South Asia suffers from a identity crisis and a knowledge deficit. Misconceptions about the eight-nation region - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - among South Asians themselves as well as outsiders gives rise to intra-regional distrust and misunderstandings.

In order to create a credible and empathetic knowledge and opinion platform centred on the South Asian region - whose population comprises a fourth of mankind and which is home some of the world's fastest-growing economies, ancient cultures, volatile conflict theatres and as a region of increasing geopolitical and geostrategic importance - a group of Delhi-based journalists, scholars, former diplomats and policy analysts created in 2002 the South Asia Monitor (www.southasiamonitor.org) - a niche, independent web journal and online resource site dealing with the South Asian region whose strategic, security, and economic dynamics has fallout in the current global scenario on the extended Indo Pacific maritime domain and its tangled security architecture. 

Developed to serve South Asia watchers, policymakers, thought leaders, scholars, journalists and students across the globe who have a keen interest in South Asian studies, the site features exclusive commentaries, insightful analyses, interviews and reviews contributed by experts, diplomats, ex-armed forces personnel, journalists and domain analysts from the region and other parts of the world. It also curates select news and views related to the region from all eight South Asian countries.

As an independent platform of information and opinion/analysis on a region that is of growing strategic importance to the rest of the world, SAM looks forward to attracting insights and views from domain experts, academicians, journalists, and researchers in order to make it an interactive and enriching source of learning and understanding. As the sole South Asia-based monitoring source on the whole region, it aims to bring to you views, voices and visions that are objective and informed, yet non-parochial, unbiased and independent.

SAM also hosts physical and online Conversations on issues of relevance to India and South Asia with domain experts, policymakers, diplomats, South Asia watchers and media analysts and is ready to engage with think tanks and academic centres with similar interests.