Neighbourhood Studies
Afghanistan- Pakistan Transit Trade

Abstract The transit trade problems of Afghanistan are typical to any other landlocked country. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan has relied on Pakistan for its international trade. However, the transit trade of Afghanistan has remained unstable akin to escalated political relations between the two countries. Given economic importance of access to sea, the landlocked countries continued to raise their voice at the United Nations.

Missing Factors in India’s Policy towards Pakistan

Many in India often wonder why don’t we have better relations with Pakistan and how long will we keep on bickering and fighting. Many also point to the perils of a miscalculation given that the two countries are nuclear weapons states. The most famous articulation has, of course, been that the bilateral dialogue should be ‘uninterrupted and uninterruptible.

Sri Lanka: The Unfinished Part of the Eelam War

While many are optimistic about the Maithripala Sirisena government’s ability to make progress on reconciliation, some systemic issues need to be addressed which not only demands political will, but also requires cooperation from diaspora, civil society and all sections of Lankan society. Click here to read full paper

India- Bangladesh Relations: An Enduring Economic Partnership

India and Bangladesh share a long history of enduring economic partnership and bi-lateral development. The relationship between the two countries has been one based on mutual trust and cooperation. Our multi-faceted economic relations encompass trade, credit arrangements, soft transit facilities and joint ventures in energy and connectivity. Click here to read full Paper

The Role of Myanmar’s Military in Democratic Transition and Implications for India

Myanmar military’s ethos can be traced back to the country’s national struggle for freedom with its founding fathers being of socialist persuasion rather than professional soldiers (Burma Independence Army; founded by a group of nationalists known as Thirty Comrades). Click here to read full Paper

1947-48 Indo-Pak War: Fall of Gilgit and Siege and Fall of Skardu

Part- I: Fall of Gilgit India has fought many conventional wars since independence; it has also been involved in fighting insurgency and proxy wars during this period. Many heroes that these wars produced have become household names. However, these wars also produced heroes who remain unsung; whose stories of bravery and gallantry are not so well known. One such story is recounted here. Click here to read full Paper

Present State of Insurgency, Extremist Violence & Terrorism in Pakistan

General State actors in Pakistan have pursued a policy of employing irregulars as instruments to further their political and military objectives ever since the state came into being in 1947. It first used irregulars to invade the then princely state of Jammu & Kashmir soon after India’s partition. Click here to read full Paper

Political Analysis of Election Possibilities in Pakistan

Yet Another Turning Point? Every general election in Pakistan has been viewed with a mixture of trepidation and hope and hence invariably touted as a critical turning point in that country’s history. Full Paper in pdf format is available here

Towards A Stable Afghanistan: The Way Forward

(A report of Joint Working Group of Vivekananda International Foundation and RUSI, the UK) The experts from the two think tanks met in New Delhi and London during October and November 2011 to deliberate on peace and stability in Afghanistan. Both the countries have stakes in the emerging situation in Afghanistan and have contributed to peace and stability in Afghanistan in many ways. The report also took into account the opinions of a wide array of strategic analysts, many government officials, and academics.

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