Human Security Gateway: South Asia

Pakistan’s New Tack on Fighting Terror

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:26:21 -0700

While the election of a civilian government in Islamabad has been universally welcomed as part of Pakistan’s democratic transition, the new government’s approach to counterterrorism has evoked misgivings in Washington. Reacting to what is viewed as President Pervez Musharraf’s US-backed militarized effort to defeat terrorism, the elected government headed by Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has sought a more balanced policy combining force with a “civil dialogue” with misled extremists. Instead of dismissing this as yet another bound-to-fail approach, Washington should be patient and let Gillani recover the legitimacy of Pakistan’s counterterrorism policy. SOURCE: Yale Global Online // Yale University

The Bengali Taliban: Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:31:47 -0700

The April 30 sentencing of four cadres of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to 26 years of hard labor for throwing bombs at a local court in 2005 returned the focus to Bangladesh’s struggle against pressing odds to contain the rise of Islamic extremism (Daily Star [Dhaka], May 1). The government has been hunting down JMB leaders and cadres ever since the group carried out an audacious series of blasts in 63 districts of a total of 64 across Bangladesh, planting 458 locally-made bombs while distributing leaflets which declared, “We’re the soldiers of Allah. We’ve taken up arms for the implementation of Allah’s law the way the Prophet, Sahabis [companions of the Prophet] and heroic Mujahideen have done for centuries…it is time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh” (Bangladesh Observer, August 18, 2005). In the crackdown that followed, two top leaders of the group, Shaykh Abdur Rahman and Sidiqul Islam (alias Bangla Bhati), were executed in 2007; several hundred cadres have also been arrested from different parts of the country. Many of these have since been given tough sentences by a judiciary which was once high on the list of JMB’s potential targets. SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

The Afghan-Pakistan War: A Status Report

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:38:53 -0700

The Afghan War is not an unreported war in the media, but it is a largely unreported war in terms of useful, unclassified reporting by governments and NATO/ISAF. Only the UN has provided consistent analytic reporting on the progress of the war, and its reporting only goes into significant detail in the area of counternarcotics. The US government has cut back on its reporting over time, and its web pages now do little more that report on current events. Unlike the Iraq War, there is no Department of Defense quarterly report on the progress of the war, and on efforts to create effective Afghan security, governance, and development. There is no equivalent to the State Department weekly status report. Testimony to Congress, while useful, does not provide detailed statements or back up slide with maps, graphs, and other data on the course of the war. SOURCE: Center for Strategic and International Studies

A New Course for Pakistan

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:34:29 -0700

During a two week research trip to Pakistan in mid-April 2008, the PCR team interviewed more than 200 Pakistanis and several dozen expatriates in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Attock, Quetta and Karachi. The team met with the newly elected leadership, former generals, journalists, economists, nationalist leaders, trade unionists, diplomats, university professors, bloggers, ulema, aid workers, security analysts, leaders of the lawyers’ movement, and students at an elementary school, a madrassa, an Afghan refugee primary school, and a university. The post-election visit focused on the major issues affecting the country and examined ways in which the United States can be most supportive of Pakistani-led initiatives during this critical transition period. SOURCE: Center for Strategic and International Studies // PCR Project Special Briefing

Pakistan: Displacement ongoing in a number of regions

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:27:44 -0700

Military operations against armed opposition groups in Pakistan have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in recent months, according to the limited information available. While many of the internally displaced people (IDPs) have apparently been able to return to their areas of origin after an end to the fighting, others remain displaced with little access to hu-manitarian assistance. In the North West Frontier Province’s Swat Valley, conflict between an armed opposition group and the army led to Asia’s biggest new displacement in 2007, with between 400,000 and 900,000 people forced to flee their homes towards the end of the year. Many people re-turned as soon as possible, but some of them found their homes and property damaged. SOURCE: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Asie

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:04:09 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Chine, Inde, et Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: Double péril - sexospécifité et risque de VIH parmi les consommateurs de drogues injectables; Comprendre les nouvelles estimations du VIH en Inde, et Surprise dans le Sud. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Iran, Pakistan, Inde, ou l’entente gazière

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:39:02 -0700

Pour sa première visite à New Delhi, le 29 avril 2008, le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad n’est resté que quelques heures, mais son passage a marqué les esprits. D’abord par la qualité de ses rencontres : la présidente de la République Pratibha Patil et le premier ministre Manmohan Singh. Ensuite par la relance du projet de gazoduc reliant l’Iran à l’Inde en passant par le Pakistan. Ce dernier semble désormais sur les rails, la construction devant commencer d’ici à 2010. Tous les détails ne sont pas encore réglés - il s’en faut de beaucoup. Mais le principe est retenu. « Le gazoduc est faisable, a déclaré lors d’une conférence de presse le ministre indien des affaires étrangères, M. Shiv Shankar Menon, et c‘est plus qu’un accord commercial. » (Agence France-Presse, 29 avril 2008.) SOURCE: Le Monde Diplomatique

China's future water war with India

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:33:02 -0700

Is there any end to Chinese ambitions in Asia? China wishes to dominate Asia with blockades, blockages, military diplomacy and political Machiavellism. China’s building of the port of Gwadar at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in fact is meant to blockade the oil supplies of the world. Its military diplomacy is on display at the Tibet-India border, where for the last ten years it has strengthened its military infrastructure to intimidate India. In its blockage diplomacy, it is planning to divert the flow of the River Brahmaputra, also called the Tsandpo in Tibet, toward China’s northeast, hence in the process starve 100 million people in India. SOURCE: United Press International Asia

Expand the U.S. Agenda toward Pakistan: Prospects for Peace and Stability Can Brighten

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:20:18 -0700

Many forces combine in Pakistan to threaten global peace and security, rendering it the most dangerous country in today’s world. Violence is a dominant feature of the political landscape—most notably in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. The February 2008 elections, however, may have put Pakistan on a tortuous path toward democracy. In most respects, the current administration’s policy toward Pakistan has not paid off. The next President must change the agenda and seek to alter the mood, by revamping Pakistani visions of America. Pakistani people must be persuaded that America supports democracy in their country and can be a long-term and reliable ally. They should feel that the struggle against Al Qa’eda and its allies is their war as well as ours. SOURCE: The Brookings Institution

India: The Cost of Yellowcake

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:20:46 -0700

The Indian government has been mining low-grade uranium on tribal lands for decades, but it plans to expand production so that nuclear power will eventually meet a quarter of India's energy needs. The risks of pursuing that policy made international headlines in 2006 when a uranium waste pipeline burst in the east of the country, creating a devastating spill. FRONTLINE/World reporter Sonia Narang travels to this remote area to find out how the mines are affecting the health and traditions of villagers, and forcing thousands off their lands. SOURCE: Public Broadcasting Service // Frontline World

US Foreign Policy in Pakistan: Implications for Regional Security, Stability, and Development - Testimony of Thomas R Pickering

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:59:15 -0700

t is an honor to appear before you today to address one of the most pressing and emergent issues we face as a nation. One which for too long has been hidden by our focus and concentration on other issues in the region and beyond. In recognition of the growing crisis in Afghanistan and its relationship to Pakistan, three major American organizations each carried out studies of what was happening and what needs to be done to deal with the problems. It is no accident that the issue is so exigent that when the three organizations gathered to discuss their reports, they immediately agreed to issue their reports together and to join forces in their presentations. That was done on January 30, 2008. Today’s hearing gives me a chance to highlight aspects of the report I had the welcome pleasure of co-chairing with General James Jones, former NATO SACEUR and US Combatant Commander in Europe. SOURCE: United States House of Representatives // Committee on Foreign Affairs

US Foreign Policy in Pakistan: Implications for Regional Security, Stability, and Development - Opening Statement by Howard L. Berman

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:55:32 -0700

Today we turn our attention to a region that defense experts have singled out as perhaps the most likely launching point of a future Al Qaeda terrorist strike. The tribal regions of Pakistan provide safe haven for thousands of militants and terrorists who seek not only to destabilize Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, but who also plan attacks around the globe. For this reason, I believe it’s imperative that we review U.S. foreign policy toward Pakistan to find out what is working, what is not, and how a new Administration should approach this critical region. With new civilian and military leadership in Pakistan, we now have a chance to establish a sustainable and mutually beneficial bilateral relationship; a relationship that recognizes how unfettered extremism poses a threat to Pakistan, its neighbors, and the world; a relationship that focuses on economic and development assistance not as an afterthought but as the necessary foundation to promote long-term growth; and a relationship that adheres to the values that both of our nations inherently share – bolstering forces of moderation, holding dear the principles of democracy, and promoting peace and prosperity throughout Pakistan. SOURCE: United States House of Representatives // Committee on Foreign Affairs

Inde : au coeur du « Grand Jeu » énergétique

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:53:20 -0700

Lorsque énergie rime avec diplomatie et (quasi) frénésie. Alors que la région bruisse en ce printemps 2008 du son redouté du canon, s’ébranle sous les coups de boutoir de la rébellion et des attentats terroristes (Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) et s’interroge sur les facétieux coups d’arrêt portés au traitement de grands dossiers (cf. nucléaire nord-coréen), l’Asie se révèle également capable de soudaines avancées diplomatiques qu’il convient ici de saluer. Actuellement en visite en Asie méridionale (successivement au Pakistan lundi, puis au Sri Lanka et enfin en Inde), le président iranien Ahmadinejad en est un témoin privilégié... et intéressé. Dans la capitale pakistanaise Islamabad, en compagnie de son homologue Pervez Musharraf, le chef de l’Etat iranien s’est ainsi employé à rappeler la pertinence du projet régional de gazoduc IPI (Iran, Pakistan, Inde), dit « pipeline de la paix » par ses promoteurs en ce qu’il associe, dans une trame énergétique aux fortes implications stratégiques, les fébriles voisins iraniens, indiens et pakistanais. Ces 2 derniers entretiennent depuis 2004 des rapports certes apaisés et profiteraient, par la construction d’un pipeline long de 700 km, des généreux sous-sols du champ gazier de South Pars (Iran), pour satisfaire leurs demandes intérieures et, dans le cas indien tout particulièrement, alimenter une croissance économique particulièrement gourmande en énergies (l’Inde est déjà le 6e consommateur mondial de pétrole). SOURCE: Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques

Perspectives de l'environnement de l'OCDE à l'horizon 2030 - Synthèse

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:15:50 -0700

• Comment le développement économique et social influencera-t-il l’évolution de l’environnement à l’horizon 2030 ? Quelles politiques seront nécessaires afin de répondre aux principaux défis environnementaux ? Comment les pays membres et les pays non membres de l’OCDE peuvent-ils unir leurs efforts pour relever ces défis ? • Les Perspectives de l’environnement de l’OCDE à l’horizon 2030 présentent des analyses des tendances économiques et environnementales jusqu’en 2030, ainsi que des simulations de politiques visant à faire face aux principaux problèmes. Sans nouvelles politiques, nous risquons de causer des dommages irréversibles à l’environnement et à la base des ressources naturelles nécessaires pour soutenir la croissance économique et le bien-être de tous. L’inaction des pouvoirs publics a un coût élevé. • Mais les Perspectives montrent que relever les principaux défis environnementaux d’aujourd’hui – y compris le changement climatique, l’appauvrissement de la biodiversité, le manque d’eau et les impacts de la pollution sur la santé – n’est pas impossible ni inabordable. Elles mettent en lumière un ensemble de politiques qui pourraient permettre de relever ces défis d’une manière économique. Le champ d’observation des Perspectives a été élargi par rapport à l’édition 2001, afin de tenir compte des évolutions concernant aussi bien les pays de l’OCDE que le Brésil, la Russie, l’Inde, l’Indonésie, la Chine et l’Afrique du Sud (BRIICS), et d’examiner comment ils pourraient mieux coopérer pour résoudre les problèmes d’environnement au niveau mondial et local. SOURCE: Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques

Pakistan’s Taliban Negotiating Peace, Preparing for War

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:01:09 -0700

Secret peace talks between the government and the Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of Pakistani Taliban groups, collapsed in late April but the unilateral ceasefire declared by the latter is still in place (The News International [Islamabad], April 29). By agreeing to continue observing the ceasefire, the TTP signaled its willingness to revive the peace negotiations, provided some of its demands were met. Speaking from an undisclosed location in Bajaur tribal region bordering Afghanistan, TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar told reporters that the government must show flexibility if it wanted the talks to resume (Dawn [Islamabad], May 4). Maulvi Omar said the government should withdraw Pakistan Army troops from Waziristan, Darra Adamkhel and Swat as part of confidence-building measures to create the proper atmosphere for the peace talks to proceed. He insisted that this was a commitment made by the government through a jirga (council of tribal elders) mediating between it and the TTP (The News International, May 4). SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

L'Inde et le nouveau partage de l'Afrique. L'affirmation d'une puissance émergente

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:37:34 -0700

En organisant le premier sommet du Forum Inde-Afrique du 8 au 9 avril 2008, New Delhi a voulu envoyer un signal fort à la communauté internationale : montrer que l’Inde a les moyens, et surtout la volonté, de devenir un acteur économique et commercial majeur sur le continent noir. SOURCE: Institut français des relations internationales

Preliminary Observations on the Use and Oversight of US Coalition Support Funds Provided to Pakistan

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:06:57 -0700

According to U.S. embassy officials in Islamabad and unclassified U.S. intelligence documents, since 2002, al Qaeda and the Taliban have used Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the border region to attack Pakistani, Afghan, U.S. and coalition troops; plan and train for attacks against U.S. interests; destabilize Pakistan; and spread radical Islamist ideologies that threaten U.S. interests. Since October 2001, the United States has provided Pakistan with over $10 billion for military, economic, and development activities in support of the critical U.S. national security goals of destroying terrorist threats and closing terrorist safe havens.1 A major component of this effort has been U.S. Coalition Support Funds (CSF) reimbursed to Pakistan. The purpose of CSF is to reimburse coalition countries for logistical and military support provided to United States military operations in the global war on terror. In Pakistan, reimbursements through CSF are intended to enable the government of Pakistan to attack terrorist networks in the FATA and stabilize the border areas. It is structured as a reimbursement mechanism in which the U.S. Department of Defense (Defense) policy is to validate that support was provided, costs were incurred, and these costs were incremental to normal Pakistani military operations. SOURCE: Government Accountability Office

The Beauty of Compromise: Finding the Middle in South Asia

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:13:43 -0700

Over the past decades, the nation-states of South Asia have been home to some of the most bitter and costly conflicts of the modern world. Women have opposed the domination of men; subaltern classes have resisted the hegemony of the elite; regions on the periphery have protested exploitation by the center. To class, gender, and geography have been added the fault lines of language, caste, religion, and ethnicity. No region of the world—not even the fabled Balkans—has had a greater variety of conflicts. South Asians are an expressive people, and so they have expressed their various resentments in an appropriate diversity of ways—through electing legislators of their choosing; through court petitions and other legal mechanisms at their command; through marches, gheraos, dharnas, hungerstrikes, and other forms of non-violent protest; through the burning of government buildings; and through outright armed rebellion. SOURCE: World Policy Journal

What are the Federally Administered Tribal Areas?

Tue, 06 May 2008 09:54:01 -0700

What are the Federally Administered Tribal Areas? Why should we be concerned about them? And what can we do about them? SOURCE: Center for American Progress

Still a Dangerous Border

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:48:54 -0700

The latest spike in cross-border attacks (NYT) into Afghanistan by militants based in Pakistan has once again exposed the vulnerabilities of those fighting the war for a stable Afghanistan. In a repeat of past instances, Afghan officials blamed (IHT) the recent assassination attempt against Afghan President Hamid Karzai on insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal areas with links to al-Qaeda. A spokesperson from Pakistan’s army denied (Daily Times) the allegations. But all recent U.S. intelligence and investigative reports have pointed to the growing strength of the terrorist groups in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border.“Using the sanctuary in the border area of Pakistan, al-Qaeda has been able to maintain a cadre of skilled lieutenants capable of directing the organization’s operations around the world,” said the 2008 Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National Intelligence. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations

NEPAL: Problems in Post Election Scenario

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:16:00 -0700

Power sharing or Power balance? This is the question that is being discussed by various political parties in the formation of a new government. While the Maoists take it that it is a mandate for their party to take over administration, others think that it is a fractured verdict and that there should be a balance of power. The UML leadership which is still smarting on its poor showing and despite having withdrawn from the government is more keen to have a fair share power in the interim period rather than devoting their energy to rebuild and restructure their party. The party is floating a proposal that the three top posts- that of the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly should be shared among the three top parties. SOURCE: South Asia Analysis Group

Security Threats Facing India: External and Internal

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:15:14 -0700

Threats are a matter of perception. Their assessments take into account capacities, not so much intentions, of a potential adversary. For an accurate reading, the short term and long term objectives of all leading players in the world have to be judged. Applying this criterion will reveal that India is living in an environment of threat from many corners of the earth. Is there a threat from the United States? To answer the question one must first identify the basic interests of the US and then examine whether similar interests of India are supplementary or contradictory to those of the US. An objective study will lead to the conclusion whether the relation ship between the two countries is essentially benevolent or malignant. SOURCE: South Asia Analysis Group

No Sign Until the Burst of Fire: Understanding The Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:07:35 -0700

By 1932, British troops had been waging war of varying intensity with a group of intractable tribes along and beyond the northwestern frontier of India for nearly a century. That year, in summarizing a typical skirmish, one British veteran noted laconically, “Probably no sign till the burst of fire, and then the swift rush with knives, the stripping of the dead, and the unhurried mutilation of the infidels.” It was a savage, cruel, and peculiar kind of mountain warfare, frequently driven by religious zealotry on the tribal side, and it was singularly unforgiving of tactical error, momentary inattention, or cultural ignorance. It still is. The Pakistan-Afghanistan border region has experienced turbulence for centuries. Today a portion of it constitutes a significant threat to U.S. national security interests. The unique underlying factors that create this threat are little understood by most policymakers in Washington. SOURCE: Harvard University // John F Kennedy School of Government

"Pashtunistan": The Challenge to Pakistan and Afghanistan

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:34:00 -0700

The alarming growth of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the Pashtun tribal region of north-western Pakistan and southern Afghanistan is usually attributed to the popularity of their messianic brand of Islam and to covert help from Pakistani intelligence agencies. But another, more ominous, reason also explains their success: their symbiotic relationship with a simmering Pashtun separatist movement that could lead to the unification of the estimated 41 million Pashtuns on both sides of the border, the break-up of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the emergence of a new national entity, an ‘Islamic Pashtunistan’. This ARI examines the Pashtun claim for an independent territory, the historical and political roots of the Pashtun identity, the implications for the NATO- or Pakistani-led military operations in the area, the increasing co-operation between Pashtun nationalist and Islamist forces against Punjabi domination and the reasons why the Pashtunistan movement, long dormant, is slowly coming to life. SOURCE: Real Instituto Elcano

Pakistan: Developing a Taste for Stability

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:46:22 -0700

An August 2007 survey by Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan policy group in Washington, offered a window into Pakistanis’ views about Al- Qaeda and terrorism. Many surveys in poor nations give a distorted picture of people’s attitudes toward controversial issues because the surveys are confined to urban areas that are safe and easily accessible, and where the inhabitants tend to be educated and better off economically. By contrast, this face-to-face survey of Pakistani opinions seems representative, in that it interviewed about a thousand Pakistanis, age 18 or older, living in urban and rural areas in all four provinces. The vast majority were married Sunni Muslims who lived in towns and villages and had ten or fewer years of schooling. Slightly fewer than half were women. (Unfortunately, the results published so far do not separate responses by years of schooling, income, urban-rural location, sex, or other useful personal characteristics.) SOURCE: Hoover Institution

Shiite-Sunni Strife Paralyzes Life in Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:49:18 -0700

Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency has been at the center of sectarian Shiite-Sunni conflict for decades. The area witnessed bloody clashes between the two rival sects of Islam long before the arrival of the Taliban phenomenon and foreign al-Qaeda elements in the region in the wake of the U.S. attack on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001. Major sectarian riots hit the region for the first time in 1963. Violence resumed in the mid-1980s and a third wave of major sectarian clashes occurred in 1996, amid the growing influence of Salafist Muslims in the area. After a decade of relative peace and harmony, however, Kurram Agency has once again plunged into a vicious cycle of sectarian violence that began last year. Despite many peace truces and pledges of rival groups to end the hostilities, the mayhem is still going on. The clashes intensified in the last month and have not only left scores of people dead and injured, but have also completely paralyzed life in the region. Overall, up to 700 people have been killed and over 1,000 wounded since the conflict began in April last year (Dawn [Karachi], April 12; The News [Islamabad], March 1). SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

Turkey and Pakistan Cooperate on Counter-Terrorism Efforts

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:44:37 -0700

Facing well-entrenched insurgencies and numerous acts of terrorism, Turkey and Pakistan have initiated cooperative efforts to increase their security in the face of these threats. Following a two-day, high-level official visit to Pakistan by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the two nations announced “strategic” cooperation on a number of fronts, including defense, trade, and diplomacy (The News International [Islamabad], April 20). The visit, the first to Pakistan by a Turkish foreign minister, heralds a new era in cooperation between the two Muslim nations (Associated Press of Pakistan [APP], April 20). Foreign Minister Babacan made explicit mention of Turkey’s desire for an enhanced level of defense industry cooperation with Pakistan. Babacan described the volume of trade with Pakistan as having risen to the level of $690 million in the past five years, noting that—with the increased efforts of private-sector firms in both nations and the creation by Turkey and Pakistan of a business-friendly environment—there was the hoped-for potential of reaching one billion dollars in trade in the next two years (APP, April 20). SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

Rapport du Secrétaire général sur les enfants et le conflit armé au Népal (S/2008/259)

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:54:31 -0700

Le présent rapport, qui a été établi conformément aux dispositions de la résolution 1612 (2005) du Conseil de sécurité, est présenté au Conseil en tant que deuxième rapport de pays sur la situation des enfants et le conflit armé au Népal. Il porte sur la période allant du 1er octobre 2006 au 31 octobre 2007 et fait suite à mon premier rapport (S/2006/1007) et aux conclusions et recommandations ultérieurement formulées par le Groupe de travail sur les enfants et les conflits armés (S/AC.51/2007/8). Il est indiqué dans le rapport qu’il y a beaucoup moins de violations graves des droits des enfants depuis la signature de l’accord global de cessez-le-feu, mais que les violations dont ils sont victimes n’ont pas cessé. Il y est signalé qu’un nombre considérable d’enfants ont été recrutés par le Parti communiste népalais-maoïste (PCN-M) avant la signature de l’accord de cessez-le-feu et transportés dans des cantonnements. Il n’a pas été possible jusqu’ici d’obtenir qu’ils soient officiellement libérés, mais nombre d’entre eux l’ont été de façon informelle. Il y est signalé aussi que, dans la région du Teraï, l’agitation sociale a généré un climat de protestation et l’apparition de groupes politiques et de groupes armés qui exposent les enfants à des risques nouveaux, notamment au recrutement. Le rapport appelle particulièrement l’attention sur le fait que tous les principaux partis politiques font de plus en plus participer des enfants aux manifestations politiques, aux grèves et aux barrages. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Conseil de sécurité

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Nepal (S/2008/259)

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:49:56 -0700

The present report, prepared pursuant to the provisions of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), is presented to the Council as the second country report on the situation of children and armed conflict in Nepal. It covers the period from 1 October 2006 to 31 December 2007 and follows my first report (S/2006/1007) and the subsequent conclusions and recommendations of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (S/AC.51/2007/8). The report indicates that although grave violations of children’s rights have decreased significantly since the signing of the comprehensive ceasefire agreement, violations against children have not ceased. The report notes that substantial numbers of children were recruited by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) prior to the signing of the ceasefire agreement and moved into cantonments. No progress has been achieved in securing their formal discharge although many have been released informally. The report also notes that social unrest in the Terai region has contributed to a pattern of protests and emergence of political and armed groups that have created new risks for children, including recruitment. In particular, the report highlights the increasing use of children by all major political parties in political demonstrations, strikes and blockades. SOURCE: United Nations Secretary General Report

Radiological Terrorism: Threats to India

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:53:13 -0700

A “dirty bomb” or radiological dispersal device (RDD) has been defined by the Council on Foreign Relations as “a conventional explosive (such as dynamite) packaged with radioactive materials.” Radiological terrorism involves detonating radioactive material with conventional explosives resulting in the dispersal of a radioactive aerosol in the atmosphere causing serious injury through air-borne radiation and contamination. It is primarily for this reason that RDDs are “dirty”. The greatest threat posed by an RDD lies in its capacity to create widespread fear and panic in the population, contamination of areas and mass disruption. Contamination of a target city attacked by a radiological bomb would necessitate its evacuation and the cleanup efforts will probably takes years. SOURCE: Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

Ceylan, entre feu et sang

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:22:00 -0700

Dans une relative indifférence internationale, la lointaine République Démocratique Socialiste du Sri Lanka (ex-Ceylan), nation insulaire de l’océan Indien, replonge ces jours-ci vers ses plus sombres démons ; un quart de siècle déjà de conflit ethnico-religieux derrière elle et 70 000 morts n’ont guère apaisé les esprits, les revendications et l’irrédentisme des uns et des autres. En ce mois d’avril 2008, séparatistes tamouls du LTTE et forces armées gouvernementales de Colombo s’affrontent dans de terribles joutes septentrionales sur les lignes de front de Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Killinochchi, Mannar ou Vavuniya, semant la terreur et le chaos parmi les combattants et les populations locales (majoritairement tamoules). De l’avis même du gouvernement comme du LTTE, pourtant rarement convergents quel que soit le sujet, pareils combats et violence sont sans précédents depuis un an et demi. SOURCE: Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques

Jihadi Winds From Pakistan

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:20:09 -0700

One police officer and three civilians were killed and 30 injured in a car bomb explosion between a police station and a hotel in Mardan in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan on April 25, 2008. The police station building collapsed due to the impact of the explosion. Mardan is the home town of the new NWFP Chief Minister, Mr. Amir Haider Hoti, who belongs to the secular (friendly to India) Awami National Party (ANP). The ANP, which is a regional Pashtun party, emerged as the largest single party in the elections to the provincial Assembly held on February 18, 2008, and also did well in the elections to the National Assembly in Islamabad. It is a member of the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which assumed office in Islamabad a month ago. Mr. Hoti is the nephew of Mr. Afsandyar Wali Khan, the President of the ANP. His selection by the party leadership for the post of Chief Minister was criticised by some party circles, who viewed it as family favouritism, but this has not created any enemity to him. SOURCE: International Terrorism Monitor // South Asia Analysis Group

Carrot or Stick? Redistributive Transfers Versus Policing in Contexts of Civil Unrest

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:32:25 -0700

Recurrent episodes of civil unrest significantly reduce the potential for economic growth and poverty reduction. Yet the economics literature offers little understanding of what triggers civil unrest in society and how to prevent it. This paper provides a theoretical analysis in a dynamic setting of the merits of redistributive transfers in preventing the onset of (and reducing) civil unrest and compare it with policies of more direct intervention such as the use of police. We present empirical evidence for a panel of Indian states, where conflict, transfers and policing are treated as endogenous variables. Our empirical results show, in the medium term, redistributive transfers are both a more successful and cost-effective means to reduce civil unrest. Policing is at best a short-term strategy. In the longer term, it may trigger further social discontent. SOURCE: MICROCON

Restoring Democracy in Bangladesh

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:34:10 -0700

Bangladesh is under military rule again for the third time in as many decades. Although the caretaker government (CTG) insists its plans to stamp out corruption and hold general elections by December 2008 are on track, its achievements have been patchy, and relations with the major political parties are acrimonious. Efforts to sideline the two prime ministers of the post-1990 democratic period have faltered (though both are in jail), and the government has become bogged down in its attempts to clean up corruption and reshape democratic politics. Even if elections are held on schedule, there is no guarantee reforms will be sustainable. If they are delayed, the risk of confrontation between the parties and the army-backed government will grow. There is an urgent need for all sides to negotiate a peaceful and sustainable return to democracy. SOURCE: International Crisis Group

The Problem of Pakistan

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:51:54 -0700

Fifteen minutes outside Islamabad, Pakistan, surrounded by nonmechanized farms and poor villages, is a U.S.-funded police training school. It boasts a target range suitable for anything from pistols to high-powered sniper rifles; a mock-up of an apartment building to be used for training exercises; a bomb-disposal practice area; and classrooms for studying civil rights, sex-crimes response, humane and effective interrogation techniques, and other basics of law enforcement. The facility is similar to those found in almost every county in America. In Pakistan, a country of 168 million people, it is the only training center of its caliber. If any nation needs highly trained, superbly equipped police, it is Pakistan. Almost all the world’s arrests of important Al-Qaeda leaders have taken place there, with Pakistani police facing down exquisitely dangerous men. In Karachi, police are expected to keep the peace in a city in which gangs of political thugs are better equipped than some armies. Police protecting politicians at rallies throughout Pakistan do so without radios, sniper cover, or body armor. A typical constable, when issued his weapon, is allowed only six practice rounds at a makeshift firing range. SOURCE: Hoover Digest // Hoover Institution

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed in Nepal (S/2008/259)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:02:09 -0700

Pakistan’s New Government Launches Peace Initiative with Islamist Militants in Swat

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:07:30 -0700

Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the aged leader of the banned Islamic group, Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM), was released in Peshawar on April 21 after more than six years of imprisonment as part of the reconciliation efforts undertaken by the newly-elected coalition government of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) (The News International [Islamabad], April 22). His release is part of an effort to tackle the conflict in the militancy-hit Swat district and restore order in the once peaceful valley. It coincided with the signing of an agreement between the TNSM and the government. Under the six-point agreement, the TNSM renounced the use of force in achieving its goal of enforcing Shari’a (Islamic law) in Swat and other parts of Malakand region (Dawn [Islamabad], April 22). It pledged to respect the institutions of the state and accept the government’s right to establish its writ. The TNSM also distanced itself from elements involved in attacks on security forces in Swat and elsewhere. In return, the government withdrew all pending cases against Sufi Mohammad, commuted his remaining prison term and set him free unconditionally. SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

Nepal: The Power of Popular Mobilization

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:58:44 -0700

Human rights abuses have been part of political and military policies and practices in Nepal since Britain formally acknowledged the country's independence in 1923 , but their scale and intensity heightened dramatically in 1996 when civil war broke out. For the next decade the Nepalese people experienced unparalleled levels of violence at the hands of the country's monarchy and rival Maoist rebels, with at least 13 ,000 killed and thousands more tortured, raped, and forcibly disappeared. In April 2006 an extraordinary mobilization by civil society against the government ended the conflict by forcing a military retreat, disempowering the ruling monarch, reinstating Parliament, and bringing the Maoists into the peace negotiations. SOURCE: International Center for Transitional Justice

Recasting Justice: Securing Dalit Rights in Nepal’s New Constitution

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:50:07 -0700

On January 15, 2007, Nepal promulgated the Interim Constitution of Nepal (“Interim Constitution”). The decision to adopt the Interim Constitution was made in the context of broader negotiations concerning Nepal’s ongoing peace process. In these negotiations, the position of a number of entities, particularly the Maoists, was that the constitution in force—the 1990 Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal—would not enable Nepal’s transition to a democratic and inclusive government. The 1990 Constitution was perceived as flawed, both because of its lack of substantive rights protections and because it had been drafted under “monarchial authority” with very limited public participation. SOURCE: Center for Human Rights and Global Justice

Baloch Nationalism and the Geopolitics of Energy Resources: The Changing Context of Separatism in Pakistan

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:41:59 -0700

This monograph examines the Baloch separatist insurgency that has resurfaced in recent years in Pakistan’s sprawling Balochistan province. The author maintains that the context of today’s insurgency differs in certain important respects from that of its 1970s predecessor. Most fundamental of these differences are those stemming from energy resource developments in what some are calling the “Asian Middle East” (embracing parts of South, Central, and Southwest Asia). In particular, the monograph looks at how Pakistan’s mounting energy insecurity—a product of rapid increase in demand coupled with rising scarcity and the region’s intensified energy rivalry— has magnified the economic and strategic importance of Balochistan, while at the same time complicating Pakistan’s efforts to cope with the province’s resurgent tribal separatism. SOURCE: Strategic Studies Institute // United States Army War College

Sino-Pakistani Defense Relations and the War on Terrorism

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:13:19 -0700

Concurrent with Pakistan’s often tumultuous military relationship with the United States is a growing and highly amicable economic and military relationship with China that poses vital questions regarding Pakistan’s future approach to the War on Terrorism. While suspicion of American motives runs high in Pakistan, China has made major inroads in the South Asian country, including a free-trade deal, assistance in power development, the implementation of a five-year trade and development plan and a strategic partnership meant to address deficiencies in Pakistan’s military technology and increase cooperation against Islamist terrorist cells (Xinhua, April 3; Associated Press of Pakistan [APP], April 17). Discussions on defense and security issues were an important part of this week’s state visit to China by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (APP, April 14). Pakistan and China are involved in major co-production projects involving the manufacture of JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft—similar to American F-16s, which Pakistan continues to purchase from the United States—and F22P naval frigates. The latter project involves the construction of four frigates, three in China and the last in the Karachi shipyards. The project involves important technology transfers—unavailable from the United States—that will allow Pakistan to build major warships on its own (Dawn [Karachi], April 5; China Daily, April 5). SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation

Népal : après le scrutin

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:14:20 -0700

Ces dernières semaines, Himalaya rime avec électorat. Une poésie guère usuelle dans la région. Après la tenue du premier scrutin législatif au royaume du Bhoutan dans les derniers jours de mars, c’était hier 10 avril 2008 au tour du royaume népalais de convier ses électeurs à converger vers les 21 000 bureaux de vote pour désigner les 601 prochains représentants nationaux. Réunis en Assemblée Constituante, il incombera à ces derniers de réfléchir au prochain texte fondamental et d’orienter, à tout le moins lors des deux prochaines années, le cours animé de cette fébrile nation himalayenne. Au lendemain de ces premières élections nationales organisées depuis une décennie, l’occasion de nous arrêter, en quelques grands traits, sur les premiers enseignements de ce scrutin et, comme il se doit, sur ces inévitables interrogations. SOURCE: Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques

Le déficit de filles — Le déséquilibre du ratio hommes-femmes en Inde

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:19:26 -0700

Dans une « société normale », la proportion de femmes est égale ou un peu supérieure à celle des hommes. Or, ce n’est pas le cas en Inde, où le ratio hommes-femmes – le nombre de femmes par rapport au nombre d’hommes – est l’un des plus déséquilibré au monde. Bien que la Chine soit aujourd’hui le pays où il manque le plus de filles par rapport au nombre de garçons, le recensement de 2001 en Inde a révélé un fait inquiétant : la proportion de filles âgées de zéro à six ans était passée de 945 à 927 pour 1 000 garçons depuis le dernier recensement, mené dix ans plus tôt. Autrement dit, au cours de cette seule décennie, l’Inde a accumulé un déficit de 35 millions de femmes. Le recensement a aussi révélé que ce phénomène avait pris des proportions considérables dans des États où il n’y avait jamais eu auparavant de cas d’infanticide féminin, ni de formes manifestes de discrimination contre les filles. SOURCE: Centre de recherches pour le développement international

Combating Terrorism: The United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:34:59 -0700

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were planned from an Afghan safe haven, and many of the terrorists who attacked the United States used Pakistan as the main route to travel from Afghanistan to the United States. Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the administration and Congress have repeatedly stated that destroying terrorist threats and closing terrorist safe havens are the nation’s critical national security goals.1 As such, the United States has provided Pakistan, which has become a key U.S. ally in the global war on terror, with more than $10.5 billion for military, economic, and development activities in support of these goals. The 9/11 Commission, an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation in late 2002, concluded in 2004 that it is hard to overstate the importance of Pakistan in the struggle against Islamist terrorism. The commission found that the country’s vast unpoliced regions have made it attractive to extremists seeking a safe haven and have reportedly provided a base for terrorist operations against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are believed to have retreated across the Afghan border and into Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in an effort to re-establish a terrorist safe haven. SOURCE: Government Accountability Office

Un portrait des femmes autochtones d'Asie

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:20:26 -0700

Publiée par le Réseau des femmes autochtones d’Asie (Asian Indigenous Women’s Network, AIWN) et l’Alliance des peuples autochtones de l’archipel (AMAN: Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara), de concert avec Droits et Démocratie. Cette trousse d’information met en évidence le travail accompli par les femmes autochtones, qui agissent aux échelons local, national et international afin de faire respecter leurs droits. Cette trousse est une adaptation du document << Femmes autochtones des Amériques >>. SOURCE: Droits et Démocratie

Malnutrition and Micronutrient Deficiencies Among Bhutanese Refugee Children

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:01:35 -0700

Acute and chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies have been found in refugee camp populations (1). In southeastern Nepal, despite consistent access by refugees to general rations,* certain micronutrient deficiencies have posed a substantial health burden to the approximately 100,000 Bhutanese residing in seven refugee camps (2). Limited food diversity, frequent illness, and poor feeding practices have been cited as underlying causes of poor nutritional status in this population. Annual surveys to assess levels of acute malnutrition (i.e., wasting) and chronic malnutrition (i.e., stunting) have been conducted in these camps by the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); however, the capacity to reliably evaluate micronutrient deficiencies has not existed locally in the camps (3). In January 2007, AMDA and CDC, at the request of UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP), conducted a nutritional survey of children aged 6--59 months, assessing 1) the prevalence of acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, underweight, anemia, and angular stomatitis (i.e., riboflavin deficiency); 2) the cumulative incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory illness (ARI); and 3) the feeding practices of the children's mothers. This report describes the results of that survey, which indicated that, although acute malnutrition was found in only 4.2% of the children, chronic malnutrition was found in 26.9% and anemia in 43.3%. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring both malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and addressing the underlying causes of nutritional deficits. SOURCE: Center for Disease Control // Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Situation in Sri Lanka: Options for India

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:20:55 -0700

Sri Lanka formally slipped into a war mode on 16 January 2008 when the government unilaterally abrogated the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Casualties since then have been rising and displacements are appalling. As a consequence, Sri Lankan economy has been hit hard. Human rights abuses in the island are a cause for major concern for the international community. Being a close and important neighbour, India cannot be a mute spectator to disturbing events in its proximity that impinges on its security. At the same time New Delhi has its own constraints on the nature of involvement/non-involvement in the Island’s ethnic issue. Is India’s policy dilemma a reflection of recent developments in Sri Lanka? Or is it a long-standing one? Can India do anything to bring peace to the Island at the outset? In other words, what are the options for India?. SOURCE: Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

No Safety No Escape: Children and the Escalating Armed Conflict in Sri Lanka

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:46:52 -0700

Sri Lanka’s children have been embroiled in a brutal armed conflict which has killed more than 67,000 civilians in the last two decades and caused untold suffering among the Sri Lankan population. Gross human rights violations committed by Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and armed breakaway groups, like the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP)/ Karuna faction, have created a climate of constant fear and insecurity throughout the country. Children throughout Sri Lanka face a broad spectrum of violations against their security and rights, perpetrated by various armed forces and groups. In this report, Watchlist illustrates this situation and provides practical recommendations for urgent actions needed to protect Sri Lankan children. SOURCE: Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict

Nepal's Transition: Democracy to Sustainable Peace

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:54:48 -0700

With the historic 12-point understanding reached between the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in November 2005, a new era has dawned in Nepal, one of peace, stability, democracy and prosperity. Establishment of Loktantra in April 2006 was the moment that led the peace process with significant passage. A Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) concluded between the Government of Nepal and the Maoists in November 2006 has formally ended the decade-long armed conflict in Nepal. The commitments include many of the Government of Nepal’s obligations under international law to respect, promote and ensure human rights of all persons within Nepal without discrimination. The Accord has visualized a new Nepal and revived the hopes and confidence of all sectors of the country. The entire nation is rejoicing as the Peace Accord is a victory of the people. Nepalese people have achieved remarkable political change which now has to be consolidated into lasting peace, social justice and democracy. The nation was badly bruised by the decade-long armed insurgency, which took the lives of more than 13,000 people, disabled tens of thousands and displaced many more. In Nepal, thousands of people are displaced from their villages as a result of the conflict, thereby, depriving them from enjoying their civil and political as well as economic and social rights. SOURCE: Informal Sector Service Centre

Bangladesh: Arms and Ammunition Recovery - 2008

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:19:13 -0700

Bangladesh: Arms and Ammunition Recovery - 2008 SOURCE: South Asia Terrorism Portal