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Welcome toForeign Policys South Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Afghanistan reels from flash floods over the weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (briefly) breaks his silence on ethnic violence in Manipur, and China launches a new Belt and Road Initiative-linked project in Nepal.

Flash flooding in the wake of heavy seasonal rains killed at least 31 people in Afghanistan last weekend, leaving 74 injured and at least 41 missing. The devastating floods damaged more than 600 homes and hundreds of acres of agricultural land. They were just the latest calamity to strike Afghanistan this season: Taliban officials say natural disasters have killed more than 200 people in the last four months.

With the worlds attention focused on Afghanistans economic and humanitarian crisis, it is easy to overlook the countrys acute climate crisisbut it is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. It grapples with regular floods and droughts, and researchers in the United Kingdom recentlydesignatedit as one of the areas most at risk from heat waves. Natural disasters affectedthousands of peoplein Afghanistan last year, many of whom were already displaced by conflict or other climate effects.

In its vulnerability, Afghanistan has company among its neighbors. June was the worlds hottest month on record, and the effects of global warming are playing out dramatically across South Asia, from sea level rise to water scarcity. Recent weeks have brought floods and landslides to both India and Pakistan. Last summer, record-breaking heat in Pakistan was followed by early, torrential rains and catastrophic floods. One year later, the heat and rains have ominously returned.

Afghanistan has high levels of poverty, which climate stress tends to compound. The sheer scale of its humanitarian crisis sets it apart from other countries in the region. As of March, nearly 20 million people in Afghanistanhalf of the populationwere acutely food insecure, including 6 million people on the brink of famine-like conditions, according to the United Nations. Adding to the countrys food insecurity is a locust crisis wreaking havoc on crops across eight provinces, which could ruin one-quarter of the years wheat harvest.

Also unlike their neighbors, Afghans have been ruled by a regime facing sanctions and lacking international recognition for nearly two years. As a result, international financial assistance beyond humanitarian support has fallen dramatically; when the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan was dependent on foreign grants for 75 percent of its public funding. Among the casualties are $800 million worth of internationally backed environmental projects, now suspended. Some aid agencies also stopped working in the country after the Taliban banned women from working with nongovernmental organizations last December.

Most technical experts have left Afghanistan, and the Taliban clerics who hold mostsenior positionslack the capability to address the impacts of climate change. Soon after taking over, the Taliban also eliminated a key water management agency. Last November, the U.N. Climate Change Conference produced a new loss and damage agreement to create a fund for vulnerable countries such as Afghanistan. But due to sanctions, Afghans likely wont benefiteven as the Taliban called on the world to provide climate assistance to the country.

Ultimately, this boils down to a fundamental foreign-policy conundrum since the Taliban takeover: How can the international community support Afghans without running afoul of the international sanctions regime? As long as the Talibans draconian policies toward women and connections to terrorist groups lead Afghanistan to be deprived of international climate assistance, related human security challenges will only grow worse.

But the countrys climate vulnerability isnt the fault of Afghans or the Taliban regime. The international community seems to have a moral imperative to contribute more to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in Afghanistanbolstered by recent efforts to strengthen climate resilience throughout the global south.

Manipur takes center stage. Ethnic violence has rocked the Indian state of Manipur, in the countrys northeast, for two months, with more than 130 people dead and thousands more displaced. New Delhi has said little about it in publicuntil last week, when a shocking video surfaced of two women, both members of the Kuki ethnic minority, being paraded naked and assaulted by a mob. (The incident reportedly happened in May.) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident the day after the video was released.

Protests have since broken out in Manipur and in New Delhi. Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah called for a dialogue with the political opposition on the violence. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also controls the Manipur state government, and protesters there have called for the states chief minister to be sacked. On Wednesday, the opposition introduced a motion for a no-confidence vote on Modiintended to pressure the prime minister to speak about Manipur in parliament.

Modi rarely comments publicly on any type of internal violence; he hasremained quieteven when BJP leaders have resorted to anti-Muslim hate speech. In that regard, his condemnation of the May assault is striking in itself.

Blinken speaks with Pakistans foreign minister. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, by phone on Monday. According to the U.S. State Department readout of the call, Blinken said democratic principles and respect for the rule of law are central to U.S.-Pakistani relationswhich can be read as an indirect reference to the crackdown that Pakistans government has waged against the opposition in the last year.

The Biden administration has generally refrained from commenting on Pakistans political situation, perhaps seeking to avoid getting dragged in as it did when former Prime Minister Imran Khan accused Washington of helping to oust him from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April. (The United States rejects the accusation.)

Reports that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party would like Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to serve as prime minister in the caretaker administration that will take over next month ahead of elections raised fresh concerns about the countrys democracy. (PML-N leaders later rejected the reports.) Caretaker administrations are meant to be technocratic, but on Wednesday, the parliament passed an amendment to the 2017 Election Act that will allow the caretaker government to make decisions beyond day-to-day matters.

Wickremesinghe visits India. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe traveled to India last week. New Delhi has warm relations with Colombo, especially since it provided $4 billion in aid and support during Sri Lankas major economic crisis last year. Wickremesinghes visit produced further economic agreements; on Saturday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry also said the government was considering allowing the use of the Indian rupee for local transactions.

China will be watching carefully: Sri Lanka has become a battleground for regional competition. But Beijings investments in the country have generated controversy in recent years, especially the 99-year lease to develop the Hambantota port.

China launched a new project linked to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal this week, which it calls Silk Roadster. The initiative focuses on strengthening people-to-people engagement through skills training, study abroad programs, and business exchanges. Beijing reportedly hopes to replicate the initiative, meant to mark the 10-year anniversary of the BRI, in other countries as well.

Its not totally clear why China launched Silk Roadster in Nepal, which backs the BRI but hasnt started any projects with its investments. However, great-power rivalry may have something to do with it. In February 2022, Kathmandu ratified a U.S. Millennium Challenge Corp. infrastructure grant after several years of false starts; U.S. officials have openly described the grant as a part of Washingtons Indo-Pacific policy.

China is likely looking for ways to push back against rising U.S. influence in Nepal, as well as that of India, which has long been the main external actor in the country. In recent weeks, Beijing has also stepped up high-level diplomatic engagements with Kathmandu. Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is expected to visit Beijing in September. Like many of its neighbors, Nepal seeks to balance its relations with all three countries.

In the Indian Express, conservationistRavi Chellamarguesthat India must do more to protect its forests. With only 21 per cent of Indias land area having forest cover and even more worryingly, only 12.37 per cent intact natural forest, we have a long way to go to meet our target of 33 per cent forest cover, he writes.

LawyerTahera HasanwritesinDawnthat many Pakistani women dont fully understand their marital rights. The nikahnamais a crucial document that outlines the terms of a marriage, she asserts. However, despite its significance, a lack of awareness prevails among women regarding their rights contained in this document.

ADaily Stareditorialcalls for better measures to address drownings, the second leading cause of death for Bangladeshi children under the age of 5. Drowning is perhaps one of the most common but overlooked causes of death in the country. Unfortunately, efforts from the authorities to prevent this menace have been quite disappointing so far, it argues.

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The Taliban Aren't Equipped for Climate Adaptation - Foreign Policy

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY Prior to August 2021, there were approximately 6,000 members of the Afghanistan Attorney General's Office who helped put together criminal cases against members of the Taliban on charges of murder, terrorism, assault and kidnapping.

Most of those prosecutors and staff members were trained by prosecutors from the United States and allied nations.

But the Taliban regained control of the country with the fall of Kabul in August of 2021. Now, more than 3,800 prosecutors and key staff members and their families who were unable to flee the country are in hiding. About 1,500 of those people are prosecutors.

"Prosecutors in Afghanistan, along with their families, are being hunted and killed," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Thursday.

At least 26 prosecutors who were trained by the U.S. have been tortured and killed.

Gill and prosecutors from across the nation took time out from their Major County Prosecutors Council Meeting being hosted in Salt Lake City Thursday to publicly announce their support for the Prosecutors for Prosecutors campaign. The goal of the nationwide effort, launched by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, is to raise $15 million to get those 3,800 prosecutors, staffers and family members out of Afghanistan.

"These are fellow prosecutors. These are men and women who have embraced the idea of a free society as the rule of law. These (people) are trained by the United States government to bring those democratic principles to bear and embolden those public institutions that are critical for a democratic and free society," Gill said.

Gill says his office has a natural affinity toward the prosecutors in Afghanistan because of their positions, "But there is also a commitment to the rule of law and what a free society means for a free people. And so we feel an intimate connection because they are applying the same principles that we apply as public prosecutors. And so simply to speak the truth and do the good and do the right which is what prosecutors do, to be targeted and their families to be targeted, is something we can't be silent to."

Jean Peters Baker, the Jackson County, Missouri prosecutor, says all of the prosecutors attending the conference in Salt Lake City have had death threats or people who were unhappy with them. "But none of us none of us have experienced the kind of grave danger that is being experienced right now by people that we've relied on, that we trusted, and they trusted us, to learn their skill, to do their job and to do their duty to hold the Taliban accountable."

Yama Rayeen, a former Afghanistan prosecutor who was able to flee the country, attended Thursday's press conference.

"My heart is heavy as I stand before to you," he said before holding a moment of silence for his fallen colleagues and to honor the courage of those who are still in hiding.

Afghan prosecutors who helped send members of the Taliban to prison prior to 2021 are "now paying a heavy price. They are being subjected to violence," he said. Some have been able to flee to nearby countries, while others are "forced into hiding to protect their lives."

"We must act now to bring them to safety," he said, calling for all prosecutors and members of the public to stand united. "Let us be the light who guides them through their darkest hours.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to their pleas. They have suffered enough. ... It is time for us to act, to put an end to the cycle of violence and suffering," he said.

A website has been set up for donations to help meet that $15 million goal. Gill said the money will go to nongovernment organizations that are in Afghanistan that can help facilitate the evacuation of prosecutors or change their immigration status to help extradite their visas.

Gill, who grew up in northern India, says he recognized the risk Afghan prosecutors took by accepting their positions and what it means to them to fight for democracy.

"I know that when that commitment was made by these men and women to the institute of democracy and the rule of law, what risk that they take on personally, and what it means within that culture that when you are willing to fight for that democracy, and if that foundation is not there what real danger they have put themselves into," he said.

"These prosecutors dedicated their lives to implementing a system based on American democracy and it is costing them dearly. Now is not the time to turn our backs against our partners."

Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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Gill joins nationwide effort to help get prosecutors out of Afghanistan - KSL.com

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Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman Warren Davidsons (R-OH) H.R.4517,to require the Secretary of State to submit a plan for the reimbursement of personal funds expended to evacuate American citizens, American lawful permanent residents, and Afghan allies from Afghanistan, and for other purposes, passed out of committee. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) co-sponsored this important legislation which issupportedby numerous outside groups who support individuals the administration left behind in Afghanistan.

Because the Biden administration was completely unprepared for the emergency evacuation from Afghanistan, everyday Americans were forced to step up to save American citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies who fought alongside them on the battlefield, said Chairman McCaul. Many of them including thousands of U.S. veterans were forced to use their own money to fund these rescue operations, often draining their life savings to do what the U.S. government should have been doing. Im so pleased the committee has passed this important legislation to repay Americans who stepped up to do the work the Biden administration failed to do.

American citizens put their money and their own lives at risk to get fellow Americans and allies out of Afghanistan during the botched withdrawal,said Rep. Davidson.These heroes should be repaid for their service to our country, and I thank my colleagues from across the political spectrum whove supported this effort.

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McCaul Applauds Passage of Bill to Refund Money Spent by ... - House Foreign Affairs Committee

Afghan immigrants resettling in the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Visa program have found a home in Colorado, but many still wait in Afghanistan.

The program, launched in 2009, was created by Congress to provide permanent protection to Afghans affiliated with U.S. missions such as translators and interpreters as well as their families.

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat who served as an Army ranger in Afghanistan, is advocating that Afghan nationals abroad have better access to special immigrant visas.

In June, he introduced the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2023, a bill that would increase the number of Afghan special immigrant visas available, authorizing an additional 20,000 visas. It would also create a more streamlined pathway for processing the visas.

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The processing of the visas has been plagued with backlogs, leaving many individuals who would be eligible for an SIV still in Afghanistan, according to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps refugees resettle in the United States.

The U.S. officiallypulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving the Taliban to fill a power vacuum and putting many U.S. allies in the country in danger. The U.S. evacuated over 124,000 people from Kabul before leaving.

In Colorado, there are 3,700 Afghan refugees currently enrolled in the states Refugee Services Program. Afghans make up about 40% of all individuals enrolled in the program. Of that, there are about 1,000 Afghans on the SIV program.

Reza Rezayee came to the U.S. on an SIV late last year after working as a logistics specialist for OT Training Solutions, a U.S. company that provides training and educational services to the military and other international organizations.

It was a long process for Rezayee. He said he applied for the program at the end of 2020, and received his SIV approval in August 2021. During his time waiting, he fled to Pakistan and waited there for eight months for an interview and final approval before coming to Colorado.

It is hard, I had to move from my home at midnight and I didnt tell anyone I was moving to Pakistan, it was only goodbye with my own family, Rezayee said.

His family is still in Afghanistan, along with some colleagues from when he worked with OT Training Solutions.

He said most of his colleagues were able to get a SIV, but a little less than half are still waiting either in Afghanistan or other places like Pakistan. Most of the people who are there, they are left there, they are in danger there, they are not safe, Rezayee said.

Foreign Policy reported in March that the Biden Administration estimates over 150,000 Afghans eligible for the SIV are trying to escape.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing.

Reza Rezayee, who came to the U.S. on a special immigrant visa

Homayoon Milad, a community sponsorship coordinator with the International Rescue Committee in Denver and an Afghan SIV refugee himself, said he thinks it may take about 30 years to evacuate everyone eligible for an SIV out of Afghanistan.

Crow told Newsline that his proposed legislation would try to fix some of the backlog issues Afghan applicants are facing, including barriers to the medical exams and interviews necessary for the SIV application.

He said many people cant afford the cost of the medical exam, which often could take $1,000 or more to complete. The other barrier is securing an interview, which has to be in person. But, the Afghan Protection Act would provide remote processing for interviews.

They have to know that our handshake will matter, and thats what this bill is about, is keeping that promise that will be made to them for decades in bringing them and their families to safety, Crow said to Newsline.

Getting to the U.S. is only part of the hardship resettling, finding work and adjusting to a new life is another mountain of challenges. The federal government allocates funds for 90 days a refugee enters Colorado to help start the resettlement process. Several non-governmental organizations also work to ease that process by providing monthslong and yearslong support programs.

For Rezayee, the African Community Center in Aurora helped him. He said it took about two months to find work, and he now works as a maintenance engineer. The organization was able to help Rezayee for about four months, and then his livelihood was up to him.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing. You may be someone who has good wealth or good work in your (home) country, but here you start from zero, Rezayee said.

Crow and other advocacy organizations are working not only to extend SIVs and get Afghans to safety in the U.S., but also provide a better pathway to citizenship for many who came here on parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

That is what the Afghan Adjustment Act, which failed in Congress in 2022, would have done. The legislation was reintroduced July 14.

Crow said he does not expect to face pushback on this legislation, because there is bipartisan support and in the past, members on both sides of the aisle supported legislation aimed to help U.S. allies in Afghanistan.

Once arrived in Colorado, refugees are supported by resettlement organizations, like IRC, that aid in finding housing and work and navigating legal issues.

Two distinct populations have settled in the U.S. from Afghanistan under the SIV program, according Milad. The first population to receive the SIV program when it launched in 2009 were typically people with higher education who worked as interpreters.The new population applying for the program after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan leaving thousands of Afghans under the rule of the Taliban are many who fought alongside the American military and havent had the same education. So, adjustment and resettlement can be much more difficult.

Milad said a misconception that harms the refugee community in the U.S. is that they are a liability to the state. He said in his work he sees that when refugees resettle they seek jobs and find ways to stand on their own feet.

I will say that refugees and immigrants are not liabilities to them, todays state government to the federal government, theyre an asset, Milad said.

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Two years after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, many allies still in ... - Colorado Newsline

After 25 years as an elite Army soldier and a high-ranking White House official responsible for setting Afghanistan policies, retiredColonel FernandoLujanis gearing up for his next major assignment, a year teaching politics at Howard University as a Chamberlain fellow and visiting professor.

The Chamberlain fellowship program gives recently retired military people opportunities on college campuses.

Lujan, a graduate of The U.S. Military Academy West Point, said he chose Howard University to ensure public affairs knowledge is dispersed to minority students.Lujansaid the Chamberlain fellowship program gives him the opportunity to pass the lessons hes learned to students. The program places a small number of officers at universities to engage with the student body for a year; the purpose is to improve dialogue between the military andhigher education communities.

Lujan said he was attracted to Howard because of the work ofBernard Fall, one of the most famous chroniclers of the Vietnam War and a past Howard professor.Lujansaid he had always been impressed by Hell in A Very Small Place, Falls account of the battle of Dien Bien Phu which brought an end to French rule in Vietnam.

Lujan, 46, grew up on the rougher end of west side San Antonio. His parents were Mexican immigrants. Inspired by GI Joe action figures and movies,Lujanwas drawn to the idea of serving in the military.In high school, a junior ROTC instructor who was a Green Beret inspiredLujanto dream ofalsobecoming a Green Beret. Hard work, ambition, and good luck earned him a spot at West Point.

I was lucky enough to get in,Lujansaid. That was my big shot my winning, cosmic lottery ticket. I was offered the opportunity to go do something different, to go be in the Army in the special forces. All the people I ever knew were in San Antonio.

Green Beretsare an elite group within theUnited States Army Special Forcesthat receive specialized training and perform a wide range of missions in hostile settings around the world, includingcounterinsurgency and counterterrorism.As part of his training,Lujanlearned Dari, a major language spoken in Afghanistan.

Lujans next military chapter came in Afghanistan during the Obama administration when U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice visited his base in Afghanistan. Rice, he said, was curious about how things were going.Lujanwas the acting commander and gave her the briefings. While he couldnt sense it during the visit, Rice was impressed. He was soon asked to come work in the Obama administration.

From 2014 to 2017,Lujanwas director of Afghanistan, then senior director of South Asia on the National Security Council at the White House, where he led interagency setting U.S. policy and counterterrorism efforts.Lujanalso spent three years in the U.S. State Department, as a member of the U.S. negotiating team seeking a political settlement in Afghanistan.

I have had a very blessed career, running around doing operational stuff with the special forces,Lujansaid. Then I was able to get a front-row seat to how policy gets made in the White House. I was able to distill a lot of lessons: the use of military forces, foreign policy, politics.

In recent days,Lujansaid been putting the final touches on the syllabus for his upcoming Howard course, which will be offered in the Department of Political Science. But he said what hes most looking forward to is learning from Howard students.

I want to understand how Howard students see the world, their hopes and fears, and new ways to imagine things,Lujansaid.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visitwww.howard.edu.

Media contact: Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu

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Retired Green Beret and Afghanistan Expert to Teach Politics at ... - The Dig