India’s defence

India’s set to Become Significant Player in Global Arms Market

India’s deepening defence ties with both the United States and the European Union are particularly significant. India’s designation as a “Major Defence Partner” by the US and the ongoing development of a long-term defence cooperation framework highlight the strategic convergence between the two countries. Similarly, the recent EU–India Security and Defence Partnership signals Europe’s recognition of India as a key player in maintaining regional and global stability

Shaken Shields: Turning Point for Gulf States (Part II)

The emerging framework is likely to be more complex and less centralised. It may involve a mix of external partnerships, regional cooperation, and internal capacity building. It will also require a different mindset, one that accepts uncertainty as a constant factor.

Pakistan Demonstrates its Geopolitical Importance in the World Order

This night was not about grandstanding; it was about results. Pakistan leveraged decades of ties with the U.S., deep cultural and geographic connections to Iran, and strong Gulf partnerships to create a channel no one else could. In an era of multipolar tensions, where flashpoints can ignite global crises, Islamabad showed it can convene, de-escalate, and deliver where others could not.

When Law Bends to Power: Gulf War Exposes Regional Vulnerabilities and Absence of Alternative Order

The unfolding conflict is not just a regional crisis. It is also putting the current global order under strain. Legal structures, economic systems and strategic alignments are all feeling this pressure. What we are seeing is not a clear collapse, but something more uncertain. Law is still in place, though its application varies. Interdependence continues, but it is increasingly used as leverage.There is no clearly defined alternative order ready to take the place of what is weakening

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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

Tokyo Olympics showing: India should reach out to its South Asian neighbors to help them lift standards

India can offer to lend a helping hand in a new shared spirit of sporting togetherness that can bind South Asia, writes Sirshendu Panth for South Asia Monitor

Fears of a return to the dark days stalk Afghan women amid Taliban's advance

The forty years of protracted war has impacted Afghan society, especially women, in a way that has few parallels in human history, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor

A non-adversarial tax environment must for India to become an attractive investment destination

Although the Indian government believes that FDI is coming into the country in record amounts, most of it is through mergers and acquisitions and not greenfield investments which entail building factories, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

US bombs and appeals notwithstanding, Afghan reconciliation not on Taliban agenda

The US may continue to bomb the Taliban and keep asking them to reconcile but such a scenario is not going to unfold, especially when nothing has been done in 20 years to block the financial support and arms supplies to the Taliban, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

South Asia’s women athletes displayed grit and determination to overcome discrimination, bullying and neglect

If sportswomen are treated equally and provided with equitable opportunities, women athletes from South Asia are bound to participate in greater numbers in top international events like the Olympics, writes Sarita Bartaula for South Asia Monitor