In The News

Jammu and Kashmir, India and China: Diplomat

Samanvya Hooda August 16, 2019
India's change in status for Jammu and Kashmir, a lockdown and dividing the state into two union territories suggest a strategy toward China, argues Samanvya Hooda for the Diplomat. “Undivided Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) consists of the erstwhile Indian state of J&K, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Aksai Chin, controlled by China,” he explains. “China also controls the Shaksgam Tract...

India Pulls Kashmir’s Autonomy: Washington Post

Ahsan I. Butt August 8, 2019
After little parliamentary debate and virtually no citizen input, the Modi government is scrapping two articles in the Indian constitution that apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, splitting the state and administering two sections as a union territory. At the same time, the government increased its troop presence, closed schools and the internet, and placed some leaders under house arrest....

India’s Move on Kashmir Will Fuel Resentment: BBC

Andrew Whitehead August 5, 2019
The special status assigned to Jammu and Kashmir reflects an agreement between India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Kashmir's political leaders. “India's BJP-led government has now unilaterally torn up that special dispensation,” reports Andrew Whitehead for BBC News. “It's the biggest change in Kashmir's constitutional status since the 1950s.” The government...

Imran in Washington: Times of India

Nayan Chanda July 31, 2019
President Donald Trump, long opposed to US involvement in lengthy military campaigns, counts on Pakistan to help “extricate” his country from the war in Afghanistan. Nayan Chanda identifies a pattern in Trump’s approach on foreign challenges like North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. “Following the ‘threaten then flatter’ playbook Trump suspended $1.3 billion of annual aid to Pakistan before...

Internet Monopolies and India’s Trust Deficit: Livemint

Mihir Dalal July 14, 2019
Regulators with the Competition Commission of India are surveying e-commerce and its novel challenges to competition. “This is the closest the CCI has come to admitting that the present competition laws may not be equipped to deal with the shape-shifting, confounding challenges posed by the nature of internet platforms to competition regulation,” explains Mihir Dalal. “Globally, regulators and...

Trade War a Boon for Bangladesh: Bloomberg

Arun Devnath July 9, 2019
As the United States targets China in a trade war, clothing firms are taking steps to diversify manufacturing locations to spread risk. Inquiries from manufacturers are on the rise in Bangladesh, and one company expects its US exports to more than double this fiscal year. “The South Asian nation, which is the world’s second-largest garment exporter, has seen the value of its overseas sales rise...

Everest Rules Might Change: New York Times

Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman May 29, 2019
Images of long lines at the summit of Mount Everest and stories of climbers, desperate for air, stepping over the bodies of others who succumbed, are a public relations disaster. Reaching the summit, what should be a glorious achievement, has become another garish display of human excess. Some blame Nepal for selling too many permits. Others complain about rude behavior. At least 11 people have...