
Latest Articles about South Asia

Uzbekistan Seeks to Reinvigorate Its Diplomatic Clout in the Region (Part Two)
Since the fall of 2014, Tashkent has been boosting diplomatic engagement with its neighbors (see Part One in EDM, October 3). In particular, Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov met with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan in Dushanbe on September 11 (press-service.uz September 13, 2014), and visited... MORE

Assessing China’s Afghan Peace Play
Breaking with decades of distancing itself from Afghanistan’s various armed conflicts, the Chinese government has offered to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan national government and the Afghan Taliban insurgency movement. On November 29, Sun Yuxi, China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, for the first time... MORE

Lashkar-e-Zil: Al-Qaeda’s ‘Shock and Awe’ Force
One effect of the rise of the Islamic State organization is that its rival al-Qaeda has had to try harder to attract global attention, funding, and recruits. The establishment of a new al-Qaeda branch, al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, is one major step taken by... MORE

The Maldives-Syria Connection: Jihad in Paradise?
The Maldives, the Muslim-majority archipelago country in the Indian Ocean, is going through a tumultuous time, facing increasing Islamist activities at home, an exodus of radicalized youth to join the jihad in Syria and a growing domestic clamor for the implementation of Shari’a law. This... MORE

Sino-Indian Joint Military Exercises: Out of Step
The Indian and Chinese militaries will participate in joint counter-terrorism exercises on November 16–27, in the western Indian city of Pune. The exercises will quickly follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to India in September, which was intended as an economic summit with Indian... MORE
Apocalyptic Jihadist: Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Chief Aasim Umar
Following years of futile attempts and intermittent incitements to South Asia’s teeming Muslim communities, the transnational terrorist group al-Qaeda finally formalized its operational presence in the region on September 3, 2014, by announcing the formation of a dedicated jihadist wing called Qaedat al-jihad fi Shabhi... MORE

Pakistan’s Prison Break Expert: A Profile of Adnan Rashid and His Group Ansar al-Aseer
Few people in the Pakistani jihadist scene have managed to ascend in the jihadist ranks as quickly as Adnan Rashid. A former professional airman who served in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Rashid gained fame among jihadists for his planning and execution of prison-breaks. These... MORE

Al-Qaeda’s Future in Pakistan Amid the Rise of Islamic State
Al-Qaeda appears to be on the back foot globally. The Islamic State organization, previously the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and years before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, is dominating the global jihad scene. More than 19 Islamist militant groups worldwide have pledged allegiance... MORE

Pakistan’s Anti-India Spy Network Eyes Vital Defense Infrastructure from Sri Lanka
India’s intelligence agencies have been investigating an espionage network reportedly run by Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), from Sri Lankan soil. The ISI uses legitimate government structures like the Pakistani High Commission and Consulate located in Colombo and Kandy, respectively, as staging... MORE

Xi’s Op-Ed Diplomacy: Selling the “China Dream” Abroad
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s six-day trip to South Asia during September 14–19, on state visits to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, redoubled China’s efforts to increase its presence in the Indian Ocean while also trying to improve its relations with neighboring India. Xi signed... MORE