South Asia

By Sumit Ganguly | – India recently enacted a law which will end a special autonomous status given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, known in the West as simply “Kashmir.” Amit Shah, India’s minister for home affairs, announced in Parliament that the Bharatiya Janata Party government was revoking Article 370 of the Indian […]

Afghanistan

Trump may Want out of Afghanistan, but He’s setting Stage for Global Conflict

John Feffer

Even if Trump manages to end the war in Afghanistan, he’s fueling other wars that will be even more devastating.

India

India’s colossal blunder in Kashmir

The Conversation

By Ayesha Ray | – In a stunningly dangerous, undemocratic and secretive move, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government repealed Articles 370 and 35a of the Indian Constitution using a presidential order. The government failed to involve all stakeholders in the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir before making its move. What’s known […]

Afghanistan

This is how America’s Afghanistan War ends– Not with a Bang but with a Mess

Danny Sjursen

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Could Donald Trump end the Afghan war someday? I don’t know if such a possibility has been on your mind, but it’s certainly been on the mind of this retired U.S. Army major who fought in that land so long ago. And here’s the context in which I’ve been thinking about […]

Afghanistan

Why Afghanistan peace is key to rebuilding relations between the US and Pakistan

The Conversation

By Scott Lucas and Umer Karim | – At times, the press conference in the White House was surreal. While Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, looked on, Donald Trump said he could “kill 10m people” in Afghanistan to “win a war within a week”, but had decided not to. And the US president said he […]

Afghanistan

Afghans are Caught between US Civil Law & Taliban Sharia: How can they get Justice?

The Conversation

By Ali Wardak | – Getting justice in Afghanistan is a complicated business. Two main justice systems – state laws based on the civil law tradition and Islamic jurisprudence – combine with non-state institutions, such as traditional village jirgas (circles) or shuras (councils), to resolve local disputes and deal with offences. Tribal members in a […]

Afghanistan

Majority of US Veterans doubt Value of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria Wars: Pew

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A Pew Research Center opinion poll conducted among 1,284 veterans who had served since 2001 (which also polled 1,087 American civilians as a control), found that a majority of veterans holds that the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and the intervention against ISIl in Syria were not worth it. The results […]

Featured

Solar Growing by leaps and Bounds in India, fueling Irrigation and Jobs

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sectors in the world, and has the great advantage of producing no carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is raising the average surface temperature of the earth. India is now for the first time in history investing more in solar energy than […]

Afghanistan

Once Again Pompeo Displays Hopeless Ignorance of Sunni & Shiite, Iran and Taliban

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Washington Post reports that when US Secretary of State “Benghazi Mike” Pompeo gave his breathless news conference last Thursday to finger Iran for the oil tanker explosions in the Gulf of Oman, he indicted Iran for another act of violence at the same time. Mary Papenfus at HuffPo notes […]