Representational Photo

Why Dhaka and Delhi Must Find Common Ground - and Their Shared Space

If India says the security of its Northeast, border management, trade and connectivity matter, Bangladesh can equally say that water sharing, deaths at the border, market access, energy security, river management and sovereign equality matter to it. 

PLA’s Partial Pullbacks from Ladakh Frontier: More Tactical Than Operational Move by China

The Indian military views no disengagement in Arunachal Pradesh as part of a wider strategic recalibration, prompting India to match Chinese force rebalancing by shifting strike corps and resources equally across both northern and eastern fronts.

China-US: Rivalry, Restraint, a New Equilibrium - and an Emerging Geopolitical Order

BRICS is acquiring greater visibility, while countries of the Global South continue to seek a greater voice in the international system. The desire for a more multipolar world is becoming increasingly evident. Over the next decade, this could produce a geopolitical configuration rather different from the one we have known since the end of the Cold War.

Xi Jinping's China: A Scholarly Look at a Nation Driven by a Sense of Destiny

Kuhn says if the first half of this century is being defined by USA-China relations, the second half may well be defined by India-China relations and, in the New World Order, "India-China relations will likely become the most pivotal.....for the entire world".

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

Have Nepal's communists made it China’s proxy?

Indian policy towards Nepal has been lackadaisical. Belief of mutual Hindu traditions should be viewed in the context of power in Nepal lying with the communists for whom religion is anathema, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Lessons from Cyclone Amphan: Need to rethink development strategy

The question that arises uppermost is that are we learning the right lessons from these recurring weather episodes or just concentrating  on immediate short-term disaster relief without taking any steps to make the regions ecologically sustainable and disaster resistant, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Will the sun shine again on Maldives tourism?

The coronavirus outbreak has hit the Maldivian economy hard, as travel restrictions and other preventive measures affected the country’s lucrative tourism industry, which contributes to the bulk of the island nation’s state revenue and foreign reserves, writes Kavita Bajeli-Datt for South Asia Monitor

A global partnership is needed to combat COVID-19

On April 23, 2020, in a virtual conference ‘Enhancing regional cooperation in South Asia to combat COVID-19 related impact on its economics’ organized by the World Economic Forum, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina placed five-point proposals to combat this global crisis with collective responsibility and partnership from every society, writes Dr. Mohammad Tarikul Islam for South Asia Monitor

Can India and Nepal resolve border dispute with elephant in the room?

The Kalapani issue first came into prominence in 1997 when the Indian and Chinese governments came to an agreement to open a route for the annual Kailash-Mansarovar yatra through Lipulekh pass. Nepal objected to the use of Lipulekh, writes Shubha Singh for South Asia Monitor

Bihar's migrant crisis compounded by resource crunch and communication breakdown

Bihar is the poorest state of the country in per capita terms. Can it find the enormous resources required to fight the virus and its impact on the economy? writes Gulrez Hoda for South Asia Monitor

A territorial dispute with an actress caught in its midst!

The row between the two nations heated up when Nepal’s Communist Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli  on May 20 vowed before the country’s Parliament to reclaim the three “disputed areas” from New Delhi., writes Kavita Bajeli-Datt for South Asia Monitor

Job loss, hunger stalk South Asia in COVID-19 times

South Asia is home to over 1.8 billion people and houses half of the world’s impoverished communities, writes Aashish Kiphayet for South Asia Monitor

Honour killings continue in Pakistan: Feudal-patriarchal mindset still rules

Honour killing has been part of social traditions in Pakistan’s deeply conservative tribal society, but not confined to it. Killings have been reported in Lahore, Karachi and other places as well, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

In post-COVID-19, Kerala needs innovation in governance

There is a need for a radical attitudinal change in governance and also among Malayalees.  Skilling graduates, who are mostly unemployable, should be top priority, writes K S Nayar for South Asia Monitor

India needs to keep up its assertive stance against terrorism

The shift in the approach towards terrorism is mildly indicative of India's assertive and uncompromising stance in dealing with terrorism, writes Jay Maniyar for South Asia Monitor

Whither self-reliance in defence hardware? Need for complete revamp of India's DTIB

India’s political establishment seems to have utterly failed to appreciate the need for self-sufficiency in military hardware. Consequently, no roadmap or grand strategy has ever been drawn up, for attaining autonomy in defence-production, writes Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Has BJP lost touch with India's masses?

The pandemic has revealed the Jana Sangh-BJP’s basic faultline which marks the breach between the affluent and the non-trader lower castes and the lower middle and working classes, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor 

Universal Basic Income is answer to the migrant labour crisis

With livelihoods suddenly coming to an end due to the lockdown, the option left for the migrant workers was to make a hasty retreat to their home towns. The presence of some form of Universal Basic Income (UBI) could have mitigated their uncertainties to a certain extent, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Its Modi’s moment to transform rural India with reverse migration

This is Modi’s moment to transform India. He has the ability to not waste this opportunity to make the migrants stay in their safe homes and not allow them back to the cities., writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor