NEWS UPDATES

December 22, 2011

India

Efforts advance in India to create a new anti-corruption agency, amid concerns that the proposed law  will not accomplish its goals.  

September 27, 2011

Afghanistan

The U.S. State Department has the authority to designate groups as a foreign terrorist organizations.  This is done through an administrative process, in consulattion with other agenices and subject to Congressional disapproval.  At the end of this process the results are published in the Federal Register.  One possible consequence of designating a terrorist organization is that any country who harbors the group may be placed on another list, the State sponsors of terrorism list.   All of this politicizes the process of deciding what groups are terrorists organizations.  A recent article by the McClatchy newspapers illustrates the problem, discussing why the Haqqani network have not yet been designated as a terrorist organization despite the fact that they have been behind numerous attacks on US and other interests in Afghanistan.

September 20, 2011

Afghanistan

The General Accounting Office has issued a report about the dependance of the Afghan government on foreign aid.  According to the report, 90% of the total government expenditures in Afghanistan come from foreign donors.  The report is available here.  The report raises serious questions about the ability of the Afghan government to be self-sustaining in the foreseeable future.

September 19, 2011

Nepal

 
The deadline for Nepal to prepare a new constitution has been extended for a third time.   Nepal has struggled for years to try and form a lasting government, and adopt a new constitution.  The new deadline to draft a constitution is November 30, 2011. 

September 15, 2011

Malaysia

According to the BBC, Malaysia is in the process of repealing the Internal Security Act.  The Act, a holdover from British rule, has allowed for indefinite detention without trial.  Malaysia has been criticized by international human rights organizations over the years because of the repressive nature of the Act.  The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had previously recommended that the Internal Security Act, along with three other laws, be repealed or amended in order to bring Malaysia into compliance with Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The repeal of the Internal Security Act is a significant legal reform for Malaysia’s criminal justice system.

Afghanistan

The Haqqani terrorist network is believed to be behind many of the recent attacks in Kabul. This article by CNN provides some background on the Haqqani.  A more detailed report about the Haqqani network is available here from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.