In an interview with Newsroom Post, Animesh Roul, Executive Director of the Society for Study of Peace and Conflict, says that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB) has flourished with the help of local support. Speaking to Newsroompost.com, Roul says that the unchecked influx of Bangladeshi Muslims created pockets of influence for political parties in West Bengal.

Newsroom Post: How do you perceive the Burdwan incident in West Bengal?

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 occurred at a crucial juncture when Nepal faced major challenges in drafting a new constitution by the second constituent assembly (CA). The visit marked an important step towards strengthening the bilateral ties, 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 after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power in May 2014.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to global manufacturers in 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 debatable.

Over the years, Indian policy-makers 'taken-for-granted attitude' has distanced India from Nepal to such an extent that the contiguous border between the two countries seems unfathomable since the mid-1990s. It took a prime minister of India 17 years to dismantle the distance and reach out to the Nepalese youth. The recent two-day high-profile visit by the Indian Prime Minister to the Himalayan nation speaks volumes about the sense, sensitiveness, confidence, and consequences of bilateral relations India wants to nurture with Nepal.

What doesn't get measured doesn't get managed. This is the sad story of environmental deterioration around the world, which has been religiously and rigorously measuring gross national product (GNP) to ascertain the growth of a nation. But, a tiny Himalayan country has deviated from such calculation of national progress. The Gross National Happiness (GNH), Bhutan's economic path to development, has been less talked about in mainstream economics. And this is not a fairytale!  

The violent Sunni insurgency in Iraq (2014) undoubtedly has different implications for different countries in the region. The purpose of this article, however, is not to discuss all these implications. The article is limited to the role of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and its implications for Iran.

ISIS and Vested Interests

A new Bank is added to the lexicon of world development finance. Rather than welcoming it, the merchants of poverty eradication propagate its unbecoming. Completely one-sided views have been floating since the announcement of the BRICS New Development Bank adopted in Brazil during the BRICS Sixth Summit. Even after a month-long soccer carnival, it is a shocker to the world. The question remains whether BRIC's New Development Bank (NDB) will be able to deliver as its founding members aspire.

After the tragic downing of flight MH17, the US along with some major European countries has called for “hard-hitting sanctions” on Russia. The UK is pushing for tough “Tier 3” sanctions against Russia that could cover areas such as financial services, trade and energy exports. However, there are growing concerns that the strongest possible sanctions will be blocked by EU member states because of French arms sales as well as German dependence on fossil fuels from Russia.

A recent New York Times editorial (India’s Role in the Nuclear Races) has recommended that the issue of India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) be restricted till India “proves itself willing to take a leading role in halting the spread of the world’s most lethal weapons.” The editorial has premised India’s NSG membership upon fulfilling three conditions: Signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), halting production of fissile material and initiating negotiations with China and Pakistan to contain the nuclear arms race.