COMMENTARIES
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The Thaw in Nepal
AM Vohra · 02 Dec, 2005 · #1898 · Commentary
The "Royal Coup" staged by King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February 2005 is a case of lust for personal power setting aside all considerations of the good of the country and its people. He dismis...
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Bioterrorism: Handling A Clear & Present Danger
KS Manjunath · 29 Nov, 2005 · #1897 · Commentary
The Interpol has sounded another warning on 21 November 2005 about the 'clear and present danger' of a bioterrorist attack by groups like al Qaeda. The Cape Town conference was the first of a three-part bioterrorism conference being orga...
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Indo-US Nuclear Deal: A New Strategic Partnership
Reshmi Kazi · 29 Nov, 2005 · #1896 · Commentary
Indo-US relations have come a long way since the Pokhran blasts of May 1998. In the aftermath of the tests, bilateral relations had taken a nosedive followed by a prolonged period of sanctions. The recently concluded Indo-US nuclear deal has rai...
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Afghan Elections: Challenges Ahead
Beryl Anand · 27 Nov, 2005 · #1895 · Commentary
The September legislative election in Afghanistan was a final step toward a representative government. The election - held on a non-party basis - was organized by the UN and was a first in decades as well as a milestone in the country's tran...
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Elections in Nepal: Major Issues and Questions
P G Rajamohan · 24 Nov, 2005 · #1894 · Commentary
King Gyanendra of Nepal attended the 13th SAARC meeting in Dhaka as a 'recognised' head of state. Once again, he assured that Nepal would work out a roadmap to usher in a multi-party democracy. He vowed to organize 'free and fair'...
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Sri Lanka After Elections: New President, Old Challenges
N Manoharan · 24 Nov, 2005 · #1893 · Commentary
Mahinda Rajapakse, the newly elected President of Sri Lanka followed Sri Lanka's political tradition of reining Prime Ministers becoming Presidents. Thanks to the poll boycott by the Tamil community in the North, 'Mahinda Chintana' w...
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Sabotaging Nuclear Power Plants
Ajay Lele · 24 Nov, 2005 · #1892 · Commentary
According to Australia's biggest-ever counter-terrorism investigation report that was released recently, an attack was probably planned on Australia's only nuclear reactor in December 2004. The report indicates that three men were stoppe...
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China's 'Observer' Status: Implications for SAARC
· 21 Nov, 2005 · #1891 · Commentary
The 53-point declaration adopted by the 13th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Dhaka on 13 November is significant for several important policy initiatives. But, one of the most important outcomes is the decision...
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Iran, IAEA and India: Looking through Security Interests
D Suba Chandran · 21 Nov, 2005 · #1890 · Commentary
November 24, 2005 would be a crucial day for India's foreign policy, if the EU-3/Russia initiative fails to reach a compromise solution before the IAEA meeting. What would India's position be - oppose, support or abstain? Its strategic i...
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Indo-Pak Peace Process: Beleaguered By 'Trust Deficit'
KS Manjunath · 21 Nov, 2005 · #1889 · Commentary
The recently concluded 13th SAARC Summit (November 12-13) was held in Dhaka after the 8 October earthquake causing the human misery in its wake, and the Delhi bombings on 29 October. These events cast a pall of gloom over this summit, which had ...