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Central and South Asia
Strategic Hedging in the Arab Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Whitehall Papers, 20 September 2018
Jean-Loup Samaan
Offering a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations.
Tags: Pacific, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
Imran Khan: The Captain Begins His Greatest Test Match
Commentary, 13 August 2018
Kamal Alam
Pakistan’s newly elected Parliament sits today for the first time. The country’s incoming prime minister has the potential to remould domestic politics but this will be an uphill struggle.
Tags: Civil–Military Relations, Pakistan, Central and South Asia
President Trump’s Indo–Pacific Economic Investment Initiative: Good, But Not Enough
Commentary, 6 August 2018
Veerle Nouwens
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out a new vision for American economic engagement in the Indo–Pacific, announcing the rollout of a new US regional infrastructure initiative, which, while not explicitly targeting China’s growing economic power in the region, attempts to provide Indo–Pacific countries with US financial and technical alternatives to China. The funds may be modest, yet...
Tags: United States, International Security Studies, Asia, New Silk Road, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Imran Khan's Pakistan
Multimedia, 27 July 2018
Raffaello Pantucci and Kamal Alam talk about the recent election victory by Imran Khan in Pakistan.
Tags: Pakistan, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Central and South Asia
"Massoud's military tactics—that successfully fought off five major Soviet offensives—are now studied in most Western military academies on how to fight a successful guerilla campaign. His fight against the Taliban is also well-documented by the likes of Ahmed Rashid. His poetry and French language skills have also always made him a favorite of Western writers on Afghanistan. Yet there are a lot myths and perceptions that have held sway over many observers in the region beyond Afghanistan. "
Ahmad Shah Massoud: the man who saw tomorrow
In The News, 8 June 2018 Tags: Afghanistan, Central and South Asia
"The “coded criticism and the olive branch” approach was “in keeping with [Mr Modi’s] cautious style,” he said. There were “obvious rebukes” to China, but overall the speech sought to “wind down the tension” between the two countries. "
India's Prime Minister rebukes China whilst holding out 'olive branch'
In The News, 1 June 2018 Tags: China, India, Central and South AsiaPages
Imran Khan: The Captain Begins His Greatest Test Match
Commentary, 13 August 2018Kamal Alam
Pakistan’s newly elected Parliament sits today for the first time. The country’s incoming prime minister has the potential to remould domestic politics but this will be an uphill struggle.
Civil–Military Relations, Pakistan, Central and South Asia
President Trump’s Indo–Pacific Economic Investment Initiative: Good, But Not Enough
Commentary, 6 August 2018Veerle Nouwens
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out a new vision for American economic engagement in the Indo–Pacific, announcing the rollout of a new US regional infrastructure initiative, which, while not explicitly targeting China’s growing economic power in the region, attempts to provide Indo–Pacific countries with US financial and technical alternatives to China. The funds may be modest, yet...
United States, International Security Studies, Asia, New Silk Road, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Europe’s Pivot to Central Asia
Commentary, 2 May 2018Raffaello Pantucci
Central Asia has started to assert its interests and identity. European powers should seize the initiative and bolster these trends.
International Security Studies, Central and South Asia
Growing Pakistan–Russia Military Ties Reflect Central Asia’s Changing Geopolitics
Commentary, 12 October 2017Kamal Alam
Pakistan’s military is intensifying security cooperation with Russia. It is a remarkable and historic turnaround for two countries that for many decades considered each other rivals.
Pakistan, Russia, Europe, Central and South Asia
Pakistan to the US: Don’t Threaten Us. We Can Walk Away
Commentary, 4 September 2017Kamal Alam
It is said that in order to understand Pakistan, you need to know three ‘A’s’: Allah; America; and the army. While Allah and the army are still central to Pakistan, it can be argued that America’s importance is fading fast.
Pakistan, Central and South AsiaPages
Imran Khan's Pakistan
Multimedia, 27 July 2018Raffaello Pantucci and Kamal Alam talk about the recent election victory by Imran Khan in Pakistan.
Tags: Pakistan, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Central and South Asia
President Trump's New Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
Multimedia, 22 August 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Emily Winterbotham examines the new US strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia announced by President Trump on 21 August 2017.
Tags: Pakistan, US Defence Policy, Afghanistan, International Security Studies, Terrorism, Global Security Issues, Land Operations, Central and South Asia
Strategic Hedging in the Arab Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Whitehall Papers, 20 September 2018Jean-Loup Samaan
Offering a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations.
Whitehall Papers, Pacific, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
Central Asian Gas Exports Dependency: Swapping Russian Patronage for Chinese
RUSI Journal, 31 May 2018Farkhod Aminjonov
Central Asian gas exporters may have swapped dependency on one client for another with trade arrangements with Russia and China.
RUSI Journal, Russia, Central and South Asia
Understanding the Factors Contributing to Radicalisation Among Central Asian Labour Migrants in Russia
Occasional Papers, 26 April 2018Mohammed S Elshimi with Raffaello Pantucci, Sarah Lain and Nadine L Salman
An in-depth study involving over 200 interviews sheds light on why some labour migrants in Russia become radicalised.
Occasional Papers, Tackling Extremism, National Security and Resilience Studies, International Security Studies, Russia, Terrorism, Central and South Asia
Radicalisation and Violent Extremism in Kyrgyzstan: On the Way to the Caliphate?
RUSI Journal, 6 April 2018Anna Matveeva
Minority groups in Kyrgyzstan are at the greatest risk of becoming radicalised.
RUSI Journal, Tackling Extremism, Central and South Asia
Illicit Financial Flows and Corruption in Asia
Occasional Papers, 24 November 2017Sarah Lain, Haylea Campbell, Anton Moiseienko, Veerle Nouwens and Inês Sofia de Oliveira
This paper examines trends in illicit financial flows (IFFs) across eight countries in Asia: Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Afghanistan; Pakistan; India; Nepal; Bangladesh; and Myanmar. It shows how IFFs...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF, Occasional Papers, International Security Studies, Central and South AsiaPages
The Great Game Replayed
Events, 12 September 2016A lecture by Ambassador K.C. Singh on the political history and current global impact of the North West frontier.
Defence, Industries and Society, Central and South Asia
China and the United States in 21st Century Asia
Events, 6 June 2016At this event Capt. Bernard D. Cole, USN (Ret.) and Dr. Cynthia Watson from the U.S. National War College will address U.S. policy in the Asia-Pacific as China grows in economic, military, and...
International Security Studies, Central and South Asia
Expectations for the NATO Warsaw Summit: A Presentation by the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Events, 14 April 2016In addressing Georgia’s stance on NATO and the EU, David Bakradze will discuss the role of strategic communications in the build up to the 2016 NATO Summit.
United Nations, European Union, Global Strategy and Commitments, International Security Studies, Georgia, Global Security Issues, Europe, Central and South Asia
'One Belt One Road' and Security in Xinjiang
Events, 17 March 2016In this event, Dr Michael Clarke, internationally recognised expert on the politics of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Chinese foreign policy, will discuss China's ‘One Belt, One Road’...
China, Tackling Extremism, International Security Studies, Terrorism, Asia, Global Security Issues, Military Personnel, Central and South Asia
Gender, Conflict and Peace: How Should Women Lead in Peacekeeping and Post-Conflict Operations?
Events, 8 March 2016In celebration of International Women’s Day, RUSI’s Under 35s Forum a panel discussion on the role of women in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction
Central and South America, Global Security Issues, Africa, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North AfricaPages
"Massoud's military tactics—that successfully fought off five major Soviet offensives—are now studied in most Western military academies on how to fight a successful guerilla campaign. His fight against the Taliban is also well-documented by the likes of Ahmed Rashid. His poetry and French language skills have also always made him a favorite of Western writers on Afghanistan. Yet there are a lot myths and perceptions that have held sway over many observers in the region beyond Afghanistan."
Ahmad Shah Massoud: the man who saw tomorrow
In The News, 8 June 2018 Tags: Afghanistan, Central and South Asia
"The “coded criticism and the olive branch” approach was “in keeping with [Mr Modi’s] cautious style,” he said. There were “obvious rebukes” to China, but overall the speech sought to “wind down the tension” between the two countries."
India's Prime Minister rebukes China whilst holding out 'olive branch'
In The News, 1 June 2018 Tags: China, India, Central and South Asia
"In a recent commentary, Kamal Alam, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank, wrote that senior Pakistani officers, “led by Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, realize that the way to peace and prosperity is through military cooperation with India.”"
Is There Hope for Resurrecting India-Pakistan Relations?
In The News, 1 June 2018 Tags: Pakistan, India, Central and South Asia
"Alam argues that a change in the Pakistan army’s mindset has been visible since 2013, when Major-General Ahmed Hayat, the director-general for analysis at Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, authored what was dubbed as the India Plan. While agreeing that engagement and not conflict was the answer, the report sought to identify the appropriate time to reach out to India from a position of strength."
Should India Take Pakistan’s Overtures Seriously?
In The News, 12 May 2018 Tags: Pakistan, India, Central and South Asia
"“India believes that last year's crisis marked a dangerous phase in the relationship and that tensions need to be kept in check — especially with national elections in 2019,” wrote Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Services Institute in London."
The most important Asian summit doesn’t involve Kim Jong Un
In The News, 27 April 2018 Tags: India, Central and South Asia
Stabilising Pakistan’s Relations with the Gulf
Vostok - 2018
Eritrea and Ethiopia Embrace, But For How Long?