Topic: South Asia

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When is a terrorist not a terrorist? America's Haqqani conundrum.

Congress is pushing the State Department to list the Haqqani network in Pakistan as a terrorist organization. Military officials have said Haqqani fighters are America's most formidable foe in Afghanistan, but the Haqqanis could also be key to any reconciliation efforts.
09/28/2011 05:35 pm
Mullen's accusations: Has US reached its limit with Pakistan?

Adm. Mullen's public accusation that Pakistani intelligence was involved in militants' attacks on US targets in Afghanistan suggest that the US has reached its limit with its 'strategic partner.'
09/26/2011 03:52 pm
Thailand's female monks (cautiously) lobby for legal recognition

A quiet campaign to grant female monks legal recognition began this summer. Advocates hope that the minimal fanfare will help the 'Bhikkhunis' evade conservative religious opposition.
09/08/2011 12:15 pm
The Submission

Can a Muslim architect design a 9/11 memorial?
08/20/2011 09:55 am
Why Karachi is seething

Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, is once again paralyzed by ethnic and political violence that over the past three days has killed at least 65 people. In the past year, an estimated 1,300 people have died in the fighting. Below, the Monitor answers four key questions about Karachi’s ongoing strife.
08/19/2011 02:19 pm
The Monitor's View South Asian Spring?

Like the youth revolutions of the Middle East, renewed talks between India and Pakistan have the wind of youthful hopes for peace pushing these long-time, nuclear rivals. Obama's exit plans from the Afghanistan war rest on it.
07/27/2011 04:19 pm
Global News Blog Pakistan's foreign minister: The face of a new generation of peace with India?

Pakistan’s new young foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, said she is hopeful that a younger generation of Indians and Pakistanis can find peace. Social media interactions are bolstering this hope.
07/27/2011 12:28 pm
Norway massacre: Breivik manifesto attempts to woo India's Hindu nationalists

Norway massacre suspect Anders Behring Breivik’s manifesto invites Jewish groups in Israel, Buddhists in China, and Hindu nationalist groups in India to contain the spread of Islam.
07/25/2011 03:50 pm
Opinion Separate DSK accuser's asylum story from her New York rape story

In Strauss-Kahn case, we must separate questions about the credibility of the accuser's asylum story from her account of assault at the hands of DSK. Women seeking asylum in the US face a system designed to keep them out and to doubt their credibility from the onset.
07/14/2011 02:25 pm
Why Pakistan wants to keep that $800 million in aid, after all

A day after Pakistani military officials shrugged off news that the US was cutting $800 million of aid for materiel and expelled military trainers, Pakistan’s prime minister expresses ‘concerns’ and its spy chief visits Washington.
07/13/2011 05:38 pm
Ethnic violence paralyzes teeming Karachi

Over the past week, violence has flared in sprawling Karachi slums, killing nearly 100 people and bringing parts of the city to a standstill.
07/08/2011 05:59 pm
US unveils new counterterrorism strategy: three key parts

The new counterterrorism strategy replaces one from 2006 and calls for pursuing with ‘laser focus’ the approach that the Obama administration has already been taking.
06/29/2011 07:38 pm
US message in drone strikes: If Pakistan doesn't take on Taliban, we will

The drone attacks Monday targeted militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. The Pakistani military has promised its own offensive in the region, but no such operation has been launched.
06/28/2011 06:20 pm
5 US soldiers killed in Iraq. What does it mean for the withdrawal?

The attack, the deadliest on US troops in Iraq in more than two years, comes months before US forces are slated to exit. The Pentagon has signaled time is short for Iraq to request that troops remain.
06/06/2011 07:41 pm
Follow the money: Should the US cut aid to Pakistan?

Secretary of State Clinton said today that the US wants 'long-term' security ties with Pakistan. But in the wake of the bin Laden raid, some Americans and Pakistanis alike want to downgrade ties – and aid.
05/26/2011 01:47 pm
Obama's British codename: Is it an insult?

Scotland Yard gave President Obama the codename of "chalaque" during his visit to Britain. The Daily Mail says it's a derogatory term in Punjabi. Asra Nomani's grandmother confirms it's not a nice term in Urdu or Hindi either.
05/25/2011 04:19 pm
US aid in Pakistan: Where's the money going?

The discovery of Osama bin Laden hiding in a Pakistani military town has Congress threatening cuts to US aid, and populists in Pakistan saying good riddance. But beyond the angry rhetoric, experts see a mismatch between US hopes and where the dollars have gone.
05/18/2011 03:41 pm
Kerry visits Pakistan to smooth relations. Will it work?

Despite Senator John Kerry's visit to Pakistan and his announced agreements to calm ties, the mistrustful relationship between the US and Pakistan is unlikely to change soon, warn analysts.
05/16/2011 03:01 pm
Gender inequality costs Asia $47 billion annually

Gender inequality in Asia exerts a substantial economic drag, according to the International Labor Organization. Improved education, job training is needed.
05/09/2011 10:09 am
Opinion Libya's sharp lesson for America's foreign priorities

A regional youth spike means more trouble, unless we change the game.
05/05/2011 11:23 am
Tough US question for Pakistan: How did Osama bin Laden hide in plain sight?

The positive spin emanating from Pakistan and the US after Osama bin Laden's death barely masks the recent lack of cooperation and deep mistrust between the countries.
05/02/2011 03:23 pm
Change Agent Unraveling child labor from hand-made rugs: Q&A with Nina Smith of GoodWeave

Nina Smith talks about how the GoodWeave label on rugs assures consumers that no children were employed, and how that's changing child labor practices globally.
04/20/2011 04:25 pm
The Monitor's View Splitsville in Libya?

A military stalemate could result in de facto partition of Libya, with Muammar Qaddafi controlling the west and rebels the east. That wouldn't be good for Libya or regional stability.
04/15/2011 04:53 pm
Global Viewpoint The surprising factors behind Asia's renaissance

With a bright future ahead of it, Asia is increasingly rediscovering its past. To fully understand Asia's rise, we must come to grips with the forces that shaped its history: Western, Islamic, and Buddhist heritage. It's time to consider Asia's lesson on religious and cultural pluralism.
04/12/2011 12:24 pm
Editor's Blog Peace isn't just the absence of war

From war to crime to political disputes, conflicts dominate the news. When the dust settles, people hunger for peace. But without 10,000 small acts that build peace, conflict too easily returns.
04/02/2011 03:57 pm