Content

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 18, 2021

The republican system is our only clear pathway to long-term peace in Afghanistan

By Omar Sadr

The prospect of a political settlement with the Taliban is testing Afghanistan’s nascent democracy more than ever before in the last eighteen years. Indeed, the country’s hard-won republican system, which the Taliban opposes in favor of a narrow Islamic Emirate, is currently facing an existential threat. It must be protected and strengthened at all costs.

Afghanistan Democratic Transitions

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 17, 2021

Eight reasons why the United States should promote Kashmir peace talks now

By Yelena Biberman

The time is ripe for Kashmir peace talks, and the Biden administration, with Secretary Blinken at the helm of foreign affairs, can play a constructive role in bringing India to the table. Why should the United States promote the Kashmir peace process? What could it realistically do?

Civil Society Human Rights

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 8, 2021

The dynamics of South Asia: A roadmap for the Biden administration

By Safiya Ghori-Ahmad and Kyle Gardner

South Asia offers the Biden administration opportunities to elevate US diplomacy and strengthen partnerships in capitals from Delhi to Dhaka. But doing so will require navigating five dynamics at play across this important region.

Digital Policy Economy & Business

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 4, 2021

A house divided: Afghanistan neighbors’ power play and regional countries’ hedging strategies for peace

By Tamim Asey

Afghanistan is once again at a cross-roads facing an uncertain future. The United States, intent on ending its longest war, is hoping to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan with a timeline based on the US-Taliban agreement, now under review by the new Biden administration. Afghanistan’s neighbors, hedging their bets and securing their borders, are expecting that the ensuing chaos will help to ensure that their geopolitical interests are served via proxies or at least a friendly government in Kabul.

Afghanistan Conflict

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 26, 2021

Understanding “rape culture” in Bangladesh, India, & Pakistan

By Rudabeh Shahid, Kaveri Sarkar, and Azeem Khan

Countless examples of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Asia from last year raise significant concerns about so-called “progress” made in improving women’s standing and fighting rape culture in the region. Political discourse in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is deeply misguided regarding such issues, often leading to systematic victim-blaming which—knowingly or unknowingly—helps the perpetrators.

Bangladesh Civil Society

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 20, 2021

Bhasan Char: An inflection point in the Rohingya refugee crisis?

By Imrul Islam

On December 4, 2020, Dhaka followed through on its promise to move refugees from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char, starting a new, unpredictable chapter in the Rohingya crisis. However, Bhasan Char does not solve these problems as much as it relocates them. Separating some refugees from others does not address the underlying drivers of crime within the refugee camps. If anything, relocation splinters aid response, and further attenuates humanitarian space.

Bangladesh Civil Society

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 19, 2021

The right way to get the region and the world behind Afghan peace

By Jawed Ludin and Janan Mosazai

The Afghan negotiations in Doha represent a pivotal moment for war-weary Afghanistan, the region that surrounds it, and the US-led international military alliance that has been engaged in the country for the past two decades. However, without regional and international support and guarantee, any peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban will be in danger of falling apart as soon as it reaches the implementation phase.

Afghanistan Conflict

Event Recap

Jan 9, 2021

Event recap: “Women’s gains in Afghanistan: Supporting economic opportunities for Afghan women as a driver of peace and security”

By Atlantic Council

On Thursday January 7, 2021, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center partnered with the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC) and the American Council on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to host an event on women’s gains in Afghanistan, the critical role of Afghan women in Afghanistan’s peace and security, and the role of US actors in partnering with and empowering Afghan women.

Afghanistan Economy & Business

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 5, 2021

Taliban 2.0. – Have the Taliban really changed and learnt their lesson?

By Tamim Asey

With negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban under way, many in the West and Afghanistan are banking on the fact that the Taliban movement has changed and that, having failed to defeat them militarily, it is time to embrace them. Although the latter is indeed true - that we have failed to defeat the Taliban militarily - the former deserves more scrutiny.

Afghanistan Human Rights

Past events

Dec 16, 2020

Event Recap: “The Nine Lives of Pakistan” with Declan Walsh and Shuja Nawaz

By Atlantic Council

On December 15, 2020, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center in partnership with the American Pakistan Foundation hosted a book talk with author and journalist Declan Walsh on his new book, The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Divided Nation. The event was moderated by South Asia Center distinguished fellow Shuja Nawaz.

National Security Pakistan