Published December 24, 2011 | By Ed Nagle

Despite improvements in recent years, political and social stability remain tentative at best in Sri Lanka. Much of northern and eastern Sri Lanka has been devastated as a result of a civil war spanning nearly three decades (1983-2011). The final year of the civil war saw hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees internally displaced. 2011 has revealed many positive indicators for future resettlement, with one of the largest refugee camp population dropping from over 200,000 to less than 35,000. Overall economic growth has been substantial in recent years despite the global recession but economic development remains uneven. Social tensions and the potential for further violence remain high as a renewed political process unfolds.

Published October 14, 2011 | By Ryan Costello and Ed Nagle

Revelations from the 2004 exposure of the A. Q. Khan network have highlighted the importance of this region in global nonproliferation efforts. While terrorism is by no means constrained to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, the confluence of intent, knowledge and materials is found in this region. It remains uncertain if all nodes of the Khan network have been identified. Other leading Pakistani scient ist s have demonstrated a willingness to share nuclear knowledge if not material capabilities. The diversity of suppliers in quantity, location and specialty has made confirmation tentative at best. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program is extensive and ongoing. The infrastructure that enabled Khan’s prolonged success remains in place. In addition, the intentions of individual members of Pakistan’s intelligence and military leadership have been called into question as a result of revelations regarding Bin Laden’s death.