Representational Photo (Photo: Twitter)

Manipur continues to smolder even after a year

Most importantly, does the rise, arming, and free hand given to Arambai Tenggol signal the arrival of private political armies in India?

Bad news for India from the Maldives: India needs to get neighbourhood act together

As it stands today, Maldives is going to be drawn deeper into China’s strategic sphere. Chinese presence in Maldives is set to increase.

A New Year by any other name: Diversity marks South Asian cultural identity

Designating it as a ‘Hindu’ New Year appears to be part of an ongoing attempt to homogenise our diversity and multiple, multicultural identities. 

A security crisis looms in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts: Need for coordinated regional action

It is critical to formulate a comprehensive strategy that involves both Bangladesh and India to counteract the potential threats posed by external actors in the CHT. This strategy should take into account the historical grievances and aspirations of the ethnic communities

More on Spotlight

Monk and the prime minister: Did a Sri Lankan scholar help to ignite interest in Buddhist studies in Israel?

Today many Israeli universities have departments of Buddhist studies and South Asian philosophies as interest among Jewish scholars on Buddhist meditation continues to grow, writes Punsara Amarasinghe for South Asia Monitor 

Afghanistan, its sectarian divisions, and international stakeholders

Pakistan has checkmated India to some extent, though the Taliban has recognized India’s role in the reconstruction projects and Salma Dam, writes Brig Dinesh Mathur (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Will Taliban 2.0 signal a radical policy change?

To the extent that the Taliban keeps its word both on not letting it soil be used as a terrorist launch pad and keeping off Kashmir, there is a possible window for the Modi government in India to engage with it, writes Mayank Chhaya for South Asia Monitor

A prudent India should consider Bangladesh as its most suitable investment destination

India's poor record of implementing infrastructure projects in neighboring countries has pushed them even more towards China, writes Anup Sinha for South Asia Monitor

With Taliban on verge of wresting power, the US has a lot of explaining to do

Can the US pose as the champion of human rights after abandoning the Afghan population to this horrendous human tragedy? writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Independence Days of India and Pakistan tinged with some unfulfilled aspirations

For India and Pakistan, therefore, which were once a single country, the anniversaries of their independence days are burdened with thoughts of what might have been, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Ties soured by the China factor, Sri Lanka’s new policy document reaches out to India

The document seeks to achieve Sri Lanka’s foreign policy objective vis-à-vis India while coming closest to admitting that China has cast a long shadow over Colombo-New Delhi ties, writes M.R. Narayan Swamy for South Asia Monitor

75 years of Indo-Saudi diplomatic relations: Strong mutual interests reinforcing ties

Indo-Saudi economic ties have seen tremendous growth over time, writes Asif Rameez for South Asia Monitor

Tokyo Olympics showing: India should reach out to its South Asian neighbors to help them lift standards

India can offer to lend a helping hand in a new shared spirit of sporting togetherness that can bind South Asia, writes Sirshendu Panth for South Asia Monitor

Fears of a return to the dark days stalk Afghan women amid Taliban's advance

The forty years of protracted war has impacted Afghan society, especially women, in a way that has few parallels in human history, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor

A non-adversarial tax environment must for India to become an attractive investment destination

Although the Indian government believes that FDI is coming into the country in record amounts, most of it is through mergers and acquisitions and not greenfield investments which entail building factories, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

US bombs and appeals notwithstanding, Afghan reconciliation not on Taliban agenda

The US may continue to bomb the Taliban and keep asking them to reconcile but such a scenario is not going to unfold, especially when nothing has been done in 20 years to block the financial support and arms supplies to the Taliban, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

South Asia’s women athletes displayed grit and determination to overcome discrimination, bullying and neglect

If sportswomen are treated equally and provided with equitable opportunities, women athletes from South Asia are bound to participate in greater numbers in top international events like the Olympics, writes Sarita Bartaula for South Asia Monitor

US-China rivalry makes for complex Indo-Pacific power dynamics

India ought to tread cautiously in aligning with the US as a counterweight to China, writes Mayank Mishra for South Asia Monitor

Vikrant sets sail: India demonstrates prowess to design and build aircraft carriers

Warship building and design is an arduous undertaking and India now joins a select group of nations that have demonstrated proven capability to conceive, design, and build an aircraft carrier, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor