As many nations relocate their industries to newer locations, India should play its cards well and, with alacrity, could be one of the preferred destinations for replacing China, writes Lt Gen Kamal Davar(retd) for South Asia Monitor
Is India Chasing A Mirage? Theatrical Diplomacy No Substitute For Strategic Power
The warm reception given to Pakistan's Army Chief in Washington is more than symbolic. It indicates Washington's strategic calculation—that India, despite its rhetoric, is becoming a more problematic partner. Washington, while not forsaking India, is hedging its bets. Its embrace of Pakistan is a backup plan.
India’s Fiscal Scorecard 2.0: Can It Turn Potential Into Performance In Decade's Second Innings?
India’s states play an outsized role in public spending accounting for nearly +/- 60% of total government expenditure. However, their fiscal health varies greatly across pan India. As someone closely observing both macroeconomic trends and grassroots governance models, I notice a growing divide between states that follow prudent fiscal practices and those still trapped in populist spending cycles.
Guns, Governments and Greed: The Global Nexus of War and Power
When democracies embrace the traits of war economies and view peace as a sign of weakness, we need to question not about those who benefit from war, but rather about those who continue to engage in it. Not only does it include safety, but it also includes power, contracts, careers, and control.
Op Sindoor: Did India Win Militarily But Lose The Narrative War?
The age of overt, high-visibility strikes is diminishing in returns. Covert operations, cyber infiltration, and disrupting terror logistics silently deliver greater impact at a lower political cost. India needs to establish a dedicated Psychological and Information Warfare Command, rather than relying solely on MEA press briefings or tweets from leaders.
More on Spotlight
South Asian nations should enhance public spending on health, scientific research
There is a need to invest in scientific research in the South Asian region so that disease control measures could be taken in the right earnest, writes Shubham Singh for South Asia Monitor
COVID-19 and the growing vulnerability of overseas Bangladeshis
Due to COVID-19, Bangladeshi workers abroad are caught jobless, quarantined in shabby living places, mentally disturbed because of their family crisis of getting no money, fear of being affected by the coronavirus aftermath and uncertainties of being back in Bangladesh, write Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim and Dr. Mohammad Tarikul Islam for South Asia Monitor
Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council, once hailed, leading to power tussles
Some of the decisions by the CC have resulted in a major tussle between the Council and the Executive in Sri Lanka, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor
Future of work: Need to address widening mismatch between skill, academic training and employment
Devising a strategy to help close the digital skills gap should be a key focus for all businesses during the next decade and beyond, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
A conflict-ridden AfPak region where fighting COVID-19 is not a priority
A common thread that runs through them is of COVID-19 taking the back seat in the plans and actions of various stakeholders in the AfPak region working at cross-purposes, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
On Ramzan eve, India seeks to allay Gulf concerns over Islamophobia
There is growing realization within the government and diplomatic community that India stands to lose a great deal in allowing Islamophobia to spread within India and among Indians abroad and some nimble diplomacy is required to change perceptions, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor
Can India's pharma soft power work in South Asia?
Indian pharma’s soft power has, no doubt, opened up possibilities for foreign policy in the neighbourhood, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
India, France, China should WAVE to fight future viruses
The terrific trio of Modi, Macron and XI should meet over videoconference and announce WAVE. They have the capability and potential to make history, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
South Asia needs to pay more attention to public health; SAARC needs to pool health resources
What really jumps up from the plethora of information floating around is the lack of preparedness and lack of governmental attention to health care, especially in the overcrowded South Asian region, writes Sreeradha Datta for South Asia Monitor
Muslims in India: A minister indulges in smoke and mirrors
Irrespective of whether they succeed in convincing the foreigners, the reactions in India to the minister’s assertion will range from amusement to derision, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
Policy priorities: rice for ethanol or hungry stomachs?
This abundant food-in-the-granary exigency will unfold even as a large number of Indians are grappling with hunger pangs and are stuck in varying degrees of deprivation, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor
A questionable agreement: Has Khalilzad betrayed Afghan people by caving into Taliban pressure?
The wider consequences of the agreement between the US and Taliban remain ambiguous, writes Iqbal Dawari for South Asia Monitor
A meaningful gesture to restore trust in frayed India-Bangladesh ties
The Indian government’s decision to pass and enact, in December 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Act, naming Bangladesh as a country where minorities are persecuted, had an extremely negative fallout in that country, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor
The COVID-19 fight is the test of Modi’s leadership
India is poised for an all-out war and, like in any war, this is not the time for partisanship. It’s in this scenario that Modi will find himself at a fork in the road, writes E.D. Mathew for South Asia Monitor
