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 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 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 […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#55: 17 NOVEMBER 2021 Narco Routes: From Afghanistan to Africa Shanthie Mariet D’Souza & Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract Afghan, Pakistani, African, and Indian drugs cartels continue to use circuitous sea and air routes of heroin consignments from Afghanistan through Mozambique and Iran, to India, South Africa, Australia, and some of the western countries. Each […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#37: 18 SEPTEMBER 2021 Afghanistan: Future of Global Terrorism Shanthie Mariet D’Souza & Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract The expectation that the new Taliban caretaker government would deliver on its promises of preventing the Afghan soil for terrorist activities elsewhere is unrealistic. While al Qaeda and a host of global terror organisations would exploit […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#54: 09 JUNE 2021 Myanmar: Urban insurgency takes root Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract Since the 01 February 2021 coup, the civilian non-violent resistance to the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) has changed its character. In the civil disobedience movement, placard-bearing protesters appealed to the conscience of the international community, only to be crushed by the military. […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#36: 28 MARCH 2021 Left-Wing Extremism in India: Worrying Trends from Chhattisgarh Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract While extremist attacks claiming lives of security forces in left-wing extremism (LWE) affected states of India aren’t a new and unexpected phenomenon, each such attack underlines the potency of the extremists and provides a setback to the […]
MANTRAYA ANALYSIS#53: 01 FEBRUARY 2021 Coup d’état in Myanmar: History unfolds in slow motion Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract Following a coup d’etat on 1 February 2021, democracy in Myanmar took a back seat. Ever since the results to the parliamentary elections were announced in November 2020 in which the NLD secured a landslide victory, the military […]
MANTRAYA POLICY BRIEF#35: 16 DECEMBER 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic & Prevention of Violent Extremism Bibhu Prasad Routray Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has impeded the fight against violent extremism. Lack of resources has affected operations of extremist/terrorist organisations as well. However, to overcome the limitations, extremist/ terrorist organizations have expanded their presence in the cyber space. As […]