South Asia Security Monitor: No. 226

January 8:


The Financial Times reports that India and the United States are in talks over the possibility of New Delhi acquiring U.S. missile defenses. Officials at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi say that the two countries have engaged in missile defense talks over the past two years at various government levels, including carrying out scientific and technical consultations over the feasibility of deployed missile defenses as an answer to the growing strategic arsenal of regional rival Pakistan. “India is a partner of ours, and we want to provide it with whatever it needs to protect itself,” one U.S. official explained to the FT. “This fits into the overall strategic partnership we are building.”

The talks may be a positive sign of deepening Indo-American cooperation, but other countries are not so pleased. Word of the consultations has caused ripples in Pakistan, with government officials in Islamabad warning that their country will be forced to take "countermeasures" if the prospective deal moves forward. Russia, meanwhile, is chafing over the prospective talks, which could steal a potential arms and defense client out from under the Kremlin's nose.

Hostilities between Muslim rebels and the Filipino government have intensified after the torching of over thirty Christian homes in the country's south, the Deutche Press-Agentur reports. According to an army spokesman, rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raided the southern village of Sanga, forcing some 500 families from their homes. The MILF, however, is denying the charges, and has blamed military air assaults for setting the homes on fire with bombs.


January 9:

General David Petraeus, America's top military officer for the greater Middle East and the architect of the Bush administration's successful "surge" strategy in Iraq, has stressed the need for the U.S. and allied forces to commit more troops to Afghanistan as part of efforts to push back resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. According to the New York Times, Petraeus believes the dire situation could even warrant cooperation with Iran, which shares America's concerns over Afghanistan's thriving narcotics trade and its role as a Sunni extremist breeding ground.

The Obama administration has promised to deploy between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in hopes of results comparable to the Iraqi turnaround that took place last year. However, Petraeus asserts there must be "diplomatic and economic commitment as well," citing Afghanistan's lower literacy rates and fewer resources.

America's efforts in Afghanistan, however, run the risk of becoming a casualty of the global economic meltdown. The Star Tribune reports that financial instability could delay the deployment of U.S. troops to the war torn nation, and has put in jeopardy international support of the effort thereafter. The Netherlands and Canada have already stated their intention to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan in 2011, while Supreme Allied Commander General John Craddock told reporters troops may need to be stationed for "at least ten years."


January 12:

After nine months, the $3 million Khyber Border Coordination Center in Afghanistan, situated near the Pakistani border, has failed to meet expectations. The center was created with the intent to augment intelligence sharing between Afghani, Pakistani and U.S. forces, but the Washington Post reports stalled progress due to "language barriers, border disputes between Pakistani and Afghan field officers, and longstanding mistrust among all three militaries." The intelligence sharing situation is further exacerbated by poorly trained officers, incapable of properly analyzing the high tech data. According to Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schlosser, the U.S. commander of coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan, it is still in its "nascent form."