US to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Sept 11, 2021 The United States and NATO are yet to begin the withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan but the eyes are cast over the horizon at what lies after the ‘forever war’ formally ends. The US exit strategy in Afghanistan assumes the look of that random …
India should welcome the end of US occupation of Afghanistan
A Taliban unit in Laghman, Afghanistan, Dec. 2020 (File photo) The spectre haunting India today is that its worst case scenario in Afghanistan is becoming reality — a Taliban takeover. Delhi watches with disquiet the United States unceremoniously dumping its “conditions-based” troop withdrawal agenda, cutting loose and quitting the war. The salience of the background …
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A “win-win” for US, Turkey in Hindu Kush
Turkey is a pillar of NATO mission to Afghanistan (File photo) The zeal with which Washington is soliciting Turkey’s services to plot the pathway leading to the mainstreaming of Taliban in Afghanistan raises some troubling questions. Acting on Washington’s request, Turkey will be hosting high-level talks on the Afghanistan peace process (likely April 16) to …
China resents US presence in Afghanistan
Unidentified militia group shot down helicopter with laser weapons in Wardak March 18 killing Afghan military personnel. The “hidden agenda” of the war on terror in Afghanistan has been an open secret. The first inkling of its geopolitical character came when it transpired that even after installing a pro-US regime in Kabul in 2002-2003, Pentagon …
US-Indian strategic construct of Western Indian Ocean runs into headwinds
Pakistan Navy is hosting largest multinational maritime exercise ‘Aman 21’ in North Arabian Sea on February 11-16, 2021. The AMAN-21 naval exercise, the biennial event hosted by Pakistani Navy since 2007, in Karachi and the Arabian Sea from February 11-16 draws special attention. As many as 45 navies are reportedly participating, which makes AMAN probably …
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Taliban risks losing international legitimacy
A high-powered Taliban delegation led by Mullah Baradar arrived in Tehran for consultations on January 26, 2021 A high-level delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the senior leader of the Taliban and its chief negotiator at the Doha talks, held consultations in Tehran and Moscow this week through January 26-29 amidst growing uncertainty over …
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US drawdown spurs Afghan peace talks
Internally displaced children sit outside a tent at a refugee camp, Khost province, Eastern Afghanistan, November 17, 2020 Prospects for the resumption of the Afghan peace talks at Doha on January 5 look bright despite the recent spike in violence involving the Taliban, Afghan government forces and the US Air Force, which have caused large …
Does India truly belong to the SCO?
Russia will be hosting the 20th summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in virtual format on November 10, 2020 The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit meeting on November 30 has a surreal setting. Being a ‘virtual’ meeting, the event spares the eight SCO statesmen of the embarrassment of having to accost each other or exchange …
Spectre of Biden presidency haunts India
Prime Minister Modi (L) invested on eight years of US President Trump (R) in the White House but expectations fall short. (File photo) From the Indian perspective, the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency becomes a moment of ‘memory mixing with desire’, to borrow from TS Eliot’s famous words from The Waste Land. Prima facie, …
Quad is East, Kabul is West, Never the Twain Shall Meet
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar (R) met the leader of erstwhile Afghan Northern Alliance Rashid Dostum (L), New Delhi, Sept 25, 2020 The first part of this analysis is here. The policy planning with respect to Afghanistan has become an excruciatingly difficult exercise for New Delhi. Even a veteran great game addict like National Security …
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