This book details the domestic security concerns of Pakistan, encompassing the dangers of insurgencies, the effects of religious extremism and terrorism, and the malfunction of its political institutions. In recent years Pakistan has emerged as a major security concern for the United States. The acts of terrorism that originate in Pakistan and its culture of extremism cause serious apprehension for the international community as well. Pakistan's ability to combat extremism within its borders and its policy towards Afghanistan will also play a large role in determining the success of U.S. military actions in Afghanistan. This volume will be the first to deal with a variety of emerging security issues of the country and their regional and international implications. This volume examines the issues of utmost importance for Pakistan's stability and strategic balance, and explains their significance from the global perspective. Each chapter in this book addresses specific security challenges of Pakistan, both domestic and international.

Pakistan has been destabilized by insurgencies largely because of the overspill of events in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has also suffered a history of disputes with India over the last 50 years. As a country situated in an extremely volatile geographic location and armed with nuclear weaponry, Pakistan's effect on global security should not be taken lightly. In recent years Pakistan has emerged as a major security concern for the United States. The acts of terrorism that originate in Pakistan and its culture of extremism cause serious apprehension for the international community as well. Pakistan's ability to combat extremism within its borders and its policy towards Afghanistan will also play a large role in determining the success of U.S. military actions in Afghanistan. This volume will be the first to deal with a variety of emerging security issues of the country and their regional and international implications. This volume examines the issues of utmost importance for Pakistan's stability and strategic balance, and explains their significance from the global perspective. Each chapter in this book addresses specific security challenges of Pakistan, both domestic and international.

This new volume in the Global Security Watch series examines the contemporary foreign, military, and security policies of India as it moves towards becoming a formidable global power in the coming decades. India is poised to join the major nations of the world as one of the next superpowers in the multi-polar, 21st-century world. At the same time, it still faces significant domestic problems such as widespread poverty and public health issues, and faces considerable security threats posed by China and Pakistan. Author Amit Gupta, PhD, an esteemed scholar and expert on foreign policy and weapons proliferation in South Asia, argues that India's quest to attain a superpower status will depend on how it develops its relationships with the other leading nations. Another determining factor for India's success lies in its ability to create a more advantageous security environment in the immediate Indian Ocean region. Global Security Watch—India tackles complex topics such as future Indian foreign and security policy options and the corresponding implications for U.S. policy, how the India–China relationship affects relations among other Asian countries, and the capabilities of the Indian military-industrial complex.

This timely study examines the forces at play in one of the world's most explosive nations, helping readers understand why Syria's popular uprising has been the most violent and hard-fought in the Middle East. In this insightful work, a noted expert goes behind the headlines to examine the complexities of Syrian politics and their impact on the modern world. Beginning with an overview of political and economic change after 1963 when the Ba'th Party came to power, the book focuses on developments in Syria since Bashar al-Assad assumed the presidency in 2000. It probes the evolution of the Islamist opposition and the course of the popular uprising that broke out in 2011 and explores Syria's multilayered relations with Israel, Turkey, Iran, Russia, and the United States. Readers will learn why rebellion in Syria has taken a much different path than movements that overturned autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen. They will also come away with a more nuanced understanding of the pivotal role Syria plays in both the Arab-Israeli conflict and inter-Arab relations, as well as the confluence of domestic challenges and foreign threats that make Syria the most vulnerable state in the contemporary Middle East.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of China's main foreign and defense policies, providing students, policy makers, and general readers with an up-to-date assessment of this most important country. Global Security Watch—China presents a comprehensive overview of the main foreign and defense policies of the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the political-military developments in the modern era since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. It provides a historical overview in the first chapter, followed by information on the domestic factors that affect Chinese national security, such as economics, society, and politics; China's external objectives; its global energy strategy; and its defense policies and security objectives. Drawing upon a wide variety of domestic and foreign primary sources, the work details China's policies and its relationships with the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Eurasia. It includes biographical sketches of select individuals of importance to modern Chinese history, such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Appropriate for audiences ranging from university students to policy makers to general readers, this book is an excellent resource for academic libraries and suitable as a textbook for courses on contemporary Chinese politics and international relations.

This in-depth study provides a timely assessment of how the foreign, military, and security policies of Venezuela shape relations with the United States in the Chavez era. The growing importance of Venezuela in the global oil market along with the controversial nature of its leadership provoke concern among some world powers—especially the United States, whose international policies have been heavily criticized by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. This critical look at American/Venezuelan relations presents perceptions held by each government of the other and examines the sources of tensions—and points of confluence—between the two countries. Global Security Watch—Venezuela traces the political relations between the United States and Venezuela from the early roots based in Pan Americanism to the domestic and foreign policies of the Chavez regime, including petro-diplomacy. This book provides a serious examination of the allegations about Venezuelan involvement in the drug trade, terrorism, and intervention; the view that the unilateralism of the United States threatens world peace; and the future of relations between the two countries.

An unprecedented analysis of how the liberation from colonial rule has threatened the Maghreb region of Africa and created political and social challenges that puts global security at risk. Northwestern Africa, known as the Maghreb, consists of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Recent changes in the political climate—including the collapse of the Libyan regime in October 2011 and structural factors, such as the decolonization of the countries within the Maghreb—have escalated violence in the area, exposing global powers, including the United States, to terrorist attacks. This is the first book of its kind to focus on the strategic planning of the United States, as well as other world powers, in the stabilization of the region. Global Security Watch—The Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia examines domestic, regional, and international policies as they relate to the area's culture, geography, and history. Each of the book's seven chapters looks at the political and social stability of the land, and features a discussion on such topics as interstate relations, regional integration, conflict resolution, and the legislation governing security.