In The News

Terrorism in India and the Global Jihad

Bruce Riedel December 3, 2008
India is no stranger to terrorist attacks. “The most dangerous terrorist menace comes from groups with intimate connections to the global jihadist network centered around Usama bin Laden and al Qaeda and its allies in the Pakistani jihadist culture,” explains Bruce Riedel in an article for the Brookings Institution. Extremists target India for its diversity – 80 percent Hindu and 15 percent...

Amid Chaos, Citizens Spread Word on Web

Mei Fong December 2, 2008
After Indians heard blasts from terrorism activity throughout Mumbai, many calmly turned to cellphones, digital cameras and laptops to document the experience. “The Mumbai attacks have unleashed a storm of live updates from residents, swelling traffic and content on sites such as Twitter and Yahoo Inc.'s photo Web site Flickr,” report Mei Fong and Loretta Chao for the Wall Street Journal. “...

Terror in Mumbai: Two Faces of Globalization

Sadanand Dhume December 1, 2008
After hijacking a fishing trawler in the Arabian Sea and plotting targets using Google Earth, a group of young men then set course for India’s financial center of Mumbai, landing by dinghies on November 26 and unleashing brutal attacks on locations that symbolize a diverse and connected world – two upscale hotels, a religious center, a hospital, a café and a rail station, among others. Nearly 200...

The Gateway Of India

Saikat Datta December 1, 2008
Since 9/11, the US has urged countries to be vigilant about tracking any terrorist activity, and analysts with the US Central Intelligence Agency had warned India offiicials that the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba might try to attack Mumbai. The terrorists, by hijacking a trawler and using dinghies, took advantage of blending in with hundreds of fishing vessels that dock in the port. This...

How the Mobile Phone in Your Pocket is Helping to Pay for the Civil War in Congo

Mike Pflanz November 14, 2008
An abundance of rare minerals bless and curse the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Raw columbium-tantalite ore, commonly known as coltan, is ground to make a heat- resistant powder used in capacitors for mobile telephones and other electrical devices, reports Mike Phlanz. The bulk of the world’s supply is inside war-torn Congo. “The links between Congo's vast riches and its blood-stained...

Is This Our War?

Ijaz Hussain November 5, 2008
Pakistanis are ambivalent about their role in the US-led war on terror. The country is a major ally for the US and NATO as it tries to rout the Taliban from the region. The war has diminished respect for Pakistan’s boundaries and sovereignty: Extremists from Afghanistan escaped into the remote tribal regions of Pakistan, crossing borders to attack US and moderate Pakistani institutions; likewise...

Foreign Policy Challenges for the New US President – Part I

Imtiaz Ali October 31, 2008
States that ignore the aspirations of their people and neglect festering pockets of poverty, paying little heed to the need for education, health, jobs or fair wages, years later may discover a changed country, with new motivations and goals. This YaleGlobal series explores how poverty and demography can undermine democratic governments and bring security challenges not only to the government in...