Latest Articles about South Asia

India Faces Up to Growing Islamic State Threat

One of the first indications of the Islamic State’s potential appeal in India occurred in late 2014, when Aarif Majeed, a youth from the state of Maharashtra, returned to the country from Iraq, where he had reportedly received training from the Islamic State (Times of... MORE

Russia Distorts News of Turkish Investment in Crimea

In early July 2015, news emerged that a group of Turkish businessmen had come to Crimea to discuss capital investment on the annexed peninsula. According to Russian and Turkish press covering this visit, the Turkish businessmen expressed their hope to invest a total of $12.5... MORE

A Profile of Bangladesh’s Ansarullah Bangla Team

On May 25, the Bangladesh government banned the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) organization under the country’s 2013 anti-terrorism laws. The ABT was behind the recent killing of three secular/atheist bloggers—Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman and Anant Bijoy Das—whose writings criticized organized religion and the intolerance of... MORE

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Road to Riches?

On April 20, Sino-Pakistan relations took a great leap forward as Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled plans for investment of $46 billion in the Pakistani leg of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) (Xinhua, April 22). CPEC is an important component of China’s ambitious ‘One Belt,... MORE

Javed Ibrahim Paracha: Al-Qaeda’s Lawyer in Pakistan

Javed Ibrahim Paracha, a former member of Pakistan’s National Assembly (the lower house of parliament), has a history of assisting al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Paracha first entered the public eye for his consistent efforts to free al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistani government custody, going so far as... MORE

Turkmenistan Boosts Ties With Georgia in Anticipation of Strategic Transit Corridor

Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid his first official visit to Georgia on July 2–3. The most important topics of the meeting between Berdimuhamedov and his Georgian counterpart, Giorgi Margvelashvili, included cooperation in the energy and transportation spheres. During the visit, President Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed that Turkmenistan... MORE