Indranil Banerjie
Twenty years later, Kazakhs look far beyond Moscow and the Urals
In December 1991, Central Asia was plunged in gloom as the mighty Soviet Union disintegrated, leaving large parts of the region adrift. The last to formally leave the Soviet system was Kazakhstan, a vast republic in the middle of the Asian continent. Its Soviet era leader, Nursultan Nazarbaev reluctantly declared independence on 16 December 1991, just nine days before the formal end of the Soviet Union.
Regime change not a priority in this Arab oasis
Laayoune, a windblown oasis on one edge of Moroccan Sahara, is the westernmost settlement of the Arab world.
Burra peg: Raj hangover on Indian drinking habits
Every day as dusk settles over the subcontinent, an estimated 70 million Indians reach for the bottle to partake of their regular quota of a few burra pegs.
The divas of India’s imperial past
The extraordinary pomp and ceremony that marked the Raj usually held the spotlight on the haughty Viceroys of British India, often overshadowing their equally stately wives who played a crucial role in sustaining the aura of the
A comprehensive insight into security trends
Producing a compendium year after year while ensuring it adheres to previously set high-standards is a challenging and arduous task.
Decoding Pak, one jihad at a time
Bruce Riedel, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer and adviser to several US Presidents, has spent virtually an entire lifetime studying and dealing with Pakistan. He has been privy to Pakistan-related decision-making at the highest levels in his country.
1965 War: Official, updated history
In August 1965, Pakistan initiated a daring plan to annex Kashmir by infiltrating thousands of trained fighters and agent provocateurs into the Srinagar Valley.
‘Killing of Osama will undermine India’s interests in Afghanistan’
The killing of Osama bin Laden has left a section of the Indian strategic community deeply worried about its likely fallout on Afghanistan.
Jolly good story of Major Dusty
A lot of first-time English language novels written by Indian authors tend to be serious, semi-autobiographical outpourings of some existential angst; very literary but usually heavy going. It is refreshing therefore to encounter a jolly good adventure story written in the old style; unpretentious, lively and designed to engross the reader
Permanent U.S. airbases cannot be solution to Afghan impasse
Washington’s Afghan policy, like Alice’s Wonderland, gets curiouser and curiouser.
