US President Donald Trump Meets Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Islamabad’s defiance may complicate Trump’s Abraham Accords ambitions: Difficult Strategic Choices for South Asian Nations and Muslim World

Trump’s demand for Pakistan to recognize Israel threatens to trigger serious domestic backlash inside the country. Public sentiment in Pakistan overwhelmingly supports the Palestinian cause, while religious and political groups strongly oppose normalization with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Rubio’s India Visit: Chinese Discourse Echoes Concerns About Quad and India's Growing Agency in Indo-Pacific

Chinese social media reactions to Rubio’s visit also reflected a degree of skepticism and criticism towards India. Several commentators focused on developmental and infrastructural contrasts between India and China. Discussions surrounding traffic congestion, pollution, aging infrastructure, and even the extreme summer temperatures in northern India were used by some online voices to project what they described as a “dismal” picture of India. 

 

The Reality Behind Putin-Xi Ties: A No-Limits Relationship has its Limits

The Putin–Xi meeting, therefore, should not be interpreted as the birth of a fixed anti-American alliance. Rather, it reflects a flexible alignment whose cooperation is strongest where grievances overlap, but weakest where ambitions collide. Putin and Xi are united more by pressure than by trust. They are aligned in opposing American dominance, but not necessarily in supporting each other’s long-term rise.

Amid Geopolitical Realignment, Russia's Outreach to Islamic World: Putin Underscores Importance of Islam in Russian Society

Though with a Muslim population much larger than most of the OIC member countries, India has not been given its membership due to Pakistan’s objection and, unlike Russia, has not applied for observer status either. However, organisers of the KazanForum invited local Indian Consul General Jeysundkhar, who is based in Kazan, for the special session "Greater Eurasian Partnership: Development Strategy" 

More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs

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

US-China rivalry makes for complex Indo-Pacific power dynamics

India ought to tread cautiously in aligning with the US as a counterweight to China, writes Mayank Mishra for South Asia Monitor

Vikrant sets sail: India demonstrates prowess to design and build aircraft carriers

Warship building and design is an arduous undertaking and India now joins a select group of nations that have demonstrated proven capability to conceive, design, and build an aircraft carrier, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

Indian American Rashad Hussain’s nomination is Biden’s way of sending powerful message to the world

One can be optimistic that Biden’s selection will lead to a debate on freedom of religion and more interfaith dialogues in South Asia and other parts of the world, writes Frank F. Islam for South Asia Monitor

 

Pakistan’s geoeconomic strategy is riddled with self-inflicted challenges and policy contradictions

Instability in Afghanistan along with the discord with Pakistan does not augur well for South and Central Asian connectivity, writes Niranjan Marjani for South Asia Monitor

Jammu and Kashmir is now firmly on the path of development

With the historic revocation, the Indian government has finally applied salve on the festering anger in Kashmir: anger born out of chronic underdevelopment and misgovernance, writes Suchismita Panda for South Asia Monitor

Revive BCIM Economic Corridor for a sustainable techno-ecological trans-regional alliance

Cooperation among BCIM members is essential for the sustainable development of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, writes Dipankar Dey for South Asia Monitor