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.
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.
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 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.
The incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government took effective steps to expedite the Port City project, which could attract USD 15 billion in investments, and emerge as a leading business, retail, residential and tourist destination in South Asia, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Aisa Monitor
There is little doubt that the whole of last year when the virus first appeared was spent in theatrical exercises based on a personality cult instead of strengthening the medical infrastructure so that the country would not be caught unawares when a second wave struck, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
The withdrawal of the US forces will increase India's concern about the recapture of power by the Taliban and the use of Afghanistan’s territory as a safe haven for terrorists, writes Indu Saxena for South Asia Monitor
It’s high time for the people and the government to come together in devising a robust mechanism for the implementation of the constitutional provisions, for the republic, deserves to realize the cherished goals envisioned under the preamble, write Jivesh Jha and Dr Alok Kumar Yadav for South Asia Monitor
While carbon neutrality will be the pitch during the summit, PM Modi should use climate diplomacy not only to remind the developed countries about common but differentiated responsibilities and their past commitments, but also to institutionalize the mechanism and alliance jointly with USA, for tracking the climate finances to developing countries and mainstream climate justice, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
Amid the divergent claims by the US and the Indian governments, it is important to delineate the correct position of international law on the military activities in the EEZ, writes Aftab Alam for South Asia Monitor
Since there is little chance of the BJP desisting from its pursuit of religion-based politics which places the surmises, predilections and objectives of the party’s Hindu followers above those of the minorities, the country will have to brace itself for a prolonged period of Hindu-Muslim confrontation, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
India is one of the few powers that sit at crossroads of Continental Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific --- the two regions that will define this century and to which India's development and security are inextricably linked, writes Lt. Gen. (Dr) Yash Malhotra (retd) for South Asia Monitor
For Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, the opportunities for growth include trading more with one another – with India as the pivot – with better water, road and rail connectivity, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
The leadership on both sides has ushered a new chapter in India-Bangladesh relations. India is well-positioned geographically and industrially to play the role of a near-shore partner for its allies like Bangladesh, writes Dr Indu Saxena for South Asia Monitor
Biden, who is trying to draw India closer on the strategic front in the Indo-Pacific also wants to increase its involvement in Afghanistan, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
Walking out from the US-proposed intra-Afghan talks in Turkey, Taliban has cocked a snook at Capitol Hill indicating it will commence attacking foreign troops next month, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
The digital economy gives a strong option for all countries of South Asia to connect not only within themselves but also globally, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
The upshot is that there is only one direction that bilateral trade between India and Pakistan can now go due to politics. This entails a huge loss in potential opportunities, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Hasina, now basking in the glory of having led Bangladesh to phenomenal economic and human development progress in the golden decade of development, has her task cut out, writes Subir Bhaumik for South Asia Monitor
