Category: South Asia Center

A violent crackdown has put Bangladesh at a crossroads

After eleven days of internet blackout, several days of continuous curfew, and a complete shutdown of offices, the Bangladesh government has started to ease some restrictions hoping that it has quelled the popular mobilization that has rocked the country since July 18. But protests have continued and students and people from various walks of life

Memo to the UN secretary-general: Establish a UN conflict prevention mechanism for the Afghanistan region

TO: The UN secretary-generalFROM: Laurie Nathan and Nilofar SakhiSUBJECT: Establish a UN conflict prevention mechanism for the Afghanistan region SHARE MEMO BY EMAIL DOWNLOAD PDF What does the UN secretary-general need to know? Our “memo to…” series has the answer with briefings on the world’s most pressing issues from our experts, drawing on their experience advising the highest levels of government. Bottom line up

Experts react: Pakistan just carried out airstrikes on Afghanistan. What’s next?

On Monday, Pakistan launched airstrikes against several suspected hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces. The Afghan Taliban responded by firing on Pakistani positions along the border, according to the Afghan defense ministry. Pakistan’s defense and foreign ministries called the strikes on Afghanistan “retaliatory,” likely referring to the suicide bombing

The skies are quiet, but the Iran-Pakistan strikes left lasting diplomatic damage

Pakistan-Iran relations nosedived sharply on January 16, when Tehran carried out unilateral strikes in western Pakistan, following its recent attacks in Iraq and Syria. In turn, Pakistan adopted a two-stage strategy: First, it downgraded diplomatic ties with Tehran by recalling its ambassador. Then, forty-eight-hours after the attack, it conducted retaliatory strikes inside southeastern Iran, targeting

Experts react: What’s really going on with Pakistan and Iran exchanging attacks?

On Tuesday, Iran used missiles and drones to strike western Pakistan near Koh-e-Sabz. On Thursday, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in southeastern Iran near Saravan, then released a statement claiming that “Iran is a brotherly country.” More than a sibling squabble is going on here. Iran and Pakistan were apparently targeting hideouts of armed non-state actors—Jaish al-Adl

Why Pakistan must side with Ukraine over Russia

When Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, many did not anticipate that the courage and tenacity of the Ukrainian people would be able to hold out against Russian President Vladimir Putin, let alone put his regime on the defensive. But as the Ukrainians dug in and the democratic world rallied to their

A conversation with Hassan Abbas on his new book “The Return of the Taliban”

After the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban quickly seized control of Afghanistan. Since then, the group has slowly engaged with the international community in search of support while steadily eroding human rights and political freedoms at home. How will the Taliban navigate their return to power, especially following their proclaimed appointment of