Belgium views India as an opportunity to reduce its economic dependence on China and limit vulnerability to developments in the United States. India offers scale, growth, industrial capacity and ambition, while Belgium offers technology, specialised expertise, logistics and access to the European market.
India has its own legacy of maternal peacebuilding, from Jijabai to the Meira Paibi. What we lack is the language to celebrate and institutionalize these contributions. Recognizing mothers as peacebuilders is not just a cultural insight; it is a practical necessity for societies striving for harmony.
The numerical divide between the two camps is widening significantly, in favour of the West. The Artemis Accords added 19 nations in 2024, and 7 in 2025; and has already added 12 signatories in 2026 so far. By contrast, the ILRS has expanded at a much slower, tightly controlled pace. It counts 13 sovereign nations as members.
The timing of the present diplomatic initiative is also noteworthy. Ajit Doval’s visit to Beijing comes ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi and could create space for political direction at the highest level, including a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen met Pakistan’s High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui in Dhaka on July 1. According to a media report, the meeting indicates a possible thaw in bilateral relations, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Given the doctor-dependent, top-heavy nature of our healthcare system, creating a functional telemedicine network in rural areas by leveraging the vast spread of Community Health Centre (CHC) and PHCs will help increase access to quality medical care, writes Vikram Thaploo for South Asia Monitor
The COVID-19 crisis has slowly generated a new kind of waste made up of disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) items, writes Mahmuda Amir Eva for South Asia Monitor
The dragon’s shadow has lengthened over the South Asian region as it has rapidly developed port and transport infrastructure, some of it as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
India has been dubbed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the most depressed country in the world. The numbers themselves are pretty frightening, writes Dr. Lovleen Malhotra for South Asia Monitor
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set a fine example of neutrality of the public service in the forthcoming general elections by instructing that no public official serving in the security forces, government service, corporations, boards, and statutory bodies should engage in political activities, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor
The use of anti-India sentiment is an old stratagem used by Nepalese politicians to assert their own relevance and divert attention away from the real problems facing Nepal, writes Shakti Sinha for South Asia Monitor
China’s fresh illegal claims on Bhutanese territory could lead to PLA intrusions to pressure India and orchestrate another standoff, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India has been careful to maintain that its closer ties with the US and its Indo-Pacific partners were not directed against anyone – diplomaticspeak that they weren't meant to be anti-China, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
The declaration of truce on July 6, the 85th birthday of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama and two days after the Dharma Chakra Day on July 4, reminds of Buddha’s message that was carried by Indians to China, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
The data on the growth rates in Gross Domestic Product between 2015 to 2020 show that South Asia would show the maximum decline in 2020 after growing the fastest between 2015-2019 at an annual average rate of 6.1 percent as compared to 4.8 percent for Southeast Asia and 6.0 percent for East Asia, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
So, there are two examples in front of Nepal now; one is Pakistan, and another Bangladesh, which one will they choose? writes Swadesh Roy for South Asia Monitor
Trump needs to be seen as doing something to save the economy and American jobs. H-1B, which has been a bogeyman for the protectionists and economic nationalists, is an easy target during this downturn, writes Frank Islam for South Asia Monitor
The Bangladesh government is trying its best to restore jobs abroad for the millions of migrant workers so that the large remittance flow continues, writes Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim for South Asia Monitor
India needs Modi to rediscover his inner ecumenical soul. To do that, Modi must become the leading proponent of and advocate for a “unifying nationalism,” writes Tom de Boor and Ed Crego for South Asia Monitor
