Jane's Intelligence Review, October 2014
The Maldives is experiencing a growing undercurrent of Islamist extremism. Animesh Roul examines this trend and the domestic risk posed by Maldivian youths travelling to fight alongside Islamist groups in jihadist theatres such as Syria.
The article emphasizes on prioritizing activities related to strengthening holistic defense mechanism to combat against natural, accidental or deliberate outbreaks.
Pakistan's Anti-India Spy Network Eyes Vital Defense Infrastructure from Sri Lanka
Key Points
Jihadist discourse over the past year has exhorted India's sizeable Muslim population to participate in jihad, either abroad or targeting the Indian state.
Despite Indian nationals' involvement in transnational terrorist plots, and a substantial indigenous insurgent campaign through the late 2000s, Indian Muslims have typically avoided the jihadist call.
Key points
Bangladesh faces growing security threats from a range of radical Islamist interests, including entrenched Deobandi militants, newly emergent jihadist groups, and even transnational operations such as Al-Qaeda.
A message from Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in January 2014, the first specifically directed at Bangladesh, will resonate with a number of radical groups aiming to spread jihad within the country.
Al Qaeda is attempting to expand into new territories in South Asia, “suitable” for safe housing themselves and their illicit activities. Fragile political situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh provide a conducive atmosphere to Al Qaeda to secure their bases in these regions. The situation in South Asia raises further concerns over the fact that India and Pakistan are nuclear weapons nations. Terror groups must be exterminated from the region to prevent them from unleashing catastrophe in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal in August this year sparked a united political front in the Himalayan nation – a rare eventuality given the intra and inter-party rivalry in the country. The visit also took place at a crucial juncture when Nepal is faced with major challenges to draft a new constitution by the second constituent assembly (CA). The visit marked an important step towards strengthening the bilateral ties, which, of late, has been marred by apathy and indecisiveness.
The recent visit of Chinese President, Xi Jinping to India raised much expectation amongst the Indian people. It was Mr. Xi’s first India trip since he assumed the post of President and after the Narendra Modi led government came to power in May 2014.
Three factors are highlighted in particular: the Maoists’ defeat in second Constituent Assembly polls, the resistance of both the parties towards formation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission and holding of local body elections, the inter-party division, which is the most serious challenge faced by Prachanda at present. The paper attempts to explore the possibilities of such a reunification between the UCPN-M and CPN-M. It highlights the challenges faced by the top Maoist brass at present in order to forge a united front for the future. The paper also points out some possible scenarios that would be faced by the Maoists, who remain an important political player in Nepal’s polity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the global manufacturers through his independence day speech on 15 August, 2014 – come, manufacture here, sell us and others (anywhere) – has generated varying degrees of attention in India and elsewhere. Whether such an avowal is a byproduct of a crafted political vision or a mere popular adventurism is a matter of debate.
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