Amid shortages of even essential goods and runaway inflation, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s image has taken a solid beating, writes P. Jayaram for South Asia Monitor
Trincomalee Energy Hub Development Will be a Strategic Milestone in India-Sri Lanka Ties
If one location matters most to India in Sri Lanka, it is Trincomalee. With one of the finest natural harbours in the world, Trincomalee has immense commercial, naval, and energy value. For decades, strategists in New Delhi have viewed it as critical to the security architecture of the Bay of Bengal.
SAARC vs BIMSTEC: Why Regional Integration is Failing in South Asia
South Asia cannot remain an archipelago of isolated economies connected only by shared history and mutual suspicion. Changing acronyms does not change reality. Summit declarations will not achieve true economic integration. True integration requires the political courage to dismantle physical and bureaucratic walls. Only then will the region stop holding its immense potential captive.
Body Blows to Indian Democracy: The Deeper Story of a Parliamentary Bill That Failed
The resultant reduced trust signals a declining democratic discourse that should be the biggest worry for the nation at this stage. The bill that failed thus tells the deeper story of all that is going wrong in the Indian democracy, bit by bit, in areas that are clearly visible and sometimes in many invisible ways.
Manipur’s Unfinished War: When Suppressed Conflict Returns with Firepower
Manipur today is not merely a regional crisis. It is a test of India’s democratic resilience. It highlights the limits of governance models that prioritize control over consensus. Without a shift toward genuine political engagement that addresses the fears, rights, and representation of all communities, the conflict will persist and resurface with greater intensity.
More on Spotlight
Now Bangladesh to aid Kabul beat hunger and disease
Bangladesh – which has in recent times extended loans to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – is also home to about 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, writes Samina Akhter for South Asia Monitor
Afghanistan's problems require a collective regional solution; India must play a leading role
If Afghanistan does not witness a modicum of internal stability, adherence to human values and shuns terrorism of all hues, not only the region but beyond too will be impacted adversely, writes Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh and Maldives: Bridging geographical distances through common political commitments, religious values
Hasina's visit to the Maldives is in keeping with Bangladesh's larger aspirations, writes Ozair Islam for South Asia Monitor
Need to discover alternative equitable solutions for climate change action
Fairness, sustainability and dialogue must be cornerstones of any climate change policy, not a dialogue bogged down by Westernized notions, write Nishtha Gupta and Aditya Matolli for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh’s balancing politics in the strategic Bay of Bengal
Whether Bangladesh is involved in the Indo-Pacific Strategy or Belt and Road, it must maintain peace and rule of law to reap maximum economic benefits from the Bay of Bengal, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Iran-China 25-year cooperation has major regional and global implications
The China-Iran partnership scenario is not a product of coincidental political and trade decisions over the years, but rather a part of a carefully crafted policy, writes Ivaylo Valchev for South Asia Monitor
Will Pashtun nationalism become Pakistan's Achilles' heel?
Support to the Pakistan Taliban and Afghan Taliban is rebounding on Islamabad as both Talibans don’t recognize Durand Line and want Pakistan to be Sharia-ruled, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd.) for South Asia Monitor
Bravehearts of Killer Squadron: Recalling Indian Navy’s 1971 valour
The Killer Squadron traces its genesis to the 1971 war when it took part in operations that enabled the Indian Navy to dominate the Arabian Sea, crippling the Pakistan Navy, writes Col Anil Bhat (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India's outreach to Central Asia: Afghanistan factor gives it added importance
India, as also Eurasia – Russia and the Central Asian Republics (CARs) - have a common adversary in terrorism and need to make it a common goal to work on, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Growing income disparities in India can upset social equilibrium
How does India compare with the South Asian neighbourhood? The World Inequality Lab database indicates that regional disparities are less than India’s, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Why winning the ‘water game’ in India requires team effort
With some 600 million Indians facing high to extreme water stress, ‘games’ offer vital insights for expanding self-governance to help people manage water more sustainably, write Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Pratiti Priyadarshini for South Asia Monitor
India-Bangladesh ties headed for a 'golden phase', with enhanced connectivity creating new opportunities
The two countries’ leaders have brought Delhi and Dhaka closer and can together bring economic prosperity to South Asia, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Celebrating a unique 50-year relationship: India and Bangladesh are development partners with worrying challenges
The foremost geostrategic challenge for India vis-à-vis Bangladesh is to counter the machinations of the China-Pakistan axis, writes Amb Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty (retd) for South Asia Monitor
US has paid a heavy price for condoning the Bangladesh genocide in 1971
As a result of the Nixon-Kissinger folly that made it an accomplice of the Pakistani crimes in Bangladesh, Washington is now facing a formidable rival in China, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
