The Indian government’s explanation for the crackdown on these presentations is comprehensive enough to nip all literary, cinematic, and journalistic ventures in the bud, writes Amulya Ganguli 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
US vows to deepen India partnership against China dangers; no zero-sum proposition vis-a-vis Pakistan
Biden is having to deal with the geopolitical realities of the rising threat from China and has to have India as a strategic asset for meeting the challenge, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
Developing India’s port sector to meet its global aspirations
In the last six years of being in office, this government has taken numerous initiatives to harness the potential of the maritime sector and improve India’s global standing, writes Cmdre Anil Jai Singh (retd) for South Asia Monitor
South Asia: Economic reality and policy options
Global recession has amplified domestic economic challenges and caused output contraction in 2020, with economies that rely heavily on tourism and travel particularly hard hit are Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
Quad should define the new global narrative in checking China's rise
India too would appear to be finally moving towards a more ‘aligned’ foreign policy in response to a militaristic and aggressive China and its puppet ally Pakistan, both implacably opposed to her rise, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor
BJP’s guiding light: Enter Golwalkar, exit Vajpayee
A quarter of a century later, it is clear that the BJP has said farewell to such leniency and the spirit of accommodation which enabled Vajpayee to come to power at the centre in 1998, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh, India need to combat air pollution without compromising economic growth
Both the governments of Bangladesh and India can come out with policies that promote renewable energy sources, which will help to improve air quality and human health, writes Safen Roy for South Asia Monitor
Will Bangladesh be able to lure more Japanese investment?
Attracting Japanese companies shifting out of China thus is consistent with Bangladesh’s Look East policy. To facilitate this a Special Economic Zone is being built, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
Biden’s declaration ‘America is back’ must also apply to Afghanistan
The US-Taliban peace deal also needs to be rejected, as it is a disaster in the making for Afghanistan, the region as well as for America since it would turn Af-Pak into a terror cauldron and a springboard to launch terror attacks on the US and its allies, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
High stakes at coming India-EU summit: Opportunities and roadblocks
Can the EU hope for forward-looking language on at least a limited trade deal between India and the EU?, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor
In India, dissenters are having it rough
The Supreme Court of India has categorically held that criticism of the government, however harsh, does not amount to sedition unless violence is incited, writes Rahul Machaiah for South Asia Monitor
Need for reinventing India’s aeronautical industry
Fifty years of bitter experience should prompt the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to initiate a major paradigm-shift in India's defence-industrial programmes, writes Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India needs a more assertive policy on Tibet to counter China
India must seek a larger role for the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration in the international arena, write Pradeep S. Mehta and Jithin Sabu for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh should keep up pressure on Rohingya repatriation
Bangladesh should keep raising the Rohingya issue in all international forums. It should continue its efforts in various diplomatic arenas to exert more international pressure on Myanmar for a quick Rohingya repatriation, write MD Sakib Hossain & Kawsar Uddin Mahmud for South Asia Monitor
South Asia: Energy imperatives of the Paris Agreement
Asia has significant scope for regional cooperation and collaboration among its energy-deficient and energy-sufficient regions to enhance its overall energy security, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
