Growing US-China Rivalry in Indian Ocean

Growing US-China Rivalry in Indian Ocean: A Test of Sri Lanka's Foreign Policy

China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka is an immediate concern for India as the resident power in the region, but it is also a global concern for the United States. 

Hasina's Return Proclamation Throws a Spanner in India-Bangladesh Ties

The Indian government is caught in a bind. Despite the BNP government’s outrage, for Delhi to hasten Hasina’s extradition is not an option.

Why the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Keeps Burning: Keys to Peace Lies With Group Whose Loyalties Answer to No One

The borderland TTP now exploits is the same terrain that Pakistan's own security establishment worked for decades to create as "strategic depth."  The world of proxy-war infrastructure seldom remains directed towards where its architects have aimed.

India and Australia Enhance Strategic Relationship, Prioritise Maritime Domain Awareness to Secure Indo-Pacific

A significant factor that emerged after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025 was the strain in the India-US relationship under the Trump administration, driven by aggressive tariff disputes and policy friction. This indirectly accelerated India’s push to diversify partnerships, prompting New Delhi to lean more pragmatically into closer economic and strategic ties with middle powers such as Australia.

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

Covid-19 vaccination in India: Lessons it can draw from the US experience

Unlike the US, vaccine hesitancy among large sections of the population is not an issue in India, but production is, writes Frank F. Islam for South Asia Monitor

India needs comprehensive labor market revival measures to improve pandemic-hit economy

Labor economists and various surveys have said the pandemic and consequent job and income losses have pushed tens of millions of Indians into poverty in the last few months, writes Vaibhavi Pingale for South Asia Monitor

Taliban must end the senseless violence: A plea for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan

I believe that as an Afghan and as a youth, after the full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, no pretext and justification will exist for the Taliban to continue the war -  the jihad against a foreign power, writes Bator Arsalan for South Asia Monitor

India should stop being coy about China’s hegemonistic ambitions

The least India can do is to let the Tibetan community in India select a new Dalai Lama; if there are two Dalai Lamas (one selected in India and one in China), New Delhi should have nothing to do with the Beijing-backed Dalai Lama, writes  M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

India's Myanmar policy must balance protection of strategic interests with democratic values

Amid pervasive expansion of Chinese influence in Myanmar, New Delhi doesn’t want to give further space to Beijing and feels the best option is to remain silent on the Myanmar military’s actions, writes Pema Tseten Lachungpa for South Asia Monitor
 

The unchecked malady of police brutality in India

Police brutality in India is a form of institutional violence as it is closely connected with law enforcement and torture is perceived as an expeditious method of policing, writes Rahul Machaiah for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh’s growth has attracted world attention: A future competitor to India in South Asia?

Politically, the Sheikh Hasina government has adroitly maneuvered a middle but autonomous road for Bangladesh, away from the influences of two regional powers, China and India, writes Aneek Chatterjee for South Asia Monitor

Hindu-Muslim brotherhood: Will RSS chief's sage counsel mark a new beginning for Hindutva groups?

The nation, and especially Hindus and Muslims, will be waiting with bated breath to see what impact the RSS supremo’s advice has on the ruling BJP, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Dilip Kumar: Last of the titans from Indian cinema's 'golden age'

Dilip Kumar suffered during the phases when neighbors Pakistan and India went to war, but his popularity and the run of his films remained unaffected, on both sides of the border, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

Is Pakistan likely to face more US sanctions after American troops leave Afghanistan?

Pakistan fails to realize that with US troops exiting Afghanistan, Washington will no longer overlook the generation of terrorism and recruitment of child soldiers by Pakistan, especially when it is wedded to Beijing against the US, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor 

Bhutan’s king leads from the front nation's battle against Covid-19

Although Bhutan will succeed in its vaccination drive, the scramble in the South Asian region for doses underscores the highly iniquitous access to vaccines to fight Covid-19, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Dalai Lama turns 87: Should India continue to keep him at arm's length?

The Chinese Communists were never shy in shaking hands with insurgents and rebels from India. In contrast, the Dalai Lama has never wielded a weapon. In that sense, he is also a Mahatma Gandhi, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

Nepal in need of massive judicial reforms to ensure implementation of court orders

The Supreme Court of Nepal issued 246 verdicts in 2019-2020 to be implemented by the various ministries, The government, in most cases, didn’t comply with the court orders, writes Ravi Nayak for South Asia Monitor

How remote-area vaccination is boosting India's security

The government’s vaccination outreach to remote border areas, in Kashmir and the Northeast, and the local people's smiling embrace of these efforts was an indication of their comfort level and confidence in the Indian system, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor

Can the US underwrite regional stability against emerging Chinese threats?

In the long run, if tactically implemented, the B3W initiative can also help India and its allies balance China’s String of Pearls strategy in South Asia and beyond, writes Pradeep S. Mehta for South Asia Monitor