MANTRAYA BRIEF#27: 28 AUGUST 2018 Inside the neo-Jihad Mill: Islamist Mobilization in Bangladesh Prabhnoor Kohli – Abstract Growth of radical Islam and terrorism with ambivalent linkages to global jihadism is now a reality in Bangladesh. Terrorist groups have found it difficult to withstand sustained pressure from the security forces. The neo-Jihadists, however, seem to have found a […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#26: 08 MARCH 2018 India’s Maldives Policy: Is it a ‘Grenada moment’? Sanjay Kapoor – Abstract Maldives, which is famous for its high-end Indian Ocean resorts, has become a scene of strategic contestation between India and China. This situation has been leavened by Maldivian President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who is trying to extricate his […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#25: 23 FEBRUARY 2018 Stock-taking China Pakistan Economic Corridor Sayantan Haldar – Abstract The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project under China’s emergent Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Hailed as one of the most investment heavy projects that China is undertaking as a part of its BRI, CPEC has received immense […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#24: 01 DECEMBER 2017 Islamic State’s Foreign Fighters: India’s Achilles heel? Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract It is the season for home coming. With the Caliphate of the Islamic State collapsing in Iraq and Syria, the surviving among the outfit’s 40,000 foreign fighters are now faced with three options-to die fighting, to move into […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#23: 25 OCTOBER 2017 Siege of Marawi: Spectre of ‘new’ terrorism in Southeast Asia Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract The near five month siege of Marawi in Philippines by the militants inspired by the Islamic State ended on 23 October 2017. Notwithstanding the official claims of the military having nipped the bud of extremism, the […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#22: 31 AUGUST 2017 Countering Violent Extremism in Myanmar Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract Two attacks on the security forces within a span of 10 months by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has led to a massive operation by the Myanmar armed forces in the Rakhine State. Over 100 ARSA cadres and civilians have […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#21: 15 AUGUST 2017 The ‘al Qaeda’ stream of Kashmir Militancy Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract A segment within the Kashmir militancy has turned global. Declaring itself a branch of the al Qaeda, this small team of militants are not just posing new challenges to the Indian security establishment, but also to the Pakistan […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#20: 01 JUNE 2017 Regional power play in Afghanistan and India’s policy options Shanthie Mariet D’Souza – Abstract A regional power realignment is taking place in Afghanistan. As countries jockey for influence in shaping the end-game in Afghanistan, India seems to be a lone bystander being sidelined even by its traditional allies- Russia and […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#19: 13 APRIL 2017 Syria- the US flips a page Maj. Gen. Neeraj Bali (Retd.) – Abstract The strong response by the United States (US) to Syria’s use of chemical weapons has added uncertainty to an already volatile situation in that region. This also marked a stark departure from a policy of avoiding military […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#19: 08 AUGUST 2016 Assam’s NDFB: A battered militancy that refuses to die Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract What enables a weak militant outfit with less than 50 cadres to be the most lethal in Assam? Is it due to complacent security forces or the enabling conditions that make even numerically insignificant armed formations […]