Publication

Following the 9/11 attacks, the violent actions of extremist groups like the Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) brought global attention to Islam, particularly their violent interpretations. This ignited a discussion within the Islamic world to define Islam in the 21st century. In The Battle for the Soul of Islam: Defining the Muslim Faith in the 21st Century, journalist James M. Dorsey explores this ongoing ideological struggle. He highlights how Muslim nations compete to assert their versions of Islam to claim leadership in the Muslim world. This dynamic battle was complicated by the geopolitics of the Middle East and its economic resources, while being the cradle of the Abrahamic religions. Dorsey contrasts the self-serving agendas of autocratic Gulf monarchies with the more inclusive and reformist Islamic approach, championed by Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which advocates for a pluralistic interpretation of Islam.

• Ahmad Tashfeen |
• January-February 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

We can note the growing interest in researching so-called encounters in England and other countries of the Global West. In the academic milieu, such studies appear frequently and en masse. Parallely, there is large-scale interest in the so-called rethinking history studies, created to expand horizons and refute and modify the postulates that have grown over the centuries. In addition, research is actively developing within the methodologies of the Global History School, which is trying to extend the ‘Eurocentric’ and ‘West-centric’ understanding of the world.

• Georgi Asatryan |
• January-February 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

• P.S.S. Uday Kiran |
• January-February 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

Yoga kshema implies prosperity and protection, two distinct conditions that are not achieved in isolation but are closely interlinked.

• Vivek Chadha |
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• Issue Brief

President Xi Jinping has prosecuted some of the seniormost Chinese military officials for corruption.

• Abhishek Kumar Darbey |
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• Issue Brief

Türkiye is expanding its support for UNRWA, leveraging humanitarian aid as a tool of regional diplomacy and soft power.

• Abhishek Yadav |
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• IDSA Comments

Looking beyond high optics associated with the return (often the deportation) of members of the former Afghan Republic to the country, the Contact Commission set up by the Taliban regime in 2022 comes across as a strategic move to present itself as a conciliatory and legitimate state entity on one hand and undercut the support base of the fragmented exiled political opposition on the other. This is best manifest in the fact that the Taliban has opened a pathway for exiled political opposition and former civil and military personnel to return to the country but without yielding any political space or making any provision to integrate the returnees into its governing structures. The commission’s efforts are stymied by violations of the ‘general amnesty’ announced for members of the former regime, lack of employment avenues for the educated non-Taliban workforce, and the ban on higher education for girls and work opportunities for women. In such a scenario, the commission cannot bridge the divide between the regime and the exiled or returnee Afghans, unless the regime itself acts as a bridge connecting diverse ethnicities and identities that make up the Afghan Nation.

• Vishal Chandra |
• 2025 |
• Occasional Papers

With the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August 2024, a newfound warmth in Pakistan–Bangladesh relations has come to the fore. On 7 August 2024, Pakistan issued a statement expressing solidarity with the people of Bangladesh (Momand Citation2024). Pakistanis who had once termed the separation of East Pakistan as ‘good riddance’ have suddenly become euphoric. There is a sudden spurt in interaction among diplomats, politicians and military officials and reported flow of even ammunitions and other defence material, suggesting the growing level of trust between the two countries.

• Ashish Shukla |
• January-February 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

The East Asian subregion has undergone profound transformations in its national power distribution since the end of the Second World War and especially, during the post-Cold War period. Several countries in the region, previously underdeveloped, have managed to emerge as powers of global relevance, while in the 21st century some of these same powers are declining or facing challenges to maintain their power. In a subregion of crucial strategic importance, these changes demand an analysis and update of the national power dynamics in East Asia.

• Eduardo Tzili-Apango , Daniel Morales Ruvalcaba |
• January-February 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

Two influential Japanese scholars’ visions of the Indo-Pacific region offer divergent perspectives on the evolution of thinking on the concept among Japanese strategists.

• Arnab Dasgupta |
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• Issue Brief