Blog › Swarna Rajagopalan
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Soft power and foreign policy: A link and some thoughts
Article reprint in Dawn on Pakistan’s global image, and reflections on the utility of soft power.
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Multi-track diplomacy in South Asia: Recent dialogues
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Ending Violence against Women: Official priority
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Indian commentator on US Afghanistan policy
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A Feminist Foreign Policy for the US?
Gender issues may not be new to the world of international diplomacy, but the high profile being accorded them by the Obama-Clinton led State Department seems new.
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SouthAsian of the Decade: Top Five Candidates
Who or what has made the most important contributions towards peaceful coexistence in South Asia?
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SouthAsian of the Year: Meher Mohammed Khalil
Who has done the most this last year to promote peace and build confidence in South Asia?
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A season for lists and mellow truthfulness… a post for December 31, 2009
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Still speaking about Shopian…
An update on the death of two sisters from Shopian, Kashmir. Also, why this is of interest to us.
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Special Report: Rajagopalan on Feminist Flashpoints in East Asia
A cursory review reveals that sexual violence is a common issue that is salient domestically as well as in the international politics of the region. One of the real challenges though appears to be expanding the space for political activism among women.
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Special Report: Rajagopalan on Defining Asia
As President Obama travels from “Asian summits” at the Asia-Pacific Economic (APEC) forum and the U.S.-ASEAN summit, the Asia Security Initiative blog investigates what we mean by Asia. Today, three views from India. In this post, Swarna Rajagopalan asks “What is Asia?”
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Maldivians in 26/11: The power of ‘security’?
President Nasheed stated this week in an interview that Maldivian nationals may have been involved in the November 26, 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
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Hearts, Minds and Maoists
Discussion continues in op-ed pages of the Maoist insurgent groups and how best to interpret their politics and respond to their tactics.
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What Pakistanis think of the US: A Poll published by Dawn
Public opinion survey report from Pakistan
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New Delhi Notes: Where you stand = what you see
Geography determines many things, including the perspective that one holds on international relations. The way Indians from different parts of the country view South Asia has been a good example, although this is changing somewhat.
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New Delhi Notes: Attending darbar, reflecting on federalism in large states
This is a series of small travel notes, containing observations and reflections on broader issues. This one is about the everyday dimensions of federalism in a continental state.
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The Politics of Making Sexual Violence an Issue
The UN Security Council mandated peacekeeping missions to secure women and girls from sexual violence. Hillary Clinton, who was in the chair, stirred a hornet’s nest when she included Sri Lanka in a list of cases where rape had been used as a weapon of war.
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Shopian: A Twist in the Tale
A new investigation finds there may have been no rape at Shopian.
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Interpreting Maoist Violence
An op-ed by a leading political commentator points out that Maoist idealogues and the government in fact, interpret the appeal of insurgency in similar ways.
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Back to Basics?
Drought, a burgeoning demand for energy and a global recession affect foreign policy.
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Remembering Pokharan 1974
Reflections and recollections of India’s first nuclear test in 1974
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Postscript to a Tragedy: The Shopian Story
What’s happened to the investigation of the rape and murder of the sisters from Shopian?
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No One Is an Island: India and the Maldives
The Indian defence minister’s visit to the Maldives drew attention to the India-Maldives relationship.
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We live here too!
Is climate change a threat to national security? First reflections from Asia on a debate elsewhere and an invitation to extend the debate.
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The fragile thread of life: H1N1 and other perils
The H1N1 virus begins to claim lives in India. The public health crisis blots out all other concerns, at least on television news channels.
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‘Seminar’ on India’s National Security
Useful resource for contemporary debates on South Asian and global issues.
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Reflections on the Sharm El Shaikh Joint Communique
Why Indians and Pakistanis are deconstructing the Sharm El Shaikh joint communiqe ad nauseum.
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Eventful fortnight in South Asia: Catching up
Communique from Egypt; a visit by Hillary Clinton; True confessions in a Mumbai court; misgivings in Sri Lanka; and outrage and introspection over airline security regulations.
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Past as Prologue? Military History and India’s Foreign Policy
Dr. C. Raja Mohan draws attention to the global history of the Indian army.
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True or False? Can anyone know?
Multiple versions of variously experienced realities appear to characterize the political experience, not just in Sri Lanka, the subject of this post, but everywhere.
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Truth is Stranger than Fiction
A book recommendation.
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I Just Called to Say I Love You
Reflections on the importance of “soft power” in international relations.
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In the News: “We will spread this fire”
Report on Indian Maoists in Times of India.
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Martyrs, metaphors or wasted lives? Story from Shopian, Kashmir
Two young girls were found dead in a Kashmir stream. Outrage and grief have quickly become both political crisis and political opportunity.
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Two reactions from India to Obama’s Cairo speech
Responses by two leading Indian commentators who happen to be Muslim.
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Interview with Koteswar Rao, Maoist leader in India
Hindustan Times interview with Koteswar Rao aka Kishanji, deputy leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
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What happened in Mumbai on 26/11?
Sections of the press are already discussing the 26/11 inquiry commission’s report, which is yet to be tabled in the state legislature.
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To boldly go… to study abroad?
Attacks on Indian students in Australia have outraged the Indian public.
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How many crows in Agra?
Death tolls in conflict and a postscript on the LTTE after Prabhakaran
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The Human Cost of War and Peace: Sri Lanka
A generation raised in the shadow of war is the generation which is going to have to build the peace in Sri Lanka.
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This South Asian moment
A brief contextual review of South Asia at the moment the blog is launched.
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A mutual orientation
Swarna Rajagopalan introduces herself and the themes on which she will blog.
About This Blog
The Asia Security Initiative blog hosts a discussion of current events and security challenges in the Asia-Pacific, drawing from the policy research of the Asia Security Initiative network. Anchored by six expert bloggers, the blog also includes contributions from leading Asia Security Initiative-supported experts.
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Blog Archives
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Recent Posts
- In the News: Mapping Terror in Pakistan Since 9/11 by Animesh Roul
- Guest Post: Amy Searight on the Politics of Climate Change in Asia by Matthew Shannon Stumpf
- Soft power and foreign policy: A link and some thoughts by Swarna Rajagopalan
- In the News: What Indonesia Can Teach Burma by Matthew Shannon Stumpf
- The Importance of Open Diplomacy in Japan by Tobias Harris
- Guest Post: Rohaiza Asi on Conflict Management in Indonesia by Matthew Shannon Stumpf