Internationally, leading medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) in the United States have recognized Integrative Medicine as a legitimate, evidence-informed discipline. They are conducting research, developing protocols, and training healthcare professionals in the art and science of integration.
Bangladesh is not immune to the regional trend of rising religious and political extremism after a dramatic regime change. Credible security analyses warn that, with recent upheavals, hardline groups are reconfiguring networks and testing gaps in the state’s capacity to respond. To weaken the armed forces and other disciplined services is to invite those groups to exploit the vacuum.
This moral dissonance is far from a Bangladeshi anomaly - it echoes across South Asia. From India to Pakistan to Sri Lanka, the lines between desire, dominance, and digital depravity are blurring faster than ever.
Pakistan's transition from imminent default in 2023 to stability in 2025 exemplifies a remarkable macroeconomic reversal in South Asia. In contrast to Sri Lanka, which is mired in post-default restructuring, and Bangladesh, which is experiencing export stagnation, Pakistan's synchronized budgetary discipline and IMF-supported reforms have started to produce concrete outcomes
Another critical reform is ensuring that at least 33% of government board members are women. This move is more than just a symbolic gesture; it marks a tangible shift toward inclusivity in decision-making. Women have historically been underrepresented in governance structures, and this policy sends a strong message that their voices are not just welcome but necessary for Pakistan’s progress.
While the BJP began on the backfoot as the party of Hindutva (political Hinduism) inspiring little confidence among Kashmiri Muslims, the elections provided vindication to the Modi government's Kashmir policy even in his party's defeat. It was a feat in itself to hold peaceful elections with all political parties contesting under the post-2019 arrangement with a 63.88% turnout to show.
Take, for instance, the recent rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections across Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Governments have started cracking down on antibiotic overuse in human medicine, yet the uncontrolled use of antibiotics in livestock and aquaculture remains largely unchecked. The result? Resistant bacteria continue to grow, eventually finding their way into human populations
South Asian states have steered clear of accepting formal responsibilities in addressing refugees, with only Afghanistan being a curious signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. South Asian states have sought a more voluntary approach to taking in refugees, with geopolitical considerations driving the select acceptability of refugee communities.
Modi can invoke Trump’s language and highlight business and economic opportunities along with market mechanisms that are available almost on platter while pursuing a non-fossil fuel future. Particularly, Modi could showcase employment generation by promoting solar energy through the International Solar Alliance. He and Trump can strike bilateral and multilateral ventures as well as research programmes with BRICS on solar energy, modular nuclear plants, windmills, biofuels and green, grey and blue hydrogen.
On October 21, 2023, India launched ‘Project Udhbav’ during the inauguration of the Indian Military Heritage Festival to synthesize ancient wisdom with contemporary military practices, forging a unique and holistic approach to address modern security challenges. It is tempting to draw a correspondence between India’s and China’s initiatives just 17 days apart.
India has 24 nuclear reactors in operation in 8 nuclear power plants with a total installed capacity of 8,180 MW nuclear power produced a total of 48 TWh in 2023, contributing around 3% of total power generation in India. Due to earlier trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium. India is actively pursuing the development of nuclear energy using thorium as its primary fuel source
Since the Colombo Process Ministerial Consultation in Bali, 2005, member states have taken concrete steps to improve the management of labour migration. There has been significant progress in areas of revised policies and regulations. There is greater cooperation between Colombo Process countries and key destination countries. Several initiatives are now in place including awareness-raising campaigns, orientation training, recruitment drives, remittance investment and welfare programmes.
India’s rise provides positive ripple impact to the region and the world, from economic and trade spillover effects to the larger equation of helping to secure and preserve the rules-based order that has been the main bedrock of global trade and maritime capacity, maintaining the sanctity of international law and global norms, and in securing the freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters
Economic considerations surrounding media ownership in South Asia amplify the difficulties of conducting value-neutral journalism. People and businesses with a strong desire to keep things amicable between governments and public institutions own a lot of big media outlets. Journalists are unable to objectively critique powerful entities due to their reliance on advertising, government contracts, or political patronage.
China’s pervasive and growing economic (finance, infrastructure, trade, and energy sectors), diplomatic, and overt/covert military influence, in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India’s northeastern states, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives, and back to Gwadar in Pakistan is amply evident. The recent bonhomie between Bangladesh and Pakistan, both under China’s influence, raises fresh challenges for India’s security.
While a Chinese-backed coal power project in Sri Lanka is being carried out without opposition, Adani’s eco-friendly energy project, which the world is looking to as the energy of the future, is being opposed.
South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, stands at a crossroads as Trump’s policies reshape regional dynamics. India’s growing prominence within the QUAD strengthens its strategic position, but smaller economies like Bangladesh face vulnerabilities.
The mass deportations - which will potentially affect hundreds if not thousands of South Asians - are not logistically or financially possible and have been pared down by his nominees, limiting it to criminal migrants.
A number of leading universities and institutes around the world have initiated net-zero hubs in their campuses but India is the first country to initiate a collaborative national movement supported by government and industry. Integrating 23 IITs in this movement will be a groundbreaking concept that can elevate India as the world leader in clean technologies and of skilled human capital.
