• The Continuing Threat of Extremist Islam in Southeast Asia

    Review by Animesh Roul (November 10, 2022): Islamist terrorism is not a novel phenomenon in the Southeast Asian region and can be traced to a myriad of indigenous and transnational factors. From the Bali bombing (2002) in Indonesia by Al Qaeda and its regional affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah to the siege of Marawi (2017) by Islamic State (IS) linked to local groups in the Philippines, Islamist violence in Southeast Asia has come a long way in the last couple of decades. Two broader categorizations often dominate the academic and policy discourse.

  • Toxic - A History of Nerve Agents, From Nazi Germany to Putin’s Russia

    Review by Nachiket Kondhalkar (November 29, 2021): Dan Kaszeta’s book Toxic - A History of Nerve Agents, From Nazi Germany to Putin’s Russia (Oxford University Press, London, 2021) traces the journey of nerve agents from their initial discovery in WW-II era Germany to their eventual spread around the world. The author explores their chronological development while deep-diving into specific chemical weapons programs on a topical basis.

  • Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: Reflections on Chola Naval Expeditions to Southeast Asia

    Review by ANIMESH ROUL (December 30, 2010): The Chief Minister of India’s Southern State, Tamil Nadu, recently named a male tiger cub “Sembian” (meaning, winning a Tiger) in memory of the great Cholas who ruled over Southern India and a tiger as a symbol on their flag. This gesture shows the lasting influence of ‘Great Cholas’ on modern and contemporary Tamil society.

  • Terrorism in South Asia: Impacts on Development and Democratic Process

    Review by Niraj Kumar (August 28, 2010): The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, shocked the international community. Terrorism, which by and large was considered a phenomenon limited to the Middle East and South Asia, was threatening the world's most rich and powerful — the United States. The initial response to these terrorist acts was a knee-jerk military attack led by the US on the bases of al-Qaeda and its host Taliban in Afghanistan.

  • The Risks We Run: Mining, Communities and Political Risk Insurance

    Review by Avilash Roul: North-based Industries are of the opinion that the Southern Hemisphere is not conducive for investment. The reason is the involvement of risks such as localized-small intensity conflicts and political violence such as civil unrest, revolution, uprising, terrorism, insurgency and sectarian violence, which are mushrooming mostly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This fragile-unstable governance situation creates a hurdle in the process of 'business as usual for the mandarins of market economy and globalization.

  • Terror Sans Frontier: Islamic Militancy in North East India

    Review by S S Tabraz: Terror Sans Frontier: Islamic Militancy in North East India by Jaideep Saikia (Vision Books, New Delhi, 2004) is a book which deals with the issue of Islamic militancy in India’s Northeast region in general and Assam in particular. Saikia is an old hand in observing the affairs of India’s Northeast, and this time around, he has come up with an excellent analysis of the simmering problems of militancy in this part of India. This book is divided into five chapters in all.

  • Islam under Siege

    Review by Niraj Kumar ( August 08, 2010):  The world has changed a lot since September 11, 2001. A new government under the leadership of Hamid Karzai is ruling Afghanistan, which was earlier ruled by the Taliban and acted as a haven for Al-Qaeda. Iraq is under US control, and Libya has agreed to mend its ways. The initial knee-jerk reaction of revenge for the death and destruction caused by the September 11 attacks by the Americans has given way to a desire to understand the reasons behind these attacks.

  • The Crimson Agenda: Maoist Protest and Terror

    Review by Nihar Nayak: The Maoist insurgency in India (also known as Naxalite), which was started at Naxalbari in the Darjiling district of West Bengal in 1967, has now spread to 159 districts in 14 states. They have virtually spread over 20 per cent of the total districts in India. Till the end of the year 2004, Naxalite violence had claimed 518 lives in 1,140 incidents against 348 deaths in 1,138 incidents in the corresponding period last year. The Naxalite problem is, in certain respects, more serious than the Kashmir problem.

  • Climate Change as a Security Risk

    Review by Avilash Roul (August 28, 2010): The threat of Climate Change can not be resolved adequately with the existing classical security policy tools. This observation is conveyed by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)’s New Report Climate Change as a Security Risk (Earthscan, London, January 2008). The Report concludes without resolute counteraction, climate change will overstretch many societies’ adaptive capacities.

  • War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa

    Review by Gazala Paul (May 30, 2009): In almost all cultures and societies, the stereotypical vision of war has been persistent; women are supposed to be the outsiders of war. War is men’s business. They go to the front, do the fighting, take the risks and make the decisions. Women stay at home, take care of the children and keep the home fires burning, waiting for their soldier husbands to come home.