Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, in New Delhi. Photo: PMO

India Through a Different Lens: Post BRICS Summit, a Nuanced Change in Outlook Towards India in Chinese Media and Policy Circles

The real change, then, is not merely that Chinese media sounded friendlier towards India. It is that they assigned India a different place in the story. New Delhi appeared as a complex but consequential partner, whose strategic autonomy and cooperation matter to China's imagining of a changing world order. 

The Indus Waters Treaty: What Comes After The Hague Ruling?

Pakistan, for its part, will have to recognise that the old assumption of an immutable treaty operating independently of the broader India-Pakistan relationship has become untenable. Islamabad cannot expect the water relationship to remain insulated indefinitely from terrorism

India-China Eight-Point Agreement: A Tactical Thaw, but Trust Remains Elusive

Hopes for Sino-Indian relations centre on a cautious diplomatic thaw, institutionalised border stability and renewed high-level engagement. Indian negotiators and defence planners are well aware that “trust must be verified”. While the activation of these eight points provides valuable channels to prevent an accidental kinetic clash on the ground, the real test of China’s sincerity will not be the joint statements signed in Beijing, but whether it ceases infrastructure build-ups and respects the historical patrolling rights of Indian troops along the LAC.

What's in a Name? Nomenclature Diplomacy Says Much About Changing Geopolitics

By removing the ‘Indo’ prefix from Indo-Pacific the US implicitly acknowledges that it no longer unilaterally defines the eastern strategic landscape. Regional organisations like BRICS continue to redefine the lexicon of ‘rules-based order’ to insulate themselves from western domination.

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Pakistan’s 1971 war debacle: A Bengali judge's report lies buried with little accountabilty

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Can the UAE bring India and Pakistan back on dialogue path?

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South Asia needs strategic integration for closer economic cooperation

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Kathmandu’s deteriorating air quality: Nepal should seek compensation from China, India

Nepal has all the right to claim compensation from its two neighbouring countries – China and India - two of the world’s biggest polluters, write Jivesh Jha & Alok Kumar Yadav  for South Asia Monitor

Pakistan a responsible nuclear state: Uses nuclear energy for economic progress, social prosperity

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China will dominate Persian Gulf through strategic pact with Iran; major implications for region

The PLA presence in Iran, which may rise, should be seen in conjunction with PLA presence in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and in the garb of civilians in development projects around the world, the Middle East and Oman included, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

India’s vaccine gift to UN peacekeepers: Helping humanity fight pandemic

India’s initiative in supplying vaccines to UN peacekeeping forces and also to a large number of poor countries is a masterstroke of Narendra Modi’s government in vaccine diplomacy, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor 

Modi visit to Bangladesh: Much to celebrate amid hard political realities

The Modi visit, as well as previous high-level visits on both sides, have without any shadow of doubt made these two neighbours secure a bilateral partnership that can potentially lead to a larger regional role with greater possibilities, writes Sreeradha Datta for South Asia Monitor 

Quad a forceful idea: EU must have a more strategic China policy

The EU, part of the western alliance, can no longer remain a balancing power between America, the Quad and China, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Instability in Nepal fuelling Terai autonomy movement

The Terai autonomy movement has been going on since 2007 and has recently gained traction with the armed outfit renewing its political vows at a time when Nepal is facing a host of internal issues, writes Shushant VC for South Asia Monitor

Modi’s catch-the-rain awareness campaign will help India conserve scarce water (World Water Day is on March 22)

Prime Minister Modi clearly laid out the importance of collective responsibility towards water conservation in February. He called for a 100-day campaign to clean up water bodies and prepare them for rainwater harvesting before the monsoon of 2021, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

Modi visit: Bangladeshi radicals cant derail the dynamism of growing India-Bangladesh ties

Regardless of the fundamentalist rhetoric on both sides of the border, the governments of Modi and Hasina are focused on improving connectivity, trade, and people-to-people relations, writes Subir Bhaumik for South Asia Monitor

Biden presidency will see a more collaborative Indo-US relationship

Biden has more India expertise than any previous president, which will only be a good thing for bilateral relations, writes Frank Islam for South Asia Monitor  

Himalayan disasters: Urgent need for collaboration between India, Nepal and Bhutan

The Chamoli disaster should serve as an eye-opener for nations, government and individuals alike. In order to decrease the magnitude of such environmental disasters that occur or can occur in the coming future, it is necessary for the governments of India, Nepal, and Bhutan to collaborate in order to come up with sustainable solutions, writes Shushant V C for South Asia Monitor

UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka opens door for international intervention: Will India abandon role of regional power?

An international body to be provided with an opportunity to directly interfere in an internal affair of a member of the world community, especially a country in South Asia, will definitely dent the position of India as the regional power, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor