Adil Rasheed

People often complain that Islamic scholars do little more than condemn the inhuman acts of so-called jihadist groups and fall short of delivering strong, incontrovertible rebuttals against the vicious narratives of terrorist groups, like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). It has also been stated that the ever-rearing Hydra-like heads of terrorism will have to be endlessly severed until genuine Islamic scholarship drains the very swamp of irreligious radicalism from which the monstrosity continually raises new and ugly distortions.

• Published: April-June 2021
• Journal of Defence Studies

Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Adil Rasheed’s research paper 'West Asia: From Non-State Radicalism to State Revisionism' has been published in the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal (IFAJ).

The paper deals with growing radicalism in the Middle East, which seems to be shifting away from the dwindling presence of non-state Salafi jihadist actors to the state revisionism of Turkey and Iran, who are in effect also re-igniting their ancient Achaemenid-Alexandrian, Byzantine-Sassanid, Ottoman-Safavid rivalries. Meanwhile, Jews and Arabs huddle under the fledgeling Semitic neologism of Abraham Accords to keep their primordial hegemons out, as the US plans to withdraw from West Asia and pivot to the Far East.

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• Published: 15 March, 2021

It remains to be seen to what extent Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan’s recent efforts to mend broken regional ties and address concerns over domestic policies will succeed.

• Published: December 23, 2020
• IDSA Comments

In the aftermath of Samuel Paty’s beheading, France is taking measures that seek to reverse the processes through which individuals become ‘terrorists’. If successful, other countries could emulate such policy interventions in their own counter-radicalisation efforts.

• Published: December 04, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Adil Rasheed’s article ‘China-Saudi nuclear pact can trigger an arms race in West Asia’, has been published in ‘The Print’, on October 05, 2020.

Saudi Arabia's acquisition of nuclear capability would draw Turkey and Egypt to join the regional nuclear race, which might turn conflict-torn West Asia even more volatile, writes Dr. Rasheed.

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• Published: 5 October, 2020

Unlike other parts of the Muslim world, spanning North Africa to Southeast Asia, that have remained under the theological and cultural influence of Arabia, India has been able to develop its own versions of Islam and holds its own against West Asian influences.

• Published: August 31, 2020
• Issue Brief

The internal and external situation on the first anniversary of the historic revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir appears assuring, even as the need for safeguarding the initial gains calls for sustained efforts.

• Published: August 04, 2020
• IDSA Comments

The COVID-19 crisis would severely impact the four countries at the social, political, economic and humanitarian levels, as these states were already facing multi-vector exigencies at the time of the pandemic’s outbreak.

• Published: April 21, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Scholars from various academic disciplines have attempted to explain the nature and drivers of the 21st century sui generis phenomenon of radicalization. However, it is rare to find a single book which not only details and builds on the body of work in this still evolving field but also sheds fresh insight into the many unresolved issues that demand fresh perspectives and approaches.

• Published: March 2020
• Strategic Analysis

Research Fellow, IDSA, Dr. Adil Rasheed’s article on radicalization, titled ‘The Phenomenon of Youth Radicalization’ has been published in Toronto-based newspaper ‘Weekly Voice’ on November 15, 2019.

Many social scientists and activists have pointed out that young individuals coming from ultra-orthodox and conservative households generally have a hard time navigating their way in a society built on liberal values, writes Dr. Rasheed.

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• Published: 15 November, 2019