Suchergebnisse

"This work aims to examine the institutional structure, objectives, and effectiveness of the SAARC in its role as South Asia's leading regional institution"--

Bangladesh experienced a turbulent year in 2017, largely as a result of damaging floods. Moreover, the flood of Rohingya refugees in the second half of the year added considerable strain to Bangladesh's political economy. There are worrisome signs that the Bangladeshi state is using a range of institutional and extrajudicial mechanisms to stifle political opposition.

The year 2016 was challenging for Bangladesh. Although there are promising signs of a transition toward upper lower-income status, there is sufficient political instability at the margins to warrant concern. The capstone political event was the July terrorist attack in Dhaka, which many feared might represent the first clear metastasized imprint of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Bangladesh.

What political variables explain variations in subnational fiscal expenditures on interest payments on the debt? The author argues that the political budget cycle and center‐right political party ideology—rather than the effective number of parties, alternation of power, ideological proximity between the central government and constituent units, or most forms of political party ideology—can help explain the level of expenditures on interest payment of subnational debt in India. The core empirical finding is that significant increases in expenditures on the debt occur the year in which a state assembly election is held in India.

The relationship between growing trade interdependence and the reduction of militarised inter-state conflict is one of the central theoretical tenets in neo-liberal institutionalism. This tenet, under various theoretical guises, is evaluated critically in this article. Using two illustrative examples, it is argued here that under certain specific conditions, trade interdependence is unlikely to occur and therefore the expected palliative effect of trade on militarised inter-state conflict cannot take place.

South Asia's future energy consumption will be driven by continuing economic growth and demographic trends. The likely inability of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to meet burgeoning energy demands poses a threat to their energy security. U.S. policy in Asia constrains the ability of South Asian countries to enhance their energy security, either indigenously or through imports. This may have unintended consequences for U.S. strategic interests in South Asia in particular, and in Asia in general.

This article focuses on the electoral strategies adopted by the dominant national political parties in anticipation of the 2004 general election. The success of these strategies is apt to depend on the results of various state legislative assembly elections. We conclude with observations on recent realignments in India's foreign policy, particularly with respect to China and Pakistan.

This article surveys some of the critical events that took place in India in 2002, paying particular attention to India's uneasy relationship with Pakistan. It also evaluates the significance of internal political developments, such as the significance of state assembly elections and the occurrence of riots in Gujarat. The survey concludes with a brief examination of India's economic developments.