Strategic Analysis

Political Economy of Madrassa Education in Bangladesh: Genesis, Growth and Impact , by Abu Barkat, Rowshan Ara, M. Taheruddin, Farid M. Zahid and Md. Badiuzzaman

Madrassas in Bangladesh have seen a rapid increase in their number in recent years. As per 2008 estimates, 9,827,742 students were enrolled in 54,130 Madrassas in the country. That meant that any third student in Bangladesh studied at a Madrassa. It is projected that by 2050 the number of Madrassas will increase to 155,108. What is alarming is not so much the number of Madrassa students as the fact that only 25 per cent of Madrassa students manage to get employed. The rest, i.e., 75 per cent remain unemployed.

The Promise of Involvement: Asia in the Arctic

In late 2012, the first liquefied natural gas tanker to sail through the Northern Sea Route reached its destination in Japan, carrying gas from a Euro–Arctic offshore field. Only months earlier, a Korean-owned naval architecture and engineering company had won the contract for designing the long-awaited new icebreaker for Canada's coast guard, 1 and China had completed its fifth Arctic marine survey from its own ice-capable research vessel.

Fundamentalism: Prophecy and Protest in the Age of Globalisation by Torkel Brekke

The book is based on the premise that ‘fundamentalism’ that gives an impression of antiquity is a modern phenomenon and ‘relatively a recent thing’ (p. 17). It explains fundamentalism as a powerful reaction against modernity that has brought unprecedented linear transformations in the economic, political, scientific and educational spheres undermining the influence of tradition and religion over the past couple of centuries. Fundamentalism is an endeavour to reverse the ‘negative side’ of modernity

Reincarnation Under Stress: The Dalai Lama’s Succession and India–China Relations

The article seeks to assess the evolution of the Tibet question against the backdrop of the problems associated with the succession of the Dalai Lama. It also discusses the implications of all this for India and provides policy recommendations the Indian authorities could use to deal with this situation.

The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior , by S. Murari

V.Prabhakaran, the man who took up arms at the age of 17 and led one of the world's most ruthless terrorist organisations to realise the dream of the Tamil Eelam, died in the final battle with the Sri Lankan forces in May 2009, leaving behind Tamils who are a disillusioned and demoralised ‘nation’. The end of the war established the writ of the Sri Lankan state and re-established Sinhala hegemony. S. Murari, in his book The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior, depicts the Prabhakaran era in the history of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict in an objective manner.

Left-Wing Extremism and Counterinsurgency in India: The ‘Andhra Model’

India has a long history of left-wing extremism. The largest and most powerful left-wing extremist group today is the Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist), which is active in many states across the country. Its ultimate goal is to capture power through a combination of armed insurgency and mass mobilisation. In recent times, the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has achieved notable success in counterinsurgency operations against the Maoists. This article outlines the ‘Andhra model’, which involves a mix of security, development and political approaches.

Saudi Arabia on the Edge: the Uncertain Future of an American Ally by Thomas W. Lippman

Saudi Arabia is a country the West loves and hates simultaneously. Often termed a ‘mysterious land’, Westerners largely view Saudi Arabia as a country ‘defined by oil, terrorism and veiled women’ (p. 1). The vast oil resources of the country unfailingly increase its strategic importance which helps to foster closer ties with the Americans and the Europeans who otherwise scorn its strict religious orientations, undemocratic and closed system of governance, and the excessive social and cultural dominance of the Wahhabi religious establishment.

Defence Offsets: A System-Level View

How effective are offsets as a means to boost a domestic defence industry? This article takes a novel approach to answering this question; examining global data on levels of defence sales over three decades as a measure of successful defence industrialisation (i.e., using the market as an indicator of success). The quantitative data points to a mixed picture as despite the ubiquity of defence offsets, they are no guarantees of success in defence industrialisation.

Two Decades of India’s Look East Policy: Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity , by A.N. Ram (ed.)

This volume on the Look East Policy (LEP) is well timed. India hosted, on December 20, 2012, a Commemorative Summit to mark the two decades of partnership between India and the ASEAN and the completion of the first decade of their summit-level dialogue. A veritable practitioners' account, the volume has contributions from distinguished diplomats, journalists and academicians who have been either participants or ringside observers of a highly successful foreign policy initiative.

Majoritarian State and the Marginalised Minorities: The Hindus in Bangladesh

The problem confronting the Hindu minority in Bangladesh is analysed in this article within the framework of a majoritarian state, which embodies the socio-cultural ethos of the majority community in its effort to establish itself as a nation state with a unique history. Such a state by its very nature marginalises the minorities, who are considered unequal in the construction of the ‘nation state’ narrative even though constitutionally they enjoy equality as citizens.