export scandal and its deals with al-Qaeda.- Gareth Porter (Aug 20, '08)

Goodbye Musharraf, hello Taliban
As if to reinforce an influential think-tank's latest warning that efforts to contain the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan are failing, 10 French soldiers have been killed and a US base brazenly attacked. The roots of the problem can be traced to Pakistan, where, during the watch of pro-West Pervez Musharraf, militants gained a solid foothold. With the former president gone, and the government in Islamabad virtually paralyzed, the militants can only get stronger. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 20, '08)

US faces up to life without Musharraf
Cornered by politicians baying for his blood and out of favor with the George W Bush administration, Pervez Musharraf had little option but to serve the "supreme national interest" and vacate the presidential palace. Washington believes it already has the Pakistani military and political leaders in Islamabad on side. Now it needs to ensure that the third asset needed in this crucial "war on terror" region - the presidency - is filled by "their" man. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 19, '08)

In Afghanistan, blurred lines cost lives
Killings of aid workers have moved Afghanistan's civilian and military groups, both national and international, to sign an unprecedented agreement on their roles and functions. The pact could be a huge step for civil-military relations in conflict situations or, like hundreds of other documents produced by the international community, it could gather dust in academic archives. - Aunohita Mojumdar (Aug 19, '08)

Security fears paralyze Kabul
A summer of rising insurgent violence and suicide bombings has prompted Afghan police to shut down nearly half of Kabul's major roadways. Many blame the ubiquitous checkpoints and constantly closed roads for slumping business - and the heightened security does not make them feel safe. (Aug 15, '08)

Huawei's perfect Indian marriage
China's emergence as the world's factory has not been matched by the development of global-standard brand-name companies. A notable exception is Huawei, whose growth, aided by tapping into Indian software skills, is helping to shape the market for telecommunication equipment. - Pallavi Aiyar (Aug 15, '08)

India-Pakistan relations in free fall
The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is back on a razor's edge, with huge Muslim protests and a Hindu backlash stoking violence. Pakistan has internationalized the issue, just as Delhi works with the United States to pressure Islamabad over its commitment to the "war on terror". The peace process between India and Pakistan is on hold, and given the volatility of the political situation in both countries, Kashmir will continue to burn. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 14, '08)

Taliban win a fight - and settle scores
When the Pakistani military launched operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Bajaur Agency, their opponents were more than ready, having been briefed by well-placed informants. Under the unified command of radical leader Baitullah Mehsud, the militants repulsed the offensive and are already planning retaliatory attacks in other parts of the country. And on Wednesday, Baitullah settled a score with one of Islamabad's last remaining "precious assets". - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 13, '08)

Indian bombs shake diamond trade
The discovery of more than 20 bombs in Surat in India, the center of the world's diamond cutting and polishing business, has shaken the local industry, already rattled by the weakening global economy and violent demands for higher pay. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 13, '08)

Chaos descends on Nepal
The main task of post-monarchy Nepal - the drafting of a new constitution - has being pushed to the sidelines after Maoist leaders were unable to cobble together a consensus government. Meanwhile, the country is volatile and vulnerable with violence and crime on the rise, hunger worsening and travel increasingly unsafe. - Dhruba Adhikary (Aug 12, '08)

New al-Qaeda focus on NATO supplies
Almost 90% of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's shipments for Afghanistan land at the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. Rather than wait for the supplies to reach the border areas, al-Qaeda and Taliban militants now plan to target them in Karachi. Their cause is aided by political turmoil in Islamabad. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 11, '08)

All downhill for Pakistan's economy
President Pervez Musharraf may use the country's deteriorating economy, racked by rising prices, withdrawal of foreign funds and a weakening currency, to dissolve parliament. The open fight between president and government will bring even further uncertainty to the economy. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Aug 11, '08)
Battle lines move from Kashmir to Kabul
On the surface, India appears to have scored a major diplomatic victory in Afghanistan. This has come with the blessing of the US, which has embarked on an unprecedented pro-India tilt in its regional policy. Washington's other major ally in the region, Pakistan, is naturally not impressed and sees Kabul replacing Kashmir as the main area of antagonism with New Delhi. How Washington benefits from this is unclear, but India would do well to remember the history of its involvement in Afghanistan - and prepare for a Pakistani backlash. - M K Bhadrakumar (Aug 8, '08)

BOOK REVIEW
Chronicle of errors
Descent Into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid
Hopes that the US's direct involvement in Afghanistan would lead to a terrorism-free region have gone. Rashid, an insightful and revealing chronicler, rightly identifies the need for a reshaped Pakistan if peace in the region is to be found. - Sreeram Chaulia (Aug 8, '08)

US hopes pinned on Musharraf
President Pervez Musharraf's fate hangs in the balance. The general who ruled Pakistan for eight years faces impeachment by the civilian government elected in February. If Musharraf falls, grand United States plans to tackle militancy in the country's tribal areas will also come tumbling down. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Aug 7, '08)

India's failure of Olympic proportions
Since its Olympic debut in 1900, India has won only 17 medals, 11 of which came in its national sport of field hockey. In Athens 2004, India brought home just one silver, and this year Delhi is sending almost as many officials as athletes. Poor funding, cronyism and an emphasis on education keep populous India off the podium. - Neeta Lal (Aug 7, '08)

CHAN AKYA
The anatomy of an Olympic winner
Sporting success is a source of nationalist pride, an avenue for chest thumping or more usually an opportunity to make money. Americans love and respect sportsmen, which is why they consistently produce some of the world's best athletes. Perverse incentives force ex-communist countries to rely on producing the world's best chemists. India doesn't win medals because it simply isn't profitable for individuals to do so. (Aug 7, '08)

India's reforms look forlorn
The opportunity won by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh following his split with the communist parties to drive through economic reforms may be lost due to opposition elsewhere and better vote-winning alternatives as elections approach. (Aug 7, '08)

Pakistan's problems spill into India
Pakistan's recent incursion into Indian territory - the first since 1999 - has placed the five-year-old ceasefire between the countries in jeopardy. All the same, Delhi is aware that Pakistan's compulsions possibly have more to do with its problems with Taliban militants and al-Qaeda in its tribal areas than with antagonism towards India. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 6, '08)

SPEAKING FREELY
India as a US hedge against China
As the race to conclude the United States-India civil nuclear agreement presses on, its advocates are peddling one selling point that appeals to both sides in the US Congress, which has to approve the deal: America must recruit the Indian tiger to hedge against the rising Chinese dragon. Yet despite its broad popularity, this strategy is completely untested. - Jeff M Smith (Aug 6, '08)

Truth and graft in Bangladesh
The interim Bangladeshi government's Truth and Accountability Commission, formed this week, will allow people to voluntarily disclose ill-gotten wealth in return for exemption from prosecution and imprisonment. As in a previous anti-corruption drive, the biggest casualty is likely to be the economy. (Aug 5, '08)

Delhi risks a stumble at the finish line
Now that its nuclear accord with the United States has been endorsed by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, India has only the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to win over. Any obstacles here will be made worse if Delhi insists on gaining "clean and unconditional" approval. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 4, '08)

Iran heartened by India's nuclear vote
The United States-India nuclear agreement, which has been endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, represents a timely diplomatic boon for Iran, which can now point at the US's flexible application of its nuclear policies with regard to Delhi as a reference point in Tehran's nuclear negotiations. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Aug 4, '08)

The bad side to the 'good war'
From the outset in 2001, the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan has been the "good war", fought against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda guests. This belief prevailed, even as the war in Iraq turned "bad". Now, the weight of occupation and the rising number of civilian deaths is shifting the resistance toward a war of national liberation, and no foreign power has ever won that battle in Afghanistan. - Conn Hallinan (Jul 31, '08)

Al-Qaeda hails 'revival' in Afghanistan
Oozing confidence, al-Qaeda's operations commander in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu-al-Yazid, talks of the progress al-Qaeda is making in consolidating its position in Afghanistan and in attracting foreign jihadis to join the Taliban-led struggle against "infidel" invaders. Abu-Yazid's assessment is backed by Pakistan's eroding commitment to battle Afghan and Pakistani insurgents, to the extent that Islamabad is expected to redeploy troops to the Pakistan-India border. - Michael Scheuer (Jul 31, '08)

Tooth and nail in Delhi's tiger trade
A grisly stash of tiger parts - bones, skins and testicles - discovered in Delhi underscores India's increasing role in supplying Asia's insatiable appetite for exotic animals. Meanwhile, slack implementation of wildlife laws and astronomical profits push India's poachers to adopt audacious tactics. - Neeta Lal (Jul 30, '08)

Obama and the Taliban
United States presidential hopeful Barack Obama's has spoken of the close association between al-Qaeda and the Taliban. His linkage of the two groups mirrors the George W Bush administration's policy and over-simplifies a far more complex reality, against which force and violence will likely fail. - Mark LeVine (Jul 29, '08)

Good cop, bad cop: Pakistan reels
Even as the United States rebukes Pakistan over its performance in the "war on terror", it hands Islamabad four F-16 fighter jets as a reward for siding with Washington. Then the US launches a missile attack into Pakistani territory, killing an al-Qaeda commander. These contradictions test Islamabad's will, to the advantage of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 29, '08)

India ripe for more attacks
Deadly bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, two cities that symbolize India's growing economic might, appear also to have been aimed at stirring communal riots. And all indications are that more attacks will follow if these ones don't succeed in that goal. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 28, '08)

Pakistan feels the heat in Washington
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani can expect a heated reception during his meeting with US President George W Bush in Washington, given the many top US policymakers who blame Islamabad for the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. The Pakistan government's bungled attempt to control its rogue intelligence agency won't ease the atmosphere. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 28, '08)

Pakistan draws a bead on Baitullah
After eliminating all opposition and consolidating his power in the South Waziristan tribal area, hardline Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud is extending his reach into other tribal areas. And to the major consternation of leaders in Pakistan and coalition forces in Afghanistan, jihadis from around the world are flocking to his cause. He's now a marked man. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 25, '08)

Taliban winning the war of words
The media battle in Afghanistan between Taliban-led anti-government militants and pro-government forces has claimed a victim, that of credibility. All the same, a new report shows, the Taliban are winning the propaganda battle hands down, with dire ramifications for the embattled government of President Hamid Karzai. - Aunohita Mojumdar (Jul 25, '08)

Yarchagumba! It's caterpillar cocktail time
A high-altitude caterpillar fungus is being smuggled out of the Himalayas to China, where it is believed to enhance athletic performance and fetches up to US$23,000 per kilogram. But this alleged elixir has a cocoon of controversy, and its sale has funded insurgencies, motivated murders and launched a "fungus rush" in the mountains. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 25, '08)

Sri Lanka marks a dark anniversary
On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the 1983 anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka, the country remains in conflict and people can only dream of what might have been for the blighted island. And a rising level of lawlessness has done little to help Tamil-Sinhalese amity. (Jul 24, '08)

A glimmer of hope for Nepal
Ram Baran Yadav, the first president of the new republic of Nepal and born into a farmer's family in the impoverished Terai highlands, brings with him first-hand knowledge of the woes of rural Nepalis and many see him as a light amid anarchy and uncertainty. - Dhruba Adhikary
(Jul 24, '08)

Indian airlines flush out costs
India's airlines are taking all measures possible, from cutting routes to charging for drinking water, to reduce the impact of rising fuel costs. Mid-flight toilet use may also be under scrutiny. - Neeta Lal (Jul 23, '08)

Reluctant gambler hits Indian jackpot
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, generally viewed as over-cautious and unassertive, has won the biggest political gamble of his life by squeaking through in a no-confidence vote in parliament that centered on Delhi's pending nuclear deal with the United States. But he and his government have not emerged unscathed and their days may still be numbered. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 23, '08)

Plot to divide the Taliban foiled
A plan by the Pakistan government, with connivance from Saudi Arabia, to split the Taliban operating in Pakistan's tribal areas has failed spectacularly, with the "renegade" Taliban leader and his network wiped out by al-Qaeda-backed militants. The incident has consolidated the hold of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, while al-Qaeda is benefiting through a sharp increase in jihadis from around the world heading for the tribal regions. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 22, '08)

A deal-breaker for India
The Indian government faces a no confidence vote on Tuesday that could see it prematurely thrown out of power, the catalyst for discontent being Delhi's planned nuclear deal with the United States. There is however much more at stake: a massive realignment of forces is taking place that could profoundly remake India's political landscape. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jul 21, '08)

CHAN AKYA
A stone for Chris Cox
Investors in the United States might wish they, like Pakistanis, could stone their stock exchange. New rules designed to reduce market volatility will have the exact opposite effect by locking in unsophisticated investors into a permanent downward spiral. (Jul 18, '08)

Dining with the dacoits
The next time you visit India, forget visiting the Taj Mahal, the Kerala backwaters or Kashmir. Instead, travel to Rajasthan's notoriously bandit-infested hinterlands and get to know a mustachioed, gun-strapped dacoit along the banks of River Chambal. A new plan is redefining "adventure tourism". - Neeta Lal (Jul 17, '08)

THE ROVING EYE
Obama's brave (new?) world
At first glance, Democratic Senator Barack Obama's "new overarching strategy" for Iraq and Afghanistan is streets ahead of the approach proposed by his US presidential rival, Republican Senator John McCain. But from the planned withdrawal of troops from Iraq to dealing with the Taliban, Obama's vision, when it comes to implementation, will likely founder on the harsh realities that have so frustrated the George W Bush administration. - Pepe Escobar (Jul 16, '08)

Militants ready for a war without borders
Coalition forces expect it. Al-Qaeda and the Pakistan Taliban expect it: the war in Afghanistan will soon spill over into Pakistani territory. Washington is banking on Islamabad helping out from its side, but the militants have other ideas. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 16, '08)

The final countdown for India
India's ruling United Progressive Alliance faces a crucial vote in parliament that will determine not only the fate of the government but also the long-stalled civilian nuclear deal with the United States. With every vote counting, hectic efforts are on to poach support and ensure loyalty. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 16, '08)

Karzai nods to US, winks to Iran
Afghan President Hamid Karzai uses cautious language to give praise equally to the United States and Iran for their roles in his embattled nation. Even with US officials pointing to Iranian-made weapons bound for Taliban militants, Karzai says "both countries have helped us in our reconstruction" and vows his government does not want its "soil to be used" in any conflict between other countries. (Jul 15, '08)

Afghan attack resonates in Washington
The deaths of nine United States soldiers at the hands of the Taliban at a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan is a sharp reminder that the central front in Washington's "war on terror" has moved from Iraq. This realization has already had a major impact on the US presidential elections. - Jim Lobe (Jul 15, '08)

DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Five weddings and many funerals
The bombing of a wedding party in Afghanistan on July 6 brings to five the number of such gatherings hit by United States air power since 2001, including in Iraq, with cumulatively hundreds of dead and wounded. - Tom Engelhardt (Jul 14, '08)

Afghanistan's 'sons of the soil' rise up
With the Taliban proving increasingly difficult to defeat militarily, and with the Western coalition reluctant to negotiate with any Taliban or al-Qaeda radicals, an uneasy stalemate has been reached in Afghanistan. Pakistan sees this as an opportunity to regain its position as a key player in the affairs of its neighbor by elevating moderate "sons of the soil" Taliban as the people to negotiate with. This is already happening in Pakistan's tribal areas. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 11, '08)

Disturbing signs for Nepal
Astrologers predict a rough time ahead for Nepal, with floods and famine. Bickering politicians are not making matters any better - a new prime minister and a president still have to be elected. If it carries on like this, warn some, the country could even break apart. - Dhruba Adhikary (Jul 10, '08)

India caught in the Taliban myth
India's reaction to the deadly bombing of its embassy in Kabul is one of outrage and the calls for retaliatory action are vigorous. On the complex Afghan stage, though, this is not a simple morality play of good versus evil. Something has gone very wrong with India's attitude to the Taliban and instead of a knee-jerk "war on terror" response, a comprehensive examination of exactly what India is doing in Afghanistan could better serve the country. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jul 9, '08)

India chases the Dragon in Sri Lanka
China is steadily increasing its activities in Sri Lanka through the sale of arms and with development projects, including the building of a key port. India, fearing it is being left behind in its own neighborhood, has increased its support to the Sri Lankan armed forces. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 9, '08)

Myanmar signs up energy partners
Companies from India's Bharat Heavy Electricals to Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production are securing multimillion-dollar deals with Myanmar's military junta, even as its rulers seek billions of dollars in emergency aid from international donors in the wake of the Cyclone Nargis disaster. - Brian McCartan (Jul 9, '08)

Now it's war against India in Afghanistan
The Taliban and Pakistan have denied responsibility for the devastating suicide attack on the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday. Delhi doesn't believe a word of it. The Taliban have frequently targeted projects sponsored and constructed by India in Afghanistan, fearing India's growing influence at the expense of Pakistan. Delhi is being urged to send troops into Afghanistan. This might add to India's stature, but it would be a disaster. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 8, '08)

    UN leads global condemnation (AFP)

COMMENT
Delhi carries a small stick
India talks a good game, but it could play a much more proactive role in regional and international security, if not for the greater good, then for its own motives to stabilize its periphery and gain access to the natural resources and markets on its doorstep. The attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul could be the spur Delhi needs. - Chietigj Bajpaee (Jul 8, '08)

COMMENT
Islamism shakes Kashmir
After decades without large-scale popular movements, Indian-administered Kashmir exploded into virtual anarchy last month over moves to allow Hindu pilgrims temporary sanctuary on forest land. Clearly, the alienation of ordinary Muslim Kashmiris from the Indian government did not subside with the decline of violence by Pakistani jihadis - they were just waiting for an opportune symbolic issue to latch onto. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jul 7, '08)

Bush carves out a legacy in Asia
With President George W Bush's "war on terror" mostly discredited, it is in Asia where the United States, instead of being rendered a sub-theme to China's historic rise, is totting up success stories, from North Korea to a potential breakthrough in India-Pakistan ties. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jul 7, '08)

India blows up a monsoon
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made a very calculated political - and potentially dangerous - move to seal the much-delayed civilian nuclear accord with the United States. The deal, though, is only one piece on the chessboard of India's global ambitions that includes the key players of Pakistan, Iran and the United States. But it's the weather that could decide Manmohan's and the chess game's fate. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jul 3, '08)

India hurt by torture claims
A first-ever nationwide assessment has found that the use of torture is blatant and widespread in India's prisons and police custody, with an average of four persons dying each day. In the broader sense, says the report, torture reduces the effectiveness of the country's counter-insurgency operations. - Neeta Lal (Jul 1, '08)

Smoke and mirrors in the Khyber Valley
Pakistan is trumpeting the success of military operations at the weekend in the Khyber Agency against the Taliban, and Washington will be pleased that Islamabad is finally taking action. The trouble is, the offensive was launched in the wrong area and against the wrong people, leaving the "real" Taliban well alone. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 30, '08)

Desperate Delhi wheels and deals
The Indian coalition government has made friends with former foes in a final bid to move ahead with a civilian nuclear deal with the United States. The high-risk move could end in early general elections, and might already be too late. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 30, '08)

CHAN AKYA
Incredible India, indeed
While its neighbors blissfully ignore bigger economic trends, India's policymakers have made a series of poor strategic choices for the country, in effect pushing the economy into the eye of the global storm. As the government grapples with inflation and contends with a fractious coalition, the outlook is murky. (Jun 30, '08)

Islamabad blinks at Taliban threat
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's response to the consolidation of the Taliban in Kandahar and Khost provinces in Afghanistan is to squeeze the supply lines of the militants across the border in Pakistan. Islamabad, in the face of a startling show of strength by the Taliban this week, is reluctant to play along. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 27, '08)

Huge case backlog clogs India's courts
A massive shortage of qualified judges has brought the Indian judiciary to a virtual standstill and tens of millions are waiting for justice. Meager salaries, such as the chief justice's US$800 monthly pay, have also led to widespread bribery and political interference, with 77% of Indians believing their court system is corrupt. - Neeta Lal (Jun 27, '08)

Firing blanks in Afghanistan
The saga of the youthful United States entrepreneur whose company won millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon to supply ammunition to the Afghan security forces has caught the eye of prosecutors as well as the US Congress. Most of the ordinance - from old communist bloc stockpiles - was substandard, if not plain useless, highlighting the "dysfunctional" procurement process at the Department of Defense. - David Isenberg (Jun 26, '08)

China toys with India's border
China's incursions into India's Sikkim state are becoming more frequent and more penetrating, the most recent one this month going a kilometer into Indian territory. Delhi fears it is all about Tibet: Beijing is laying claim to Indian territories in the name of their vital role to Tibetan Buddhist culture. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 26, '08)

Russia joins the war in Afghanistan
With its profound hindsight into its former performance in Afghanistan, it is strange that Russia is again wading into its southern neighbor by agreeing to supply weapons to the Afghan army in the fight against the Taliban. Moscow is looking at the bigger picture, though. It has put the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on the defensive and sidestepped United States-led (and Chinese) efforts to undercut its influence in Central Asia. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jun 24, '08)

Pakistan calls the shots
Washington's grand plan for a compliant Pakistani government and military is in tatters, and its carrot of economic aid may no longer be enough to secure Islamabad's cooperation in the "war on terror" against the Taliban, with dire consequences. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 24, '08)

India takes glacier politics to new high
By embarking on a series of civilian and military mountaineering treks to the Siachen Glacier, India is reasserting its claim over a high-altitude swath of its tri-junction with Pakistan and China. But Siachen has been hotly contested for decades and the intrepid expeditions could aggravate an icy stalemate atop the Himalayas. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 24, '08) 

New Delhi airport, what a zoo
"This is your captain speaking: there will be a three-hour delay in our arrival in New Delhi because the runway is invested with meter-long lizards, antelope and hyenas." If such an in-flight announcement seems silly, you haven't flown into the Indian capital recently. New construction has moved an odd menagerie of critters to the airstrips, where they are clawing into flight schedules. - Neeta Lal (Jun 20, '08)

India tiptoes to the new Middle East
Israel is in peace negotiations with the Syrians and the Palestinians and is also hinting at peace with Hezbollah in Lebanon. In this "changed constellation", a new Middle East is struggling to be born, which is, paradoxically, a legacy of the George W Bush era, except it is far different from what the US president had in mind. India, with China on its mind, is in the midst of a flurry of Middle East activity to better place itself in what it considers its extended neighborhood. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jun 20, '08)

Taliban raise a storm in Kandahar
As the United States admits, the Taliban "can raise a lot of dust at any given moment", as they are doing now in the southern province of Kandahar, drawing a massed response from North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Afghan army forces. More than dust is being raised, though. This is just one aspect of the Taliban's military and political plan, hoped to bring down a veritable sandstorm. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 19, '08)

AUDIO: The fight for Kandahar
A Taliban spokesman talks to Syed Saleem Shahzad. (Jun 19, '08)
MP3        Podcast

Ranbaxy sale a perfect match
The purchase by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo of Indian generic-drugs maker Ranbaxy induced smiles all round. Investors bought into the two companies' shares, delighted at the market fit, while young Ranbaxy boss Malvinder Singh and his family can look forward to his 36th birthday US$2.3 billion richer. - Neeta Lal (Jun 18, '08)

India-Pakistan peace on track, somehow
With Pakistan mired in political uncertainty and security problems, there is still wide public sentiment in favor of peace with old foe India. Citing a generational shift, experts say Pakistani hostility towards India is waning, as are bitter memories of partition and religious differences. Delhi's role in the democratization of its neighbor now depends on talks this month. (Jun 18, '08)

India goes to war in space
Concerned over "the growing threat" to its space assets - especially its lucrative satellite program - India has established an Integrated Space Cell jointly run by military and civilian officials. The cell will attempt to more effectively utilize space-based assets for military purposes and look to protect these assets, such as against China's anti-satellite weaponry. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 17, '08)

AUDIO
Plans afoot to kill Bush and Karzai
A Taliban commander comments on Afghan President Hamid Karzai's threat to attack the Taliban leadership in Pakistan and, in this short telephone interview with Syed Saleem Shahzad, tells of plans to assassinate both US President George W Bush and Karzai. (Jun 17, '08)

 Click here for audio (mp3)
 Click here for podcast

US runs out of patience with Pakistan
Patience is running out in Kabul and Washington over the inability, or unwillingness, of Pakistan to prevent the Taliban from launching raids from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai warns of taking matters into his own hands, but he's really speaking for the United States. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 16, '08)

Pakistan budget hits poor
Pakistan's coalition government responded to rising prices and a slowing economy and a bulging trade deficit by using its first budget to handing out more money to the military and palliatives to the poor. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (Jun 16, '08)

Nepal marching to two drums
With the national flag now formally flying over Nepal in place of the royal standard, the country can address other pressing issues, starting with the search for a president. There are also two competing armies, with grave doubts the regular army will stand down for the Maoists. - Dhruba Adhikary (Jun 16, '08)

India takes the high ground against China
After 43 years, India has re-opened an airfield, the highest-altitude air base in the world, that overlooks China's Xinjiang province and the Karakoram Highway to Pakistan. Delhi says the move is in response to Chinese incursions, and should be seen as a clear sign that it is fed up with being bullied on the Sino-Indian border. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 13, '08)

Rattled Pakistan looks to Musharraf
The United States air strikes that killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops this week have shaken the country to the core, so much so that President Pervez Musharraf, who was about to be consigned to the bin of history, could make a remarkable comeback. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 13, '08)

BOOK REVIEW
Asia's awesome threesome
Rivals by Bill Emmott
Any friendship between China, India, and Japan is a facade, argues Bill Emmott in his new book on the inter-state rivalry and its consequences for the world. Asia's "Big Three" are prone to suspicions and jealousies due to their highly competitive and strategic environment and this has led to a complex "new Asian drama". Emmott's yen for futurology yields interesting speculations but his premise of a is illogical and bypasses the impact of Russo-American tensions. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jun 13, '08)

US strike hits Pakistan's raw nerve
Tuesday's raid by United States warplanes into Pakistani territory in which 11 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed will further strain the US's relations with one of its key allies in the "war on terror", which it accuses of aiding the Taliban. But Islamabad has to weave an intricate web with militants to protect its own back. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jun 12, '08)

    Pakistan, US dispute blame  (AFP)

VIDEO
Taliban: A new breed of leader

Qari Ziaur Rahman, commander of the Taliban in Afghanistan's Nooristan and Kunar provinces, which border Pakistan, represents the new generation of anti-US resistance leaders and is tipped to become one of the most important Taliban commanders in the region. He spoke to Syed Saleem Shahzad in the Kunar Valley.

See also
AT WAR WITH THE TALIBAN, Part 2:
A fighter and a financier (May 23, '08)

India to upgrade higher education
New Delhi has embarked on an education system overhaul by expanding its world-renowned Institutes of Technologies from seven to 16 in this year alone. But there will be no easy answers. India's top schools will still be extremely difficult to get into and the economy's manpower shortage will continue to outpace the number of skilled graduates. - Siddharth Srivastava (Jun 11, '08)

Plenty of cream for India's fat government
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call, after raising fuel prices 10%, for colleagues to cut back on lavish five-star overseas trips enjoyed at government expense will do little to dent the rich lifestyles of his ministers. US President George W Bush sets the appropriate example. - Raja M(Jun 11, '08)

Pakistan at the mercy of marching lawyers
Thousands of black-suited lawyers marching across Pakistan for a confrontation in the capital Islamabad are only a part of the story. The military has gone into a funk of inactivity, the new liberal, secular government is unable, given the pressure from the streets, to protect United States interests, while America's poser-boy, President Pervez Musharraf, is under siege. The situation is ripe for exploitation by al-Qaeda, and augers well for the Taliban in Afghanistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad(Jun 10, '08)

Fighting dirty in Sri Lanka
The spike in violence in Sri Lanka indicates increasing desperation for both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government forces trying to eradicate them. Colombo, unable to steer the outcome of events on the battlefield in its favor, is opting for the next best thing: silencing the messenger.
- Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 9, '08)

Fake drugs a bitter pill for India
In response to two damning reports from international health agencies, one of which claims 75% of the world's counterfeit drugs can be traced to India, New Delhi is launching the world's largest-ever study to assess the scope of the lethal, but lucrative, trade that is worth US$34.9 billion in India alone. - Neeta Lal (Jun 5, '08)

India wet and wary as rains arrive
Meteorologists predict this year's monsoons will bring an average amount of rain to India, easing concerns over food grain supplies which have stoked inflation to a four-year high. But even as Indians enjoy the cooling arrival of the yearly rains, they are well aware of the deluge of problems they always bring. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 5, '08)

China strategy stamped on Afghan deal
 Success in securing rights to Afghanistan's Anyak copper field last month underlines China's determination to strengthen links with its neighbors while developing its own remote western regions. Much more of that determination will be needed to overcome the obstacles that have so far prevented exploitation of Aynak's potentially vast resources. (Jun 4, '08)

Kingless Nepal looks for a president
In their haste to abolish the 240-year-old monarchy and declare a republic, Nepal's lawmakers ignored important procedural matters that could be challenged in the courts. There is now widespread concern that the vacuum created following the departure of the king will not be easily filled. Similarly, the future of the United Nations mission to the country hangs in the balance. - Dhruba Adhikary (Jun 3, '08)

A struggle between war and peace
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have relied on ceasefires and peace accords to deal with militants and the Taliban. These seldom last long, and, as in the case of pro-al-Qaeda Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, they are being made with the wrong people. It is a situation ripe for radicals to exploit. - Syed Saleem Shahzad   (Jun 2, '08)

DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
How the Pentagon shapes the world
This may be the most important American story of the new century: the Pentagon's massive expansion on just about every front during US President George W Bush's two terms in office. On seven major fronts, the Pentagon has expanded its power and its powers, nationally and globally. These include the Pentagon as budget buster, diplomat, arms dealer, intelligence analyst and spy, domestic disaster manager, humanitarian caregiver, and global viceroy as well as ruler of the heavens. And it is still aggressively expanding. - Frida Berrigan (May 30, '08)

CHAN AKYA
Mr Market combats the Taliban
Reduced opium production in Afghanistan as a result of soaring wheat prices points the way both for the conduct of war in poor countries, and perhaps more importantly, handling emerging environmental issues. Change that is led by the markets will prove more sustainable than any that's thrust by war. (May 30, '08)

US terror drive stalled in political quagmire
With rumors swirling in Pakistan that President Pervez Musharraf is about to step down, and the two leading parties in the ruling coalition at odds, the country's efforts in the United States-led "war on terror" have all but ceased. Across the border in Afghanistan, Taliban-related developments have also taken a turn away from US designs. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (May 30, '08)

FILM REVIEW
Stark reversals of a Pentagon blockbuster
Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau
This film is not only the box office hit of the year - taking in a staggering US$428.5 million worldwide in its first three weeks - but has been labeled the "best-reviewed movie of 2008 so far". The only problem is that it has a strange knack for taking the worst imprisonment and torture acts of the George W Bush administration - and arms-dealing acts of previous administrations - and dumping them all on a set of al-Qaeda stand-ins in Afghanistan. - Nick Turse (May 23, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Asia: The land of raising sons
A strong preference for male babies has led to social problems in Asia, specifically in China and India, where traditions and state mandates have led to serious gender discrimination in reproduction. Now, mothers are being blamed, baby girls are abandoned and bachelors have trouble hooking up. Is it not time to say, as Maurice Chevalier did, thank heaven for little girls? - William Sparrow (May 23, '08)

  A fighter and a financier
Qari Ziaur Rahman is one of the new breed of Taliban commanders. His ties are closer to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden than to Pakistan, and he has risen through the ranks to head the Taliban's military and financial operations in Nooristan and Kunar provinces. There is a price on his head, but he shrugs that off, and explains to Syed Saleem Shahzad how his "faithful brothers" go about their daily attacks against coalition forces in this highly strategic area. (May 22, '08)