MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#41: 23 AUGUST 2022 India’s Leap of Faith in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan SHANTHIE MARIET DSOUZA ABSTRACT Within a year of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, India’s policy towards the country has shifted from detachment to reluctant engagement. However, the June 2022 decision to reopen its embassy in Kabul has been fueled mostly by hope, […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#59: 06 AUGUST 2022 Myanmar Military’s Annihilation Strategy: The Future of Democracy BIBHU PRASAD ROUTRAY ABSTRACT Ongoing armed contestations between the military junta in Myanmar and the civilian armed groups demanding restoration of democracy are nearly a year and a half old. The military’s initial assessment of quelling the opposition swiftly has been proved […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#40: 03 AUGUST 2022 Need and Vision for a Mine and ERW-free Afghanistan SHANTHIE MARIET DSOUZA ABSTRACT Afghanistan remains most heavily contaminated by landmines as well as explosive remnants of war, the related casualties of which can be counted in their thousands. The country needs sustained international attention and clear benchmarks on demining. […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #09: 29 JULY 2022 Use of Air Power: The Missing Link in anti-Taliban Operations in Afghanistan Shanthie Mariet D’Souza Abstract In July 2021, the ministry of defense of the now deposed civilian Afghan government posted on social media photographs of seven brand new helicopters arriving in Kabul from the United States (U.S.). A […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#39: 09 JULY 2022 Navigating a Complex Terrain in Afghanistan: Ideological Obduracy of the Taliban 2.0 SHANTHIE MARIET DSOUZA ABSTRACT The Taliban 2.0 today remains strikingly similar to the regime it established in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. Systemic violence against women, minorities and supporters of the deposed government continues to increase across […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #08: 07 JULY 2022 Nepal: The Political Labyrinth Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. Abstract In Nepal, recent political debate has focused intensely upon acceptance of U.S. aid. On 20 June 2022, the Nepali Cabinet appeared to bow to demands that it repel the ostensible American military invasion represented by the State Partnership Programme […]
VOICES FROM THE REGION#05: 15 June 2022 From Bergen-Belsen to Ukraine Guest Writer: Heidi Kingstone The war in Ukraine and the atrocities committed there, with accompanying claims of genocide and Nazism, have made remembrance of the Holocaust more relevant than ever. We are confronted by perhaps the most serious challenge to the international rule of law since […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#58: 05 MAY 2022 Baloch Insurgency: Pakistan’s Moment of Reckoning Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract Baloch insurgency is on a resurgence and its widened targets include CPEC projects as well as Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The Pakistani security establishment is under pressure from Beijing to respond decisively to the killing of three Chinese nationals on […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#38: 08 APRIL 2022 Re-Reviving TAPI: Hardened Obstacles & Challenges for New Delhi Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract The TAPI project is in the news, yet again. There have been fresh attempts at reviving the project by all involved parties. The long-stalled project also seems to have been boosted by a China-led initiative. However, […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#57: 22 JANUARY 2022 Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh: Sweep of Radicalization Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract For nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the long wait for repatriation to Myanmar continues to grow longer. While Bangladesh is in no mood to grant them the right to freedom of movement beyond their camps, the […]