Category Archives: Afghanistan

Folly of Pakistan’s Taliban Logic

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

Pakistan is “the sick man of Asia”. In the early 21st Century, our neighbour to the west deserves that appellation as, ironically, Turkey-Ottoman Empire did in the 19th century. Turkey, if you recall, was the model of the army-run state … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, civil-military relations, Geopolitics, India's Pakistan Policy, Indian Army, Indian Politics, Internal Security, Pakistan, Strategic Relations with South East Asia & Far East, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Terrorism | 7 Comments

Army nixed Pak PM candidature?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

It is mighty curious that the front runner to replace Raza Gilani as Pakistan Prime Minister is the texiles minister Makhdoom and not Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, a former defence minister. Is it not reasonable to believe that when a list … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, India's Pakistan Policy, Indian Ocean, Strategic Relations with the US & West | 1 Comment

Lavoy and Indian Tanks in Afghanistan?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

Heard the other day from Rahul Bedi of Janes’s and, following up on my blogging re: Lavoy, said he had heard from his MoD army sources that Lavoy, during his trip here last week, had urged India to dispatch Indian … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Army | Tagged | 11 Comments

Mission Taliban

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

There are some immutable laws of military history that repeated attempts at disproving them only end up confirming their veracity. One such law has to do with certain countries being simply intolerant of interventions by foreign powers. Vietnam and Afghanistan … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Asian geopolitics, Geopolitics, Great Power imperatives, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, Indian Army, indian policy -- Israel, Iran and West Asia, Special Forces, Strategic Relations with the US & West, Terrorism | 2 Comments

More strange, Lavoy

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

Peter Lavoy, leading a Pentagon team to convince India to up its stake in Afghanistan, acted strange. May be he wears his intel background too seriously on his sleeve. In the dinner table conversation, I brought up the matter of Lt Gen Ausaf … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Geopolitics, India's Pakistan Policy, indian policy -- Israel, Iran and West Asia, Strategic Relations with the US & West | 8 Comments

Lavoy — Nukes in S Asia; India in Afghanistan, please!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Bharat Karnad

A Pentagon team headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Peter Lavoy is in town. At a dinner hosted last night by the newly credentialed US Ambassador Nancy Powell, Lavoy rvealed that his team was in Delhi to plead … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, civil-military relations, Geopolitics, India's Pakistan Policy, India's strategic thinking and policy, indian policy -- Israel, Iran and West Asia, Indian Politics, Internal Security, Nuclear Policy & Strategy, Nuclear Weapons, Special Forces, Strategic Relations with the US & West | Tagged | 7 Comments