Afghan refugees being sent back to Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Endless Afghan Question: Refugees, Rivalries and Strategic Distrust

The anti-Taliban narrative of Pakistan is proving to be counterproductive as it is helping the Taliban to increase its regional outreach and internal consolidation of power. People in Afghanistan are uniting to support the regime’s unyielding posture towards Pakistan.

PLA’s Partial Pullbacks from Ladakh Frontier: More Tactical Than Operational Move by China

The Indian military views no disengagement in Arunachal Pradesh as part of a wider strategic recalibration, prompting India to match Chinese force rebalancing by shifting strike corps and resources equally across both northern and eastern fronts.

China-US: Rivalry, Restraint, a New Equilibrium - and an Emerging Geopolitical Order

BRICS is acquiring greater visibility, while countries of the Global South continue to seek a greater voice in the international system. The desire for a more multipolar world is becoming increasingly evident. Over the next decade, this could produce a geopolitical configuration rather different from the one we have known since the end of the Cold War.

Xi JInping's China: A Scholarly Look at a Nation Driven by a Sense of Destiny

Kuhn says if the first half of this century is being defined by USA-China relations, the second half may well be defined by India-China relations and, in the New World Order, "India-China relations will likely become the most pivotal.....for the entire world".

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

India's new soft power: Pharmacy of the world

Gratitude has been expressed to India from the highest political levels of the 57-odd countries that have received 56 million doses through outright grants, commercially or through COVAX, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Manifold challenges faced by imprisoned transgender persons in South Asia

There are countries in South Asia, for example, India and Pakistan, where we have judgments from apex courts declaring self-determination of gender identity by trans people as fundamental to gender recognition, writes Sai Bourothu for South Asia Monitor

An icon of South Asia: Sahir Ludhianvi’s lifetime work and legacy still relevant

Sahir's birth centenary, on March 8, 2021, is an occasion for all to revisit his lifetime work and legacy that has tremendous relevance even in our own troubled, testing times, writes Venkat Parsa for South Asia Monitor 

Justice for India's women: Against a bleak backdrop, some encouraging developments too

This is an ironic and familiar pattern wherein  every March 8, the collective global attention briefly dwells on the status of women and while well-meaning statements are repeated – the substantive improvement in the welfare and safety of women  remains a work in slow  progress and an  area of grave concern, writes Cmde C Uday Bhaskar (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Journey of an Indian woman diplomat: A story of struggle, success and empowerment

The Indian Foreign Service has come a long way in changing gender stereotypes. In the early years, women diplomats were forced to resign if they got married, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Sahir Ludhianvi: The poet-lyricist who belonged to both India and Pakistan

Sahir Ludhianvi’s relevance becomes greater and urgent in the present times for promoting an inclusive society and religious harmony, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

Privatisation is a fraught exercise in India: Will Modi succeed?

Modi’s address on the floor of the lower house on February 10 went much further in stating that the days are long gone when only the government was responsible for national development, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Why New Delhi should not fear the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul

Unlike Pakistan, India is an emerging regional power both from a political and economic point of view, and India, since the last two decades, has built a friendly image in the minds of many Afghans – many consider India as the second home for the Afghans, write Hamayun Khan & S. Nasrat for South Asia Monitor

India’s ethics code for online platforms: Need of one for politicians too?

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

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