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U.S. feared LeT attack in India in mid-2009; warned Pakistan

U.S. feared another LeT attack in India in mid-2009, and sought Pakistan's help to ‘disrupt and prevent' it



  • The India Cables

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213621: USG concerned about possible LeT attack

As the November 2008 Mumbai attack has shown, LeT is capable of launching attacks that can directly undermine Pakistan,s relations with its neighbors and regional stability generally.




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U.S. confident of safety of nuclear weapons, despite al-Qaeda presence



  • The India Cables

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‘Many Pakistans, so we need many Pakistan policies'

‘India does not want to play into the hands of terrorists by shunning dialogue.'



  • The India Cables

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236332: US saw "additional opportunities" to embed own troops in Pakistan military’s FATA operations




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226157: Pakistan accepted U.S. military role in counter-insurgency operations




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207373: U.S. Special Forces embedded with Pakistan Special Services Group and Frontier Corps for operations in NWFP




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204652: US. "boots on the ground" were to accompany Pakistan Frontier Corps for a joint operation, but were "denied deployment" at the last minute




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204260: U.S. special forces were embedded with Pakistan troops in 2009 anti-Taliban operations in the North-West Frontier Province




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Benazir asked U.S. for security, was turned away




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Pakistan's Punjab turning into hotbed of extremism, U.S. had warned




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128579: security status of Benazir Bhutto when she was assasinated

It was made clear to the PPP representatives that certain dangers were inherent in the return of Bhutto to Karachi, mostly directed by elements from the northern areas.




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208236: Punjab Home Secretary fears Hafiz Saeed's release

Admitting that they are "facing a tough time in the courts," Asif related that the LHC has asked for the evidence that the Home Department used to extend the detention. "There has never been a case against them," he noted, "and we have no criminal record of these gentlemen."




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Maran called Karunanidhi's October 2008 resignation threat a diversionary ‘drama'

Spoke of DMK leader's attempted ‘blackmail' on Sri Lanka, warned that the Congress ‘will carry this grudge and retaliate at the right time'




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We are not as advanced as you are in respect for freedom of religion, Pakistan told U.S.




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U.S. surprised, happy at SAARC observer offer



  • India-US relations

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66945: Pak-US ties not reflected in multi-lateral fora

Pakistan is one of a handful of countries (including India, Brazil, and South Africa) that routinely oppose the United States in multilateral debates despite strong bilateral ties to the U.S.




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190946: Interior Secretary provides terms of A.Q. Khan's modified detention

S.M. Zafar, Khan's prominent and highly respected lawyer, had pledged to the government that the meeting with the press would be Khan's "first and last" such encounter.




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223755: Finance minister on Pakistan's budget woes, Tokyo pledges, and U.S. assistance

In a September 3 meeting with the Ambassador, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said the GOP had included $2 billion in Tokyo Pledges in its budget but was grappling with a shortfall in actual donor assistance.




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80337: F-16 LOA signed at last

MG Tariq Salim Malik, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Defense Production (MODP), signed the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) to purchase 18 F-16s Saturday evening, September 30.




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State Department cable cited ISI links with militants




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221726: Indian information inadequate to warrant listing of three Pakistan-based individuals

Chinese officials had approached the Indian government for more information but had since been reportedly told by the Indian government that the information presented was sufficient to justify the listing.




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244326: China requested to drop UN 1267 hold on Makki, Cheema and Azhar Alvi

Political Officer requested that the People's Republic of China not place a new hold on these three listings.




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213853: China thanked for support of nominations of 3 Pakistan-based individuals for UNSCR 1267 designation

Deputy Director Shen acknowledged the message but offered no further comment.




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Rajiv Gandhi was ‘entrepreneur’ for Swedish jet, U.S. cable says

Revelation contained in Kissinger-era documents obtained by WikiLeaks




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Data | The NDA juggernaut has halted with the BJP-led alliance losing power in key States

While the BJP-led NDA won resoundingly in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it has lost power in five major State assemblies since December 2018.




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BSP candidate attacked in Delhi, receives minor injuries




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Data | 2021 Monsoon session: LS passed 14 Bills after discussing each less than 10 minutes

The average time spent on discussing a Bill dropped from 213 minutes in 2019 to 85 minutes in 2021




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Data | How regional parties in India are funded?

Total income for the selected regional parties in FY20 amounted to ₹803.24 crore, of which 55% was from unknown sources




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Two migrant labourers shot at, injured in Pulwama: Police

The victims were identified as Shamshad and Faizan Qasri from Bihar's Batya Zila




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Explained | How is the Congress president elected?

As leaders mull over who will head the party next, the Congress Working Committee announced that elections will be held on October 17.




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Explained | Centre and State powers over water resources

Who controls India’s water resources: Centre, States or both? How are inter-State river disputes settled? Who supplies drinking water to Indian citizens?




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Data | Unknown sources of political income spiked after electoral bond entry, BJP cornered lion’s share

National parties’ unknown income rose from 66% to 71% in the three years before and after the scheme’s introduction




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66% of councillors elected to MCD in 41-70 age group, 53% women: Report

Polling was held on December 4 and the results were announced on Wednesday.




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Pakistan raised Mujahideen and now they are terrorists, says Pakistan Interior Minister in National Assembly

The Pakistani Taliban on Monday claimed responsibility for the January 30 mosque attack in Peshawar which left 100 people dead and over 220 injured




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Data | India’s democratic values have eroded significantly: V­Dem

The debate around India’s erosion of democratic values has surfaced again after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the U.K.




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Data | BJP had the edge in the recent bipolar contests in Karnataka

Elections in Karnataka have increasingly become bipolar, with 77% of the seats recording bipolar contests in 2018




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ISP Research Fellow Apekshya Prasai Selected as a 2023 HFG Emerging Scholar

Apekshya Prasai, a political science doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was recently named a 2023 Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Emerging Scholar.   The Emerging Scholars (nine in all) are doctoral candidates who are in the final year of writing dissertations on the nature of and responses to violence around the world.




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'China Marching with India': India's Cold War Advocacy for the People's Republic of China at the United Nations, 1949–1971

Recent scholarship on Sino-Indian relations in the 1950s has emphasized cooperation, revising previous narratives of an inexorable march towards the 1962 border war. This article reassesses that cooperation by focusing on India's role as an intermediary between the unrecognized government in Beijing and the United Nations (UN). Chinese sources reveal that Sino-Indian cooperation over UN affairs was complicated by competing conceptions of how the decolonizing world should fit into the international system and who should be at the helm. Despite such disagreements, the Cold War UN provided a setting where divergent post-colonial visions could be sublimated into meaningful international cooperation.




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Colin L. Powell Embodied the American Dream

Colin L. Powell was a great American. A brilliant soldier, statesman and patriot, he devoted his life to public service, and he cherished the United States, his family and his many friends. While acknowledging America’s challenges, he drew inspiration from its noble purpose and promise. “America remains the last best hope of Earth,” he said in his 1994 Howard University commencement address “You are its inheritors, and its future is today placed in your hands.” The trajectory of his life—from humble beginnings as a Jamaican immigrant’s son growing up in the Bronx to the highest levels of government—is a true American dream. 




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Former Colombian President Iván Duque Discusses Resurgent Left Wing in Latin America at Kennedy School Event

Former Colombian President Iván Duque discussed Latin America’s resurgent left wing and advocated for environmental action at the Harvard Kennedy School on Thursday afternoon.




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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Belarusian Freedom and the War in Ukraine

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the current Belarusian opposition leader, speaks with Belfer Center Fellow Svenja Kirsch on Belarusian Freedom and the War in Ukraine.




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Should the United States Normalize Relations with the Taliban?

Foreign Affairs has recently published a number of articles on how the United States should engage with the Taliban government in Afghanistanextremist forces within the regimehow the West can help ordinary Afghans, and the fate of the country’s women. To complement these essays, Foreign Affairs asked a broad pool of experts for their take. As with previous surveys, Foreign Affairs approached dozens of authorities with expertise relevant to the question at hand, along with leading generalists in the field. Participants were asked to state whether they agreed or disagreed with a proposition and to rate their confidence level in their opinion. Two Belfer Center experts participated, International Security Executive Editor Jacqueline L. Hazelton and Future of Diplomacy Project Senior Fellow Paula Dobriansky.




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Writing Policy Recommendations for Academic Journals: A Guide for the Perplexed

How can scholars write effective policy recommendations? Despite the potential importance of academic work to the policy debate, many scholars receive little training on why and how to make policy recommendations. To remedy this problem, here are steps to guide scholars as they begin developing policy recommendations for their articles. 




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Local Start-ups Hold the Key to Transforming Africa's Seed Industry

"The seed industry in sub-Saharan Africa is informal in nature, with approximately 80% of farmers saving and replanting seeds from year to year. This gives them security of access. But improved varieties — including high-yielding and hybrid crops — will increase productivity and income. To get these seeds into the hands of farmers, a better marketing and distribution system is needed. Local small and medium-sized seed enterprises have a comparative advantage in reaching this underserved market due to their size and market reach."




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Education, Research, and Innovation in Africa: Forging Strategic Linkages for Economic Transformation

Africa is a youthful continent: nearly 41% of its population is under the age of 18. To address the unique challenges of this demographic structure, the African Union (AU) hopes to reposition the continent as a strategic player in the global economy through improved education and application of science and technology in development. The paper proposes the creation of “Innovation Universities” that combine research, teaching, community service and commercialization in their missions and operations. They would depart from the common practice where teaching is carried out in universities that do little research, and where research is done in national research institutes that do not undertake teaching. Under this model, there is little connection with productive sectors. The idea therefore is not just to create linkages between those activities but to pursue them in a coordinated way under the same university structure. Innovation universities can be created in diverse fields such as agriculture, health, industry, services, and environment to advance sustainable development and inclusive growth.




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If Africa Learnt to Feed its Chickens it Could Feed its People

"South Africa is the continent's largest chicken producer. According to the South African Poultry Association, chicken imports from Brazil, the European Union and the US are destroying the domestic sector....This has led to oversupply and price reduction. This may benefit consumers, but it undercuts incentives for local production."




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Important Wins Were Notched Up for African Agriculture in 2016

"2016 was a big year for agriculture in Africa with some notable 'wins' across the continent. One of the most important gains was the increased use of emerging technologies beyond the traditional use of mobile phones in agriculture. The range includes precision agriculture, sensors, satellites and drones."




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Salata Institute Launches Initiative to Reduce Global Methane Emissions

The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University launched today a major research and outreach initiative to reduce global methane emissions. The initiative seeks meaningful and sustained progress in global methane-emissions reductions through research and effective engagement with government policymakers and with key stakeholders in business, nongovernmental organizations, and international institutions.




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HPCA Hosts COP 28 Side Event on the Challenges and Opportunities of Reducing Global Methane Emissions

The Harvard Project on Climate Agreements (HPCA) assembled a panel of leading academics and government officials to discuss strategies for achieving significant methane emissions reductions at relatively low costs at an official COP 28 Side Event last Wednesday (Dec. 6). The event, titled “Reducing Global Methane Emissions: Imperatives, Opportunities, and Challenges,” was moderated by HPCA Director Robert Stavins.