Tag: South and Central Asia

by Jon P. Dorschner In 1989 I wrote an article urging the United States to stop selling weapons in South Asia.1 It took a liberal stance, arguing that such a step would enable the U.S. to occupy the moral high … Read more

THREE: July 6, 1994 from Maggie Minds Her Business by Allie Simms It had rained all night, a tropical deluge that turned the country roads to brick-red slush. Within an hour, the windshield of our Chevy Blazer was so covered … Read more

Reviewed by Jon Dorschner Why India is not a Great Power (Yet) by Bharat Karnad, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, India, 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-945922-3, 552 pp., $59.95 (Hardcover). Bharat Karnad is a substantive Indian intellectual with a strong pedigree. He … Read more

Reviewed by Jon P. Dorschner Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India by Jairam Ramesh, Oxford University Press (India), New Delhi, 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-945752-6, 604 pp., $32.85 (Hardcover). I am extremely concerned about the impact of environmental factors on … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner American press coverage of Indian issues has generally praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The principal emphasis has been on Modi’s repeated promises to turn India into an economic powerhouse … Read more

by Zhang Xiaomao Historical events are always astonishingly similar. In the early Korean War, China ruled by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) frequently publicly warned the U.S. not to go beyond the 38th  parallel north to invade North Korea or China … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner In its October 17 edition, the New York Times succinctly described current political developments in India.1 The article asked the pertinent question for American observers regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Is he a Twitter-savvy technocrat … Read more

by Jon Dorschner Raju Dayal was not an important man. In fact he was at the bottom of the office totem pole. He worked in a huge government office in New Delhi, India as a chaprassi. A chaprassi is an … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner India is at an economic turning point. The resounding victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 parliamentary elections has largely been viewed by observers as a ringing endorsement of economic … Read more

by Paul Levine In March David Shambaugh published an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal under the headline, “The Coming Chinese Crackup.” “The endgame of communist rule in China has begun,” the article continued, “and Xi Jinping’s ruthless measures … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner The Modi wave has swept across India and is still ongoing. In the 2014 Parliamentary elections Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 282 seats, gaining an absolute majority in parliament, while the ruling United Progressive … Read more

Review by Jon P. Dorschner The Accidental Prime Minister (The Making and Unmaking of Mohan Singh) by Sanjaya Baru, Viking Books: New York, 2014, ISBN 978-0-670086740, 287 pp., $28.88 (Hardcover), $12.72 (Kindle). This is my second book review covering the … Read more

Review by Jon P. Dorschner Packing for India by David Mulford, Potomac Books: Dulles, Virginia, 2014, ISBN 978-I-61234-715-8, 338 pp., $29.95 (Hardcover), $21.08 (Kindle). I wanted to read and review this book because Ambassador Mulford and I served together in … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner

Review by Ted Wilkinson Pot Shards: Fragments of a Life Lived in CIA, the White House and the Two Koreas by Donald Gregg, New Academia Publishing, 2014, ISBN-13: 978-0990447115, 332 pages, $38.00 (Hardcover), $26.00 (Paperback), $7.99 (Kindle). Apart from its … Read more

by Jon DorschnerAlmost all observers agree that the recently concluded Indian election was historic.  By winning 282 seats, a gain of 166 from the previous election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won an outright majority in the Lok Sabha … Read more

Review by Jon P. Dorschner Managing Conflicts in India: Policies of Coercion and     Accommodation by Bidisha Biswas, Lexington          Books: Plymouth, United Kingdom, 2014, ISBN 13: 978-0-7391-8754-8, 144 pp. $75.00 (Hardcover), $59.95 (Kindle). The Indian narrative reflects an obsession … Read more

by Jon P. Dorschner  In his book Pakistan: A Hard Country1 Anatol Lieven joined the long parade of South Asia scholars attempting to A) explain what is happening, B) provide some explanatory variables C) provide specific foreign policy recommendations, and … Read more

By Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow, Counsel on Foreign Relations Text: http://www.cfr.org/asia-and-pacific/us-alliances-northeast-asia/p32533 Reviewed by Francis P. Sempa, Contributing Editor In recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sheila Smith of the counsel on Foreign Relations highlighted the importance of … Read more

Post Afghanistan 2014 Future Battlegound of Indo/Pakistan Rivalry by Jon P. Dorschner In May 2012, The United States and Afghanistan initialed a strategic partnership agreement committing the US and its ISAF partners to withdraw their combat troops from Afghanistan by … Read more