India and Australia have come strategically closer through forums such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), writes Rahul Nath Choudhury for South Asia Monitor
Hasina’s December Gamble: Will it Become a Moment of Confrontation or Reconciliation?
December could therefore become much more than Victory Month. It could become a test of whether Bangladesh's next chapter will be written through democratic accommodation or another round of political vengeance. The danger is that a leader returning to face her past could inadvertently reopen the country's deepest wounds.
Russia’s Bid for a Larger Asian Role; Will Be Closely Watched by Beijing
Russia wants to use the Far East to diversify away from the West, but it risks becoming excessively dependent on China. That is why Southeast Asia, India, Japan and other Asian partners matter to Moscow as they provide Russia with a wider Asian field and fallback and reduces the risk that Russia’s entire eastern pivot becomes a one-way dependence on Beijing.
The Architecture of Disruption: Structural Parallels Between Indira Gandhi and Donald Trump
For democracies under pressure, the lesson is sobering. Institutions do not only collapse when attacked from outside; they can also be hollowed out from within by leaders who master the language of mass appeal better than the language of internal restraint.
Bangladesh's Bid to Clear a US-Wanted Terror Fugitive Raises Troubling Questions
Although the Yunus administration was replaced by an elected government in February 2026, the influence of Islamist groups, jihadist organizations, and religious extremists has reportedly remained largely unchanged. As a result, several prominent leaders of Islamist organizations and militant groups continue to gain strength.
More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs
Closer Bangladesh-Myanmar ties have great economic potential - but Rohingya issue must be resolved
Enhanced bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries, writes MD Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
World Bank proposal to integrate Rohingyas into Bangladesh unsustainable for both host nation, refugees
The country expects the world communities to consider all relevant issues including the socio-economic conditions in Bangladesh before making any recommendations to resolve the protracted Rohingya refugee crisis, writes Kazi Mohammad Jamshed for South Asia Monitor
The Terror Guardians: How Pakistan tripped the US in Afghanistan
The ISI’s guardianship of terror groups led to the inevitable Talibanisation of Pakistan at the cost of the secular space in politics, writes M R Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor
India should revisit FTA with ASEAN; have new economic partnerships with emerging Asian nations
Notwithstanding India not joining the RCEP, it is likely to become the potential gateway for accelerating China’s backdoor entry into India, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor
The Taliban must develop Afghanistan, protect women’s rights to get world recognition
But getting global recognition could be far from easy for the Taliban because the Western countries have a negative perception about them, with many people in these nations still considering them terrorists, writes MD Ishtiak Hossain for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan needs multidimensional and intersectoral policy approaches for energy-water-food security integration
A key facet of the water-energy-food nexus in Pakistan is the heavy dependence of agriculture on groundwater irrigation, write Haris Mushtaq and Taimoor Akhtar for South Asia Monitor
Flawed US AfPak policy a boost for Taliban, a boon to China
America’s expectations that Afghanistan would not become a haven for terrorists (which it already was) and that the US will remain sheltered from terrorism emanating from that soil, are both misplaced, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
After PTA, Bangladesh and Bhutan can cooperate to solve regional issues, tackle Covid
Once the PTA comes into force, more people in Bangladesh will get access to good apples and oranges from Bhutan, while the fashion-conscious Bhutanese can choose from more varieties of quality apparel from Bangladesh, writes Md Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
A new street battle by Afghan women that Taliban may not be prepared to fight
The sense of losing everything - after a quarter-century of modernization and social progress - seems to have broken the Afghan women's fear of confronting the Taliban, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor
South Asia's cricket rivalry: Is the Indian pace battery a notch-up on Pakistan's feared pace attack of the last century?
The difficulty level the current Indian pacers had to overcome to achieve consistency and success in top-flight international cricket is substantially higher than what their counterparts from Pakistan had to surmount decades back, writes Sirshendu Panth for South Asia Monitor
Augury of a 'failed' Afghanistan: Global sympathy should be with the Afghan people
So, what the future looks like for Afghanistan? In one word: hopeless, writes Anondeeta Chakraborty for South Asia Monitor
India must shed its diffidence on a full-fledged FTA with UK
If India seeks greater market access, it must also allow the UK to sell more of its goods and services, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
With Europe caught in divisive politics, Afghan refugee women face a bleak future
The existing Afghan population in Europe is already facing a compassion deficit in Europe due to the rise in anti-immigrant parties threatening to fracture the bloc further, write Dr. Manasi Sinha, Pratyush Bibhakar and Vishal Rajput for South Asia Monitor
Nutrition literacy, greater market infrastructure investments must for ensuring healthy, sustainable diets in South Asia
To design sustainable food systems for healthy diets within the South Asian region, one needs to take local realities and contexts into account and develop a strong collaboration among all stakeholders at the grassroots, national, regional and global level, write George Cheriyan and Simi T.B. for South Asian Monitor
