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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Growing Bangladesh-Sri Lanka trade and investment ties have positive implications for the region

If a free trade agreement is signed, then only the sky would be the limit for Bangladesh-Sri Lanka business relations, writes MD Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor

Equitable vaccine distribution a must for South Asia's economic recovery

The Asian Development Bank has stated that in South Asia the new wave of Covid-19  between March and June 2021 has somewhat dampened the economic outlook of the region, writes Partha Pratim Mitra, for South Asia Monitor

The Taliban’s return in Afghanistan will reinforce the Al Qaeda threat

Al Qaeda is leading a scattered existence along the Afghan-Pakistan border and its leadership is undergoing a constant shift, writes Anuttama Banerji for South Asia Monitor

Afghanistan's grim future and its huge regional implications

India won’t let the developments in Afghanistan affect its interests, more so because Pakistan and China are rubbing their hands in glee, waiting to move in to fill the vacuum in Afghanistan left by the United States, writes Mehraj udin Bhat for South Asia Monitor 

The American debacle in Afghanistan: Did US negotiators know early in 2020 that the Taliban could take over easily?

It is hardly surprising that in a mockery of the so-called US intelligence projection that Kabul could fall in 30 to 60 days, the capital caved in within 48 hours, writes Mayank Chhaya for South Asia Monitor

India needs labor-intensive manufacturing employment to stall reverse migration

Indian industry must have a conducive environment to invest and employ more workers from farms, writes  N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Taliban needs to reform ideology, cut terror links for ruling Afghanistan

The Taliban are aware that if they shelter foreign militants with transnational agenda. It could turn neighboring powers like China, Russia, Iran, India, or Pakistan against them, writes Ainur Khan for South Asia Monitor

Monk and the prime minister: Did a Sri Lankan scholar help to ignite interest in Buddhist studies in Israel?

Today many Israeli universities have departments of Buddhist studies and South Asian philosophies as interest among Jewish scholars on Buddhist meditation continues to grow, writes Punsara Amarasinghe for South Asia Monitor 

Afghanistan, its sectarian divisions, and international stakeholders

Pakistan has checkmated India to some extent, though the Taliban has recognized India’s role in the reconstruction projects and Salma Dam, writes Brig Dinesh Mathur (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Will Taliban 2.0 signal a radical policy change?

To the extent that the Taliban keeps its word both on not letting it soil be used as a terrorist launch pad and keeping off Kashmir, there is a possible window for the Modi government in India to engage with it, writes Mayank Chhaya for South Asia Monitor

A prudent India should consider Bangladesh as its most suitable investment destination

India's poor record of implementing infrastructure projects in neighboring countries has pushed them even more towards China, writes Anup Sinha for South Asia Monitor

With Taliban on verge of wresting power, the US has a lot of explaining to do

Can the US pose as the champion of human rights after abandoning the Afghan population to this horrendous human tragedy? writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Independence Days of India and Pakistan tinged with some unfulfilled aspirations

For India and Pakistan, therefore, which were once a single country, the anniversaries of their independence days are burdened with thoughts of what might have been, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Ties soured by the China factor, Sri Lanka’s new policy document reaches out to India

The document seeks to achieve Sri Lanka’s foreign policy objective vis-à-vis India while coming closest to admitting that China has cast a long shadow over Colombo-New Delhi ties, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

75 years of Indo-Saudi diplomatic relations: Strong mutual interests reinforcing ties

Indo-Saudi economic ties have seen tremendous growth over time, writes Asif Rameez for South Asia Monitor