Trump announcing in Davos Gaza Board of Peace

‘Gaza Board of Peace’ is no Place for India; Not in Tune With Its Foreign Policy Objectives

Declining Trump’s invitation would not signal hostility toward the United States. It would signal coherence in India’s own diplomacy. It would affirm that New Delhi will not lend its name to a project that concentrates authority in a single capital at a time when global cooperation demands broader legitimacy and shared accountability.

India and Bangladesh Cannot Wish Away Each Other: Why BNP Must Reset Relations with India

A deliberate drift toward Beijing or Islamabad as counterweights to India would alarm New Delhi and risk regional polarization. Bangladesh’s strength lies in balanced diplomacy—engaging China economically, maintaining relations with Pakistan, but grounding its immediate neighborhood policy in stability with India.

Bangladesh's Trade Pact With US: A Strategic Shift By An Interim Administration?

All of this would be consequential even under a fully elected government with a clear popular mandate. It becomes more troubling when done by an interim administration. Trade and security alignments of this magnitude shape a nation’s geopolitical posture for decades. They influence relations with China, Russia, India, the European Union, and ASEAN. They affect bargaining positions in multilateral forums. They alter perceptions among investors and strategic planners. After the national election on February 12,  the elected government will inherit this architecture. They will face a choice: comply and accept narrowed autonomy, or attempt renegotiation and risk economic retaliation.

Mohammad Deepak: A Beacon of Fraternity in an Age of Manufactured Hate

The Constitution of India enshrines fraternity as a foundational value alongside liberty, equality, and justice. Yet fraternity cannot survive on parchment alone; it requires everyday acts of courage. Deepak Kumar’s gesture — simple, instinctive, humane — stands in contrast to the flood of rhetoric that seeks to divide citizens along religious lines. It reminds us that the long history of Hindu-Muslim interaction in food, literature, architecture, festivals, and everyday life cannot be erased by slogans.  

More on Spotlight

Instability in Nepal fuelling Terai autonomy movement

The Terai autonomy movement has been going on since 2007 and has recently gained traction with the armed outfit renewing its political vows at a time when Nepal is facing a host of internal issues, writes Shushant VC for South Asia Monitor

Modi’s catch-the-rain awareness campaign will help India conserve scarce water (World Water Day is on March 22)

Prime Minister Modi clearly laid out the importance of collective responsibility towards water conservation in February. He called for a 100-day campaign to clean up water bodies and prepare them for rainwater harvesting before the monsoon of 2021, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

Modi visit: Bangladeshi radicals cant derail the dynamism of growing India-Bangladesh ties

Regardless of the fundamentalist rhetoric on both sides of the border, the governments of Modi and Hasina are focused on improving connectivity, trade, and people-to-people relations, writes Subir Bhaumik for South Asia Monitor

Biden presidency will see a more collaborative Indo-US relationship

Biden has more India expertise than any previous president, which will only be a good thing for bilateral relations, writes Frank Islam for South Asia Monitor  

Himalayan disasters: Urgent need for collaboration between India, Nepal and Bhutan

The Chamoli disaster should serve as an eye-opener for nations, government and individuals alike. In order to decrease the magnitude of such environmental disasters that occur or can occur in the coming future, it is necessary for the governments of India, Nepal, and Bhutan to collaborate in order to come up with sustainable solutions, writes Shushant V C for South Asia Monitor

UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka opens door for international intervention: Will India abandon role of regional power?

An international body to be provided with an opportunity to directly interfere in an internal affair of a member of the world community, especially a country in South Asia, will definitely dent the position of India as the regional power, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor

Pakistan's once-mighty Indus, a lifeline for millions, is dying slowly

Hence, in the span of only one and a half-century, a mighty river like the Indus has been imprisoned in dams, bridges, and barrages, which has severely disturbed the river’s flow, writes Muhammad Abbas Khaskheli for South Asia Monitor

Seamless connectivity, clean-energy investment can herald new era of South Asian cooperation

By prioritizing green stimulus through clean-energy investment and sustainability-oriented policies in its pandemic response, South Asia can play an important role in making the development process more sustainable, both for the region and for the world, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

For a peaceful South Asia, US acknowledges India's strategic importance to Afghanistan

The growing political and economic influence of India in Afghanistan has been factored by the Biden administration and the inclusion of India in the peace talks are proof of that, writes Shushant VC for South Asia Monitor

From security dialogue to leading the world: Quad summit Friday to discuss larger global role

The broader agenda signals the Quad's move towards multifaceted cooperation to broaden their footprint, while also keeping the facade -- important to India -- that it is not directed against China, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor

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