COMMENTARIES
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China’s New Rural Poverty Line: An Insight
Teshu Singh · 22 Dec, 2011 · #3529 · Commentary
Recently, China has revised its rural poverty line from 1,196 RMB to 2300 RMB (6.3 RMB per day). Consequently, it has brought three times more rural poor people under the poverty line. What has influenced China to revise its threshold limit? Wha...
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Bonn II: From Transition to Transformation in Afghanistan
Mariam Safi · 22 Dec, 2011 · #3528 · Commentary
The International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn held on 5 December 2011 marked ten years of state-building and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Ten years ago, on the very same day, the UN held the first Bonn Conference where the internati...
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Talking to Tehrik-i-Taliban: Failures and Lessons
Aryaman Bhatnagar · 21 Dec, 2011 · #3526 · Commentary
Claims and reports have surfaced regarding
renewed peace talks between the Pakistani government and the Tehrik-i-Talliban
(TTP). This begs the question how did past peace agreements fare out? And what lessons
can be learnt from their fa...
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North Korea: What Next?
Vyjayanti Raghavan · 21 Dec, 2011 · #3525 · Commentary
Kim Jong-il died, unfortunately, just a few months before the centenary celebrations of his father, the late ‘Supreme Leader’ and ‘Founder Father’ Kim Il-Sung, were to take place. The whole nation was gearing up to making...
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Inside North Korea: Kim Jong-un and Succession
Ruhee Neog · 20 Dec, 2011 · #3524 · Commentary
‘Dear Leader’ passed away on 17 December this year, making much space for speculations on the business of succession in a nuclear North Korea. In this difficult time of transition, the most important job for the new leader would be t...
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Ghulam Nabi Fai and the ISI
Radha Vinod Raju · 18 Dec, 2011 · #3523 · Commentary
No one in India was surprised when Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai was arrested by US authorities in July this year on the grounds of colluding with the ISI to influence American opinion on the Kashmir issue. In fact, according to informed views in India, ...
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Papua: The Tensions Within
Tri Susdinarjanti · 15 Dec, 2011 · #3522 · Commentary
For the last 6 months, concern over security has been rising in Papua – eastern part of Indonesia due to several accidents in the area. Instances of shootings and violence have occurred in Abepura, Jayapura, in Mulia District, Puncak Jaya,...
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China: The Red Weddings
Bhavna Singh · 14 Dec, 2011 · #3521 · Commentary
Any prevalent misperceptions about China’s stance on the legacy of its great helmsman - Mao Zedong will be dispelled by the grandeur of Shaoshan, the birth place of Mao Zedong in Hunan Province. Starting from his house, which has developed...
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Af-Pak Diary: Exporting Sectarianism?
D Suba Chandran · 14 Dec, 2011 · #3520 · Commentary
There were a series of sectarian attacks in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, killing more than 50 people in early December. While sectarian violence in Afghanistan has not been uncommon, what is new in this wave of blood bath is the perp...
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The Afghan Debate: Is India the Solution?
J Jeganaathan · 13 Dec, 2011 · #3519 · Commentary
While the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (loosely referred to as the ‘West’) is preparing to withdraw its troops engaged in combat missions in Afghanistan by 2014, security analysts across the world are preoccu...
