Attacks
in Uzbekistan - at The Economist
(Mar 31, 2004) After a series of terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan,
the security forces have stormed the hideout of
a group of Islamist militants in the capital, Tashkent.
The Central Asian country’s dictatorial president,
Islam Karimov, is likely to respond to the bombings
with a harsh crackdown.
America
Discovers Central AsiaCharles
William Maynes (Foreign Affairs, March/April 2003)
The September 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath
have spurred a renewed U.S. interest in Central
Asia. Despite official rhetoric, America is likely
to remain militarily engaged there for some time.
To manage this relationship effectively, Washington
needs a better grasp on the realities of this complex
and troubled region.
Hot
Documents
Unfulfilled
Promises: Pakistan's Failure to Tackle Extremism,
ICG Asia Report N°73, 16 January 2004
President Musharraf’s call for an end to the
promotion of an ideology of jihad was welcomed around
the world. Two years on, however, the failure to
deliver to any substantial degree on pledges to
reform the madrasas and contain the growth of jihadi
networks means that religious extremism in Pakistan
continues to pose a threat to domestic, regional
and international security.
Devolution
in Pakistan: Reform or Regression?,
ICG Asia Report N°77, 22 March 2004 Pakistan's military government launched a campaign
for political devolution in 2000 that it said was
aimed at transferring administrative and financial
power to local governments. The scheme was to strengthen
local control and accountability and, according
to President Pervez Musharraf, "empower the
impoverished". In practice, however, it has
undercut established political parties and drained
power away from the provinces while doing little
to minimise corruption or establish clear accountability
at a local level.
Elections
and Security in Afghanistan, ICG
Asia Briefing, 30 March 2004
There is a real risk that elections under present
conditions will merely confirm an undemocratic and
unstable status quo. To avoid this, the international
community needs to make serious efforts over the
next few months to invigorate the disarmament and
reintegration process, guarantee the independence
and impartiality of electoral institutions, and
ensure that Afghan authorities create opportunities
for non-militarised political parties and independent
candidates to participate meaningfully in the electoral
process.
Nepal:
Dangerous Plans for Village Militias,
ICG Asia Briefing, 17 February 2004
The Government of Nepal is creating local civilian
militias – known as Rural Volunteer Security
Groups and Peace Committees – in what risks
becoming an alarming escalation of its conflict
with Maoist rebels. Civilian militias are likely
to become an untrained, unaccountable and undisciplined
armed force that worsens a conflict that has already
taken almost 9,000 lives. The scheme is controversial,
and the government has publicly denied that it has
already started distributing weapons despite evidence
that it is indeed going ahead.
