BRICS leaders

India, BRICS Fail the Iran Test: It Could Seek to Bridge Divides

For India, the failure is particularly significant as its presidency was an opportunity to translate “strategic autonomy”, the current buzzword in foreign policy circles, into multilateral leadership. True, its response is shaped by structural constraints. The country imports more than 85% of its crude oil, much of it from West Asia and Russia. Some nine million of its citizens live in the Gulf. The United States is its largest trading partner. Iran anchors the Chabahar port project and India’s access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Each relationship is too consequential to risk.

Bhutan Under China’s Doklam Shadow: Delhi Needs to Move Away From Protector-Protected Dynamic With Thimpu

A key consideration for Delhi is Bhutan’s occasional denial or downplay of any Chinese encroachment on its territory, even when satellite data suggests otherwise. This is coupled with a growing perception within Bhutan that India is preventing it from completing its border negotiations with China. Although Thimphu remains closely aligned with Delhi, there is growing interest in expanding its engagement with China.

AI in Elder Care: Potential for Broader Social Transformation

For India, the opportunity is significant as its robust digital infrastructure and large demographic dividend can create a significant opportunity for adoption and deployment of Artificial Intelligence across sectors, particularly in the care economy. There is an ample room for the development of age-friendly products and services using AI innovation which are of scalable commercial value.

South Asia's EdTech Moment: Centre of Gravity of Global Education is Shifting

South Asia's higher education ecosystem — with over 1,500 universities and 60 million enrolled learners — is uniquely positioned to absorb and scale new models: work-integrated degrees, on-demand micro-credentials, lifelong learning. The Global South — Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East — shares the same structural challenges. The solutions that work at scale in India, Bangladesh or Nepal will travel naturally to these geographies.

More on Spotlight

Why biodiversity conservation is necessary for dealing with the pandemic

On this Environment Day, let us commit ourselves to protect the biodiversity, for our own existence, writes Pradeep S. Mehta, George Cheriyan & Simi T. B.for South Asia Monitor

Are we observing World Environment Day or World Emergency Day on June 5?

State of the environment today is certainly in a state of emergency. Many would call June 5, 2020, as World Emergency Day. In reality, today environment and emergency have indeed become synonyms, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

Nations should not discriminate against refugees, migrants during pandemic

This outbreak and the requirements of precautionary measures have emerged as an extra health threat to migrants who work abroad to keep their families well and also to asylum seekers. These people play a crucial role both in the economy of the countries they live in and in their countries of origin too,  writes Abdul Alim for South Asia Monitor

India's COVID-19 stimulus package: Will it revive the economy?

There seems to be a strong argument that the singular focus of the stimulus package should have been a fiscal stimulus, which would have increased public spending in physical or human capital, raised money in the hands of residents by direct cash transfers and subsidies and provided safety nets like job guarantee and unemployment benefits, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

As corona rages in Bangladesh, opposition eyes opportunity

Leaders of the BNP and Jamat-E-Islami are thinking that the corona pandemic will totally change the political situation in the country and will help them seize power once again, writes Swadesh Roy for South Asia Monitor 

Will Gilgit-Baltistan become a new regional flashpoint?

With India–China military tensions already high in parts of eastern Ladakh, the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam will add to new security challenges for India, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor

India-Bangladesh waterway project will herald a new chapter in bilateral cooperation

This inland waterway route looks all set to ensure efficient and effective cargo movement between the two neighbours and herald a new chapter in bilateral cooperation in South Asia, writes Sreeradha Datta for south Asia Monitor

With the world in turmoil can India seize the historic moment?

India has a pool of talented diplomats but their skills will be expended on putting lipstick on a pig if the government at home promotes narrow, sectarian ideologies that are at variance with accepted international norms, writes  E. D. Mathew for South Asia Monitor

Modi @ 6: Popular and committed but is there a need to review statecraft?

Modi may not be getting the kind of feedback and reality check that is vital for effective and empathetic governance and this is where, apart from Chanakya, the Canute principle acquires relevance, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

Relocation of global supply chain: Bangladesh should seize the opportunity

From the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, India is emerging as one of the top alternative manufacturing destinations, writes Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim for South Asia Monitor

China understands and respects only the language of power

China is sure that India would initiate back-room talks and negotiate some face-saving device to disengage. But, there lies the danger, writes Brigadier Deepak Sethi (retd) for South Asia Monitor

International community should recognize Pakistan as a responsible nuclear state

Pakistan has used its Centres of Excellence to promote and share best practices in nuclear security through three affiliated institutes: the Pakistan Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security (PCENS), the National Institute of Safety and Security (NISAS), and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), writes Rabia Javed for South Asia Monitor

Pakistan's 'diminishing democracy': Where dissent is a crime

Thirty prominent human rights advocates and peace activists, who disagree with a lot that is happening in Pakistan. Either living at home, but most of them exiled abroad, participated in the conference titled Enforced Disappearances, State-sanctioned killings, & Diminishing Democracy in Pakistan, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor 

Has Rahul Gandhi stolen a march on the BJP?

The BJP found itself on the back foot was when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was pictured sitting on a pavement, talking to a group of migrants. It was a Haroun al-Rashid moment of a privileged person closely interacting with the unwashed masses, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Maldives will seek a balance in its foreign policy

With the support of the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives not only prevented Pakistan from targeting India as Islamophobic during the OIC meeting, but also defended India’s record as a democratic, multicultural society, writes Shubha Singh for South Asia Monitor