August 15:
Trouble is brewing in the disputed Indian state of Kashmir. Political tensions have spiked in recent days over the Kashmiri state government’s announcement of its plan to give 40 hectares of land to the region’s Hindu minority to preserve a religious pilgrimage site. The plan sparked protests among Kashmir’s Muslim majority, leading to a reversal of the decision and subsequent unrest by Kashmiri Hindus. According to the Wall Street Journal, ensuing riots and fears of a religious conflict have led the Indian government to insert an additional 10,000 troops into the area.
August 27:
The Washington Post reports that tensions between North Korea and the United States are on the rise over Washington’s failure to remove the DPRK from its official list of state sponsors of terrorism – where the Stalinist state has been listed since 1988. As a result, the North Korean regime is threatening to rebuild their recently-decommissioned nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. The move would mark the complete breakdown of the nuclear deal struck by the Bush administration with the Kim regime last October, under which Pyongyang promised to begin dismantlement of its nuclear program in return for its removal from the U.S. terrorism list.
September 4:
The Sri Lankan army is signaling that a large military victory against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is within reach. Sri Lankan military units are said to be closing in Kilinochchi, in the Southeast Asian state’s north, which is said to be the terror group’s final sanctuary and stronghold. However, The Economist warns that although the Sri Lankan government may secure a major military victory, this may not necessarily spell the end of the LTTE: “The rebels still have hundreds of hardened fighters. There is even talk of chemical weapons. Even if the Tigers are soon broken as a conventional fighting force, they might regroup in remote northern jungles to wage a protracted guerrilla war.”
September 5:
While the rest of the world has taken note of Russia’s recent invasion in Georgia, at least one Asian nation is voicing concerns over another potential theater of Russian aggression. Japan has grown concerned about the Russian military in Asia. London’s Telegraph newspaper reports that the Japanese government has issued a new, detailed defense report outlining the growing frequency of Russian military exercises and training maneuvers being conducted near Japanese territory. These drills, the study says, involve increased patrols by Russian long-range aircraft, warships, and nuclear powered submarines.
September 6:
Following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf late last month, Pakistanis have elected Asif Ali Zardari as their country’s new president. Zardari, the widower of deceased former premier Benazir Bhutto, won 482 out of a possible 702 votes in balloting in the national assembly and four provincial assemblies. His ascendancy to the presidency began after the assassination of Ms. Bhutto last December, following which he became the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. The BBC describes Mr. Zardari as pro-Western in political orientation, and sympathetic to U.S. efforts in the War on Terror.