Latest in India
On June 15th, dozens of soldiers died in clashes on the China-India border. What exactly happened up in the Himalayas? What's the historical background? What does this mean for the trajectory of China-India and US-India relations?
We also get into development policy, water rights and more.
The costs of escalating conflict along the China-India border are greater than they were in 1962. Both sides know they must avoid the worst-case scenario.
The Indian government has introduced a new data protection bill. What's in the bill? What does it reveal about the Indian government's vision of the data protection and of the internet?
India should have a significant role to play in the global debate on cyber policy. Where exactly does it stand on the issues and how can it ensure it has a seat at the global table?
Editor’s Note: Pakistan and the United States are not the only important outside actors in Afghanistan. India has long courted the government in Kabul, and Islamabad views this potential relationship with alarm. Avinash Paliwal of SOAS explains India’s policies regarding Afghanistan and discusses how this might shift in the years to come.
Daniel Byman
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Editor’s Note: As the United States struggles to contain a rising China—a top priority under any administration—many strategists look to India. They hope that close U.S. relations with New Delhi and India's own military strength will be an important pillar of regional containment. Oriana Mastro, my colleague at Georgetown, warns that relying on India will be harder than it seems and that the United States will need to move carefully to extract maximum strategic benefit.
Daniel Byman
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The 26th biennial Rim of the Pacific naval military exercises, the largest international maritime exercises in the world, kicked off in and around Hawaii on June 27 with one participant notably absent. The U.S. military chose to disinvite China this year due to its “continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Lt. Col.
Editor’s Note: When foreigners give money to political organizations, both the donor and the recipient often become suspect. Governments around the world that fear criticism, oppose human rights, or otherwise reject the agendas of these groups are increasingly trying to ban foreign backing of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Ron Krebs and James Ron of the University of Minnesota argue that such bans are a mistake. They contend that foreign funding of NGOs should be encouraged in parts of the world where domestic support for such groups is lacking.
Assad Regime to Move into Afrin Conflict as Turkey-Kurd Fighting Continues
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A review of Arundhati Roy's novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (Knopf, 2017).
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