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 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 […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #07: 14 MARCH 2019 Shanghai Cooperation Organization and South Asia: Balancing Act – Divya Godbole – Abstract The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) welcomed India and Pakistan into its cohort in 2017, a move that not only revamped the organization, but made it relevant in the South Asian context. This unveils the scenario of […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #06: 12 MARCH 2018 Pakistan-based militant groups & Prospects of their integration: A Structural Analysis – Muhammad Amir Rana – Abstract Different militant streams operating in Pakistan are characterized respectively by conventional jihadist groups – established to safeguard the state’s strategic interests in the region; independent militant groups – formed by the militants who grew […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #05: 26 FEBRUARY 2018 Redefining Extremism in Central Asia – Roger Kangas, Ph.D. – Abstract For over twenty years, the Central Asian states have faced periodic challenges of violent extremist groups and radical ideologies. These have varied among the countries, in terms of intensity, motivation, and methods, requiring the states to adjust […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #04: 14 JUNE 2017 A Preliminary Reconnaisance: Female Combatant Participation in Nepal’s Maoist People’s War – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract Nearly sixteen years since 9-11, the quest to explain individual motivation for participation in “terrorism” has produced a body of gendered work of increasing sophistication. As illustrated by the case […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #03: 06 MAY 2017 The Thai Southern Insurgency: External view of the Way Forward – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract As insurgency continues in the Thai Southern Border Provinces (SBP), external commentary, overwhelmingly in academia, remains the primary source of suggestions for how Bangkok should proceed. Discussion falls into three major […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #02: 28 JANUARY 2017 Enduring Dilemmas: Nepali Insurgency Redux – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract Though touted as acceptance of political reintegration, the Nepali Maoist move to end the 1996-2006 overt hostilities was at the time tactical rather than strategic. The party had no intention of supporting a parliamentary version of […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #01: 27 MAY 2016 Sri Lanka: Assessment of the End-Game – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Much has already been written concerning the dramatic climax of three decades of war in Sri Lanka (see map). Still, much remains to be assessed. This is imperative, for the conflict, one of the most complex […]