Counter-Terrorism Archives - Page 11 of 12

Causes and consequences of Terrorism in Punjab: A Rationalist Perspective

In many ways the story of Punjab is anomalous to the stylized facts of civil war literature. Empirical literature on civil wars points to a negative correlation between income and likelihood of conflict. There is also cross-country evidence to suggest that rough terrain contributes to greater possibility of violence. Both these facts did not hold in the case of Punjab. However, recent research on terrorism supports the view that terrorism is not correlated with poverty and lower education levels.

Lessons of Jaipur

The Indian reaction to the terrorist attacks in Jaipur has so far been quite predictable. As usual the media has congratulated the citizens of Jaipur for ‘resilience’ and maintaining communal amity, while at the same time lambasting the security set-up in the state as well as in the centre including each and every security, intelligence and investigative agency and their working procedures, lack of coordination, absence of a central agency, etc. First of all, it has to be underscored that Jaipur was very important in the terror target book.

India-Indonesia: Emerging Strategic Confluence in the Indian Ocean Region

India and Indonesia, the two major regional powers, have in the recent past initiated intimate bilateral relations. With globalization as a key driver, the two countries have reconfigured their relationship particularly in the economic and defence spheres. The signing of the strategic partnership in 2005 has been critical to strengthening of the bilateral ties. Security relations are complimentary. While India needs to safeguard its interests in Southeast Asia, Indonesia needs a benign power like India for its security concerns.

Encouraging Public Participation in Countering Terrorists

Mumbai was recently placed in a state of high alert after a taxi driver informed the police that he suspected four passengers, including a burqa clad woman, whom he drove around, may actually be terrorists carrying out reconnaissance of potential targets. Among the places they visited were the Mahim Dargah, Mahalakshmi Temple, Haji Ali Shrine, Siddihivinayak Temple and the Mantralya. Understandably, to maintain confidentiality about the identity of the person who tipped off the police, he was described as an old Muslim gentleman. Though he was paid a reasonable Rs.

Satinder K. Saini
November 02, 2007
IDSA Comments

Fake Killings in Jammu & Kashmir: Need for Checks and Balances

The recent uproar in Jammu and Kashmir over 'fake killings' has once again turned public attention towards the issue of human rights violations by law enforcement agencies. The State is witnessing wide scale protests and demonstrations with the support of all sections of society, and political parties are backing the call for an impartial inquiry and strict action against the concerned personnel.

B. S. Sachar
February 13, 2007
IDSA Comments

Dealing with ULFA’s Terror

The recent orgy of violence perpetrated by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has brought the issue of security of the common citizen in Assam to the fore again. The scale of violence was highest in Tinsukia with 34 killed, while nine were killed in Sibsagar, eight in Dibrugarh and six in Dhemaji districts. Attacks were also carried out in Golaghat and Guwahati. The orgy of violence started on January 5, 2007, and is likely to continue as indicated by intelligence reports.

Namrata Goswami , M. Amarjeet Singh , Pushpita Das , Gurinder Singh
January 22, 2007
IDSA Comments

NATO’s Counter-Terrorism Strategies in Afghanistan

With the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) taking over command from the US-led Coalition Forces in southern Afghanistan and the United States focusing on the eastern part of Afghanistan, particularly along the border with Pakistan, crucial questions have arisen regarding securing Afghanistan and its transition to democracy. How will NATO perform its new responsibilities and what will be its counter-terrorism strategies?

7/7: One Year On

July 7 marks the first anniversary of the 2005 terrorist attacks on London. These attacks and the thwarted ones on July 21 not only claimed the lives of more than fifty people of different nationalities, but once again brought to the fore a serious threat to global security, i.e., suicide bombing. The four suicide bombers, drawn from the Muslim community in Britain with South Asian and Caribbean origins, have left a permanent scar on the collective British psyche.

US-Pakistan Counter-Terrorism Cooperation: Dynamics and Challenges

Pakistan is a frontline ally of the US in its Global War on Terrorism. After the 9/11 terrorist attack, the military regime was compelled by Washington to join the US effort to dismantle the Taliban-Al Qaida terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan and Pakistan that successive regimes had nurtured. While the Pakistani military regime’s cooperation is deemed to be crucial for the success of the US counter-terrorism strategy, there appear to be growing strains and challenges that give rise to fundamental questions about the outcomes of such cooperation.

External Linkages and Internal Security: Assessing Bhutan’s Operation All Clear

Disruption of terrorist networks - intra-regional, inter-regional and trans-national - should be supplementary to the overall counterterrorism strategy. Larger issues including socio-economic and cultural can only be addressed in the long-term. The immediate goal, however, has to be an effective localised response. Otherwise, efforts like Bhutan’s counter-terrorism operations against ULFA, NDFB and KLO - popularly called ‘Operation All Clear’- may only have a partial impact.