Had it not been exploited by Pakistan economically for 24 years (1947-71), Bangladesh would have gone further ahead, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Reimagining a Cooperative South Asia: A Next-Gen Agenda to Revive SAARC
The revival of SAARC will not come from dramatic diplomatic breakthroughs. Instead, it will emerge through incremental cooperation in education, digital infrastructure, disaster response and trade facilitation. Crucially, the future of South Asian regionalism may depend on a generation that increasingly experiences the region not through borders but through shared digital, economic and cultural networks.
US–India Tariff Framework: Trade Concessions Should not Dictate Foreign Policy Choices
Trade adjustments between major economies inevitably reverberate beyond bilateral channels. Bangladesh’s potential tariff advantages in textiles could redirect labour-intensive supply chains. Pakistan, operating within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework, may use India’s perceived alignment with Washington to advance its own strategic narratives. China itself will interpret these developments within the broader context of great-power competition and recalibrate its economic and strategic posture accordingly.
Why Nepal’s Gen Z Succeeded Where Bangladesh’s Failed
A more comprehensive lesson about 21st-century youth politics can be learned from the story taking place between Kathmandu and Dhaka. Gen Z has extraordinary mobilization skills. Protests can grow quickly and upend established power structures thanks to social media networks. But mobilization is insufficient on its own. Successful political transformation requires organization, leadership, and institutional strategy. Nepal’s youth built those structures quickly. Bangladesh’s did not.
Competition for Critical Minerals can be a New Arena for International Conflict
The move by Pakistan in the Security Council is an indicator of increased apprehension among developing countries about the fact that the fruits of energy transition need to be shared more equitably. The Global South has many mineral-rich countries which usually do not get much economic benefit from extraction while bearing its environmental and social costs.
More on Spotlight
India, Israel, US and UAE: Making of a new Middle East Quad?
In a cooperative set-up of the four nations focused on the Middle East, UAE has the capital, Israel and the US the technology edge and India the manufacturing and execution capability, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
Global Hunger Index 2021: India needs to do more on child nutrition, responsive village-level governance
The GHI ranking given to India is certainly a wake-up call for the country, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
The new Great Game in Af-Pak theatre: Is Afghanistan again becoming a springboard for international terrorism?
Pakistan has shifted anti-India terrorist camps into Afghanistan and there is evidence of the Taliban allowing Harkat-ul Ansar (HuA) to push terrorists from Afghanistan into Kashmir, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
EU's new Indo-Pacific strategy is in sync with India's security perspective
The new strategy is a most welcome development for India, which had been juggling its national security interests in this vast and volatile region with support, as usual, from France, writes Amb. Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India-Bangladesh ties in review: Youth of both countries need to have a stake in bilateral friendship and cooperation
In this 50th year of Bangladesh’s liberation, need India remind them that in 1971 it sheltered over 10 million Bangladeshi refugees without a whimper, with hardly any foreign aid, and that all Indians kept paying for decades afterward to defray the cost to the nation?, writes Amb. Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Can India's looming power crisis impact Indian economic revival?
India’s energy problems, however, are not unique as its powerful neighbor, China, too, is experiencing serious shortages of electricity, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
South Asia's housing crisis: Yawning gap between slogans and ground realities
South Asia has an approximate population of 1.9 billion —about 23 percent of the world population — with a substantial number of slum dwellers and homeless, writes Nirupama Sekhri for South Asia Monitor
South Asian neighbors can gain by following Bangladesh’s economic growth model
According to the Center for Economic and Business Research (CIBR), a British economic research institute, Bangladesh will be the 34th largest economy by 2025, 26th by 2030 and 25th by 2035 if its economy continues to grow and develop like it is now, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh megaprojects can be economic game-changers, but cost and corruption are major challenges
Bangladesh is trying to utilize megaprojects as a lever to turn the country into a lucrative investment destination, writes Kazi Mohammad Jamshed for South Asia Monitor
A message for Pakistan that Islamabad fails to see
The world has moved on, but Pakistan - and its ideological fellow traveler, the Taliban - seem to be caught in a regressive time warp from which it is unable to extricate itself, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
Can India China-proof its telecom sector?
India’s dependence on China in the telecom sector is unlikely to reduce in the foreseeable future, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
India should explore expanding scope of 'two plus two' dialogue by including more countries, ministries to meet global challenges
While forging these dialogues, India should not forget Bangladesh as the interests of the two neighbors are increasingly converging in recent times, writes Shubham for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan’s energy sector is going through a paradigm shift: A greener electricity production portfolio is a policy imperative
The Pakistan government has set a target of generating at least 20 percent renewable energy by 2025 and at least 30 percent in the next five years, writes Haris Mushtaq for South Asia Monitor
India must come out in support of the rights of women in Afghanistan
It is in India’s strategic interest to continue its engagement with the Taliban, but withhold any official recognition, and continue to wait and watch to see if the regime’s assurances are matched by its deeds, writes Nisha Sahai Achuthan for South Asia Monitor
