Foreign Policy & Strategic Issues

State structures are the dominant source of policy innovation, but there is also a need to consult other interests for information. Think tanks provide this kind of information and occasionally play a dynamic role in identifying problems. Policy makers rely heavily on think tanks for a great deal of analytical inputs and advice. In South Asia, the think tank culture is a new phenomenon compared to the US and European countries. Think tanks in India - such as the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, the Indian Council of World Affairs, the Institute for Peace and Conflict, and the Center for Policy Research - provide world level research facilities on foreign policy and other strategic issues. In Pakistan, think tanks concentrating on foreign and security issues include the Institute of Policy Studies, the Institute of Regional Studies, the Institute of Strategic Studies, the Jinah Institute, and the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. Prominent think tanks in Afghanistan are the Institute for Afghan Studies, the Afghanistan Watch, and the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies. This book examines the role of think tanks in public policy formulation in US and South Asian countries, viz. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.