Articles | Vivekananda International Foundation

Reaping the Whirlwind; Michael Griffin; Pluto Press; PP 283; Price: Rs 1834

Afghanistan 2014: Forward to the Past? This is not a recent book, comparatively speaking; it was published in 2001, but remains topical. It covers the rise of the Taliban in the mid- to late-1990’s, and examines the main actors in the rise ....

May 06, 2014 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Pashtun , Taliban , Book Reviews , UN Security Council , Osama Bin Laden , Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , America , US East African Missions

The Perception War in Afghanistan: Pessimism is No Policy

Sushant Sareen

During a visit to Afghanistan a couple of months ago, many top Afghan officials and politicians insisted that while the security situation was precarious and the political situation was fragile, the real cause for alarm was not so much the danger of ....

February 06, 2014 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Can India and Pakistan work Together?

Sushant Sareen

With the US drawdown (perhaps even complete withdrawal) from Afghanistan looming large over the horizon, there is growing pessimism (a lot of it unwarranted) over the prospect of the Afghan state’s ability to survive without the crutches of foreign....

January 15, 2014 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Pakistan

Afghanistan: Security Trends and Implications for India

Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF

The events in Afghanistan seem to be turning a full circle. ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ that commenced in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is drawing to a close and plans are afoot to hand over Afghanistan to the very forces....

December 26, 2013 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan

Balochistan- The New Regional Tinderbox?

Monish Gulati

On 25 October 2013, the Iranian State News Agency reported that fourteen Iranian border guards were killed and five wounded in clashes with “armed bandits” near Saravan on Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan. There were also reports of thr....

November 06, 2013 International Relations and Diplomacy , Neighbourhood Studies , Central Asia , Afghanistan , Pakistan

Afghanistan Is Far from Being Lost: A Situation Report From The Ground

Lt General R K Sawhney, PVSM, AVSM, Centre Head & Senior Fellow, National Security and Strategic Studies & Internal Security Studies, VIF

First Impressions: Uncertainty, yes; but also Optimism about future The creeping sense of despondency, even defeatism, over the future of Afghanistan post 2014 that seems to have set in among a section of the strategic community and top pol....

October 23, 2013 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan

Round Table Discussion on Afghanistan

VIF organized a round table discussion focusing on Afghanistan on 11^th October 2013. Participants in the discussion included Mr. Ajit Doval, KC, Director VIF, Gen. (retd) N. C. Vij, Lt. Gen. (retd) Ravi Sawhney, Amb G. Parthasarathy, Amb S....

October 17, 2013 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Interaction , Afghanistan Government

Can SCO Untangle the Afghan Knot?

Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF

Afghanistan was the main focus of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in September this year at the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. Though there was some distraction caused by the Syrian crisis with all the members supporting non-inter....

October 15, 2013 International Relations and Diplomacy , Neighbourhood Studies , Central Asia , Afghanistan

VIF at Herat Security Dialogue –II

Lt. Gen Ravi Sawhney, Distinguished Fellow and Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, VIF, were invited by the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies to attend the prestigious Second Herat Security Dialogue on 5-6, October, 2013. Around 80 foreign delegates f....

October 12, 2013 Conference , Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Conferences , Security Dialogue , Afghan government

National Interests should Guide India’s Afghan Policy

Amb Kanwal Sibal

2014 will be a turning point in Afghanistan. Power will be handed over to a new President after elections. The US military will complete its withdrawal. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will take over the security responsibility for the cou....

September 07, 2013 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan