Trincomalee oil farm

Trincomalee as Regional Oil Hub: Sri Lanka Needs to Act Decisively to Secure its Energy Future

Against this backdrop, in 2025, India, Sri Lanka, and the UAE signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop Trincomalee. The agreement, involving the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the UAE Ministry of Investment, and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Energy, was designed to enhance Sri Lanka’s energy security and integrate the country into regional energy networks.

Pakistan’s Mediation Mirage: Strategic Posturing in a Fractured West Asia

Pakistan’s attempt to position itself as a peace broker in the Middle East may generate headlines, but it does little to advance the cause of stability. If anything, it underscores a larger truth: in high-stakes geopolitics, perceived neutrality without proven credibility is not an asset—it is a liability.

With Global Stability at Risk, India Must Initiate Efforts to De-escalate US–Israel–Iran Conflict

India’s leadership in global forums such as BRICS and the G20 further enhances its ability to bring together diverse stakeholders. Simultaneously, its role as a prominent voice of the Global South enables it to advocate for peace without appearing aligned with any specific 

War Against Iran Enters Second Month: Whither Global Leadership?

Expanding the arc of aerial/missile destruction  to the Bab el-Mandeb would irreparably threaten the last viable option for  Gulf oil exports and a regional war will soon cascade into an ‘epic’  global crisis. Ironically, the tally of death and destruction is barely mentioned and the war sanitized to a daily video ritual. Scroll and move on. Sagacious global leadership  is absent  when it is most needed  and a discerning global civil society has been  paralyzed by the unending Trump  theatrics. 

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India @70 has moved very far away from Bapu@150

Even as India has marked 70 years of the Republic in January,  the closure of the 150th birth anniversary  of Bapu reveals the degree to which the nation has moved away from the Gandhian spirit and ethos, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor 

Building Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy: We must be the change we wish to see in the world

In the past few years, radical extremists have countered Mahatma Gandhi and his teaching and his preaching with acts of ‘war,’ ‘hate,’ and ‘violence,’ writes Frank F. Islam for South Asia Monitor

Understanding Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of ends and means

Gandhi said, means are foreseeable, ends are not. Thus, means can be controlled, managed and guaranteed, writes Ram Krishna Sinha for South Asia Monitor

Churails: A tale of unapologetic Pakistani women in a patriarchal society

Churails reflects the voice of Pakistani women against the repressive traditional patriarchal societal norms, writes Azeemah Saleem for South Asia Monitor

India and SAARC: Need to re-set engagement with key partners

If India is to defend its turf against China in the SAARC region, it must contribute to greater flows of intra-regional trade and investments by accepting “asymmetrical responsibilities” in opening its market to neighbours without insisting on reciprocity, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

India’s tactics against China: A game theory perspective

While there is a common belief that the tit-for-tat game that India is playing with China is petty and self-destructive, this strategy has been proven to be pretty useful in the  current  faceoff, writes Akshat MIttal for South Asia Monitor

Japan-Bangladesh joint project brings paradigm shift in public delivery services

The Cabinet Division of Bangladesh, the executive office of the Prime Minister, has included kaizen in the annual performance agreement (APA) with the allocation of some weightage, writes Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim for South Asia Monitor 

Determinants in Nepal-India affiliation: Time for redefining special relationship

What is needed between the two countries is close cooperation and not a competition – this is obligatory in the Nepal-India relationship – and of course, no confrontation both at political and people-to-people relations, as this will lead to a catastrophic, writes Maj. Gen. Binoj Basnyat (retd) for South Asia Monitor

South Asia: An assessment for a post-COVID economic recovery

The dilemma of growing COVID-19 cases and reviving economic activity is crucial at this juncture which the leadership in the South Asia region will have to resolve and, herein, lies the challenge for it, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Does revival of Pak cinema depend upon India?

Pakistani cinema industry, even as it fears being swamped by Bollywood, realises the need for films from India that, given the common culture, resonate well with the cinegoers, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

Corporatisation of ordnance factory board: A strategic necessity for India

In view of the unprecedented tension between the Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army on the Line of Actual Control since early May 2020, it is vitally important for ordnance factories to be able to meet large requirements of arms, ammunition, vehicles, and various equipment, writes Col Anil Bhat (retd) for South Asia Monitor

South Asia and its COVID-related maritime crisis in the Indian Ocean Region (World Maritime Day September 24)

The scourge of the COVID pandemic has radically altered the nature of the challenge cum dangers lurking in the maritime sector for South Asia as related to the Indian Ocean and the surrounding seas, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

Addressing Muslim developmental needs in India is a hand-up, not a hand-out

Although madrasas educate only between 2-4% of Muslim children and youth, they need to modernize their curriculum and move away from Islamic centric or Islamic-only education to a holistic approach that enables these students to integrate fully into Indian society, writes Frank Islam for South Asia Monitor

Is a ‘boycott’ of Indian pharma products in the EU market justifiable?

The global healthcare has benefited hugely from the Indian pharmaceutical industry, and from generic drugs that the Indian pharmaceutical industry produces for the world,  writes Sunil Prasad for South Asia Monitor 

IPL evolves to suit the pandemic times: Platform for young and talented cricketers

Now it became possible for young and talented cricketers with abilities to shoot into the top rung via the IPL. With cricket now being played increasingly across South Asia, one sees rising stars from Afghanistan and Nepal also in the IPL mix, writes Col Ravi Rajan (retd) for South Asia Monitor