EU and India meeting

EU and India Should Cooperate Strategically on Middle East Stability

EU and India could establish a regular EU–India-Middle East Consultative Mechanism involving foreign-policy officials and experts. Its purpose would be to coordinate positions before major international gatherings and meetings. 

Sri Lanka’s Ruling Marxists-Leninists on Delhi, Beijing Visits: Embracing Diplomatic Pragmatism?

For Sri Lankan politics, this is more than diplomatic sightseeing. It raises a fundamental question whether the JVP is developing a sophisticated strategy of balancing relations with India and China or is it gradually adapting itself to the organisational models of powerful one-party or dominant-party systems in China and India respectively?

Continuing Kuki-Naga Conflict is a Threat to Northeast India's Security

The ongoing civil war in Myanmar has caused an influx of armed cadres (Meitei, Naga and Kuki) into Manipur's border tracts like Kamjong district, further squeezing finite land resources and aggravating historical territorial disputes. What began as a localized dispute under the state's newly elected government in February 2026 has escalated into intense, multi-district armed warfare. 

An Ilish Fest Becomes a Test of Diplomacy in Strained India-Bangladesh Ties

Hamidullah’s tenure has been marked by promotion of Bangladesh's soft power, with the envoy going around the country underlining the deep roots of people-to-people ties. 

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

Rafale induction and the make-believe brigade: India should focus on hard techno-military realities

The Ambala media extravaganza ought to encourage an internal review by the Modi government about strategic communication and related signalling in matters military. Carry a big stick but talk softly is an adage that has not lost its relevance, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

US-India-Sri Lanka triad will be beneficial for IOR and Indo-Pacific

Trade instruments like the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade (ISFTA) agreements are some of the gainful tools with which the US can use to access South Asia’s consumer markets, write Srimal Fernando and Vedangshi Roy Choudhuri for South Asia Monitor 

Child marriages go up in Bangladesh during COVID-19: Need to strike at root causes

It is high time that the child marriage rate - gone up during the pandemic - should be brought down drastically and for this, the Bangladesh government, NGOs, and society at large should work together to put an end to this menace, writes  Sarmin Akter for South Asia Monitor

Nepal-India cultural and social ties hit hard by border sealing

Cross border marriage, i.e., matrimony between Nepali son/daughter and India’s son/daughter, is very common in bordering districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This is the reason why Nepal's Madheshis treat Indian soil as their relatives’ home, not a foreign land, write Jivesh Jha & Roshan Kumar Jha for South Asia Monitor

It's going to be a long eyeball-to-eyeball standoff with China: But India is well prepared

The Chinese had realised that not only were they outnumbered but totally outflanked, making their position untenable. Any armed clash hereafter would have been suicidal, writes Anil Bhat for South Asia Monitor 

China’s nationalism and global aspirations: India can turn a challenge into an opportunity

India has tremendous goodwill and support from the international community which will influence Chinese future manoeuvres against India, writes Lt Gen PR Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor

The Congress rebellion that never was: India's political parties lack internal democracy

Though the party crisis seems to have blown over, for the time being, the future of the Congress does not appear to be bright. And it has nothing to do with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), writes Vinod Aggarwal for South Asia Monitor

Ironing out the bumps in India-Bangladesh ties

India-Bangladesh relations have grown deeper and wider in scope in the past decade. But irritants and hitches can develop between neighbours with even the best of ties, writes Shubha Singh for South Asia Monitor

Indian Americans set to wield greater influence in US politics

It can safely be concluded that 2020 is the year the Indian American community has become relevant in American politics, writes Frank Islam for South Asia Monitor 

Cancer and chronic disease patients bear a heavy burden during COVID

Oncologists across the world have expressed concern over the probability of rising cancer mortality and morbidity, not because of the coronavirus pandemic per se, but because of the inability of the healthcare system to treat cancers as it normally should, writes Dr (Col) R Ranga Rao for South Asia Monitor

Will Shringla's visit reshape the complex relations between Bangladesh, India and China?

Bangladesh takes a neutral position to whatever happens between the two Asian giants, but Chinese President Xi Jinping's growing influence and strong defence ties with Bangladesh are making India concerned, writes Sarmin Akhter for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh's controversial digital security act: A weapon to silence independent media?

Using the controversial Act as a tool the Bangladesh government has tried to keep surveillance on journalists, and also to repress and muffle the independent voices in social media and traditional mass media, writes Aashish Kiphayet for South Asia Monitor

Pranab Mukherjee: President who could have been India's PM was a 'true friend' of Bangladesh

That Mukherjee influenced former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s decision to grant Bangladesh a billion dollars, the highest India had then extended to any single country, and that the amount was almost tripled when Hasina-led Bangladesh absorbed it all, is not very well known, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

China specter over South Asia impacting India-Bangladesh ties

India and China will do their best to edge each other out in their competition for dominance in the Bay of Bengal and will try to squeeze an economically weak Bangladesh, writes Lt Gen PR Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor 

China using proxies to accelerate CMEC and tame Myanmar like Pakistan

Despite all this, Myanmar should expect China to keep tightening its vice-like grip using terrorists, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor