Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

Afghanistan Manoeuvres: Sense and Nonsense of Talking to Taliban

… every stake holder for Afghanistan’s democracy, stability and progress appreciates the severe consequences of the Taliban assuming power … also understand that even in a power sharing arrangement between the legitimate, democratic Government and the supposedly reformed and accommodative factions of the Taliban, the latter, given its fanatic instincts, would have to be kept in close observation, and guaranteed intervention if necessary … in this context, there are many nuances to the Afghanistan manoeuvres which need to be considered in the background of past, present and future ...

March 28, 2019 Paper

The Afghanistan Conundrum

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… for the United States, pushing the Taliban to join peace talks with Kabul is paramount to ending its 17-year long involvement in the war. But perhaps Washington's biggest problem will be figuring out how to balance the Taliban's demand for a complete withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces … whatever happens there will be huge geopolitical implications …

March 07, 2019 Paper

Revival of Peace Initiatives in Afghanistan: Implications for India

Col Shubhankar Basu, SM, VSM

Introduction Seventeen years have passed since the American forces entered Afghanistan in October 2001 and ousted the Taliban. The massive crackdown forced the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban leaders to melt into Pakistan, where they replenished their depleted forces to restart the war on the western forces and the nascent Afghan government.

January 31, 2019 Issue Brief

Brainstorming Session on Afghanistan

Security situation in Afghanistan faces greater challenges. Besides the Taliban, the rise of ISIS opens up another front for the embattled Afghan state. At a time when the Afghan national election draws closer, security challenges necessitate greater assistance and coordination of efforts from Washington, whose South Asia strategy was unveiled last year with the aim of forcing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

September 21, 2018 Event Report

Indian Engagement with Afghanistan: An Economic Perspective

Prof Nirmala Joshi

… Indian assistance in Afghanistan is focused on, ‘Afghan led, Afghan owned and controlled,’ projects … India’s Small Development Projects are spread all over the country … economic development is the basic foundation for peace in Afghanistan … it has to be owned, led and controlled by them - a point emphasised by Indian policy makers … external actors particularly China and Pakistan have a limited role in that …

August 31, 2018 Issue Brief

Current Military Situation in Afghanistan

Maj Gen (Retd.) P K Chakravorty

... insurgency in Afghanistan is a political problem; the military can create the right conditions for diplomatic talks to begin ... currently, Taliban is in no mood to negotiate ... Taliban who are ready to come around must be granted favourable options ... All this will take time and a lot of patience ... Finally, a favourable situation would emerge only if the US and NATO continue to stay and guide the ANSF ...

June 12, 2018 Paper

Round Table Discussion on Afghanistan

A Round Table Discussion (RTD) on Afghanistan’s current situation and the way forward was held at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 15 Nov 2017. The panel of discussants included a broad array of security and foreign policy experts, including Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, Amb Amar Sinha, India’s former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Lt Gen Ravi Sawhney, Amb Prabhat Shukla, among other experts.

March 23, 2018 Event Report

Afghanistan- Pakistan Transit Trade

Shoiab A. Rahim

Abstract The transit trade problems of Afghanistan are typical to any other landlocked country. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan has relied on Pakistan for its international trade. However, the transit trade of Afghanistan has remained unstable akin to escalated political relations between the two countries. Given economic importance of access to sea, the landlocked countries continued to raise their voice at the United Nations.

October 26, 2017 Paper

H.E. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s speech at Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), New Delhi, 24 October 2017

Highlights President Ghani dwelled on the causes of global uncertainty, the regional security context and the New US Strategy in South Asia. Drivers of Global Uncertainty

October 25, 2017 Event Report

A Talk on ‘India-Afghanistan Relations: Recent Developments and Implications’, by H.E. Salahuddin Rabbani, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan

H.E. Salahuddin Rabbani, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, concluded his three-day visit to India with a talk on ‘India-Afghanistan Relations: Recent Developments and Implications’, delivered at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 12 Sep 2017. H.E. Rabbani, who visited India for the 2nd meeting of the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Council, described his interactions with his Indian counterpart Mrs. Sushma Swaraj and other key government officials as highly successful and productive. As part of his talk, H.E.

September 18, 2017 Event Report