Latest Articles about South Asia
Kremlin to Remove Taliban From List of Terrorist Organizations
Executive Summary: Moscow announced that it plans to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations to normalize relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government to combat terrorism in the region. Russia sees the Taliban as its best partner to counter the threat from the Islamic... MORE
Putin’s Much Ado About the BRICS Summit
Executive Summary: The BRICS summit, held in Kazan, was met with great fanfare in Russian propaganda. Propagandists hailed it for its “epochal” significance. Moscow commentators promoted the idea that the BRICS summit demonstrated that Russia is not and cannot be isolated in the international arena.... MORE
Pakistan Strengthens Azerbaijan’s Military Muscle
Executive Summary: Azerbaijan and Pakistan signed a $1.6 billion arms deal in September to supply Azerbaijan with the joint Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets, strengthening the military partnership between Islamabad and Baku. In the last several years, Baku has been diversifying its international... MORE
Azerbaijan Applies for BRICS Membership
Executive Summary: Azerbaijan announced its application for BRICS membership on August 20, which has been backed by Russian leaders and emphasizes Azerbaijan’s goal of strengthening ties with China following the China-Azerbaijan joint strategic partnership declaration in July. The increased importance of the South Caucasus region... MORE
Mir Bangulzai: Commander ‘Returned From the Dead’ to Boost Baloch Insurgency in Pakistan
Executive Summary: Mir Abdul Nabi Bangulzai is a well-known and well-liked Baloch guerrilla commander who gained renown for having been mistakenly declared dead in 2016 following a raid by the Pakistani military. Since then, Bangulzai has become a key figure in reconciling disparate Baloch militant... MORE
Moscow and Islamabad Discuss LNG Cooperation
Executive Summary: Pakistan and Russia are discussing a potential liquefied natural gas pipeline (LNG) to deliver Russian LNG to Pakistan, opening another market for Russia’s sanctions-bound energy industry. Another project that Pakistan is working on is the Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline, which has faced numerous obstacles... MORE
Understanding the PRC’s Selective Use of Military Hotlines
Executive Summary: The PRC’s strategic use of and reluctance to establish military hotlines reflect a calculated approach to escalation risk, which can be seen in crises ranging from the accidental bombing of its embassy in Belgrade in 1999 to the present day. There is a... MORE
Nathan Bawm: The Artist-Turned-Militant Mastermind in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts
Executive Summary: Nathan Bawm is a former artist and activist who transformed an organization named the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization into the present-day Kuki-Chin National Front and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), an ethnic militant group that stands in opposition to a key peace accord... MORE
Abbas Betani: Mid-Level Commander Who Mediated Between Pakistani Taliban Factions Killed
Executive Summary: On May 27, Pakistani security forces conducted a raid that appears to have killed Abbas Betani, a commander in the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). While Betani was a prominent middle-level commander at the time of his death, members of his tashkeel (fighting unit) from... MORE
Turkmenistan Resumes Work on TAPI Pipeline Despite Geopolitical Hurdles
Executive Summary: Earlier this month, a critical section of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project was inaugurated on the border between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The pipeline aims to reshape the energy landscape in Central and South Asia. The primary reason behind the project delays has... MORE