Beijing will try its level best to lure Maldives more into its debt trap and wean it away from India, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Cocos (Keeling), Sabang and Car Nicobar: India’s Quiet Maritime Rewiring
India and Australia are not building a grand alliance; they are building useful capacity. Indonesia, through its archipelagic geography, fits into that larger maritime dynamic. Taken together, these developments show how strategy is increasingly made through nodes, not narratives.
China’s Water Threats, India’s Malacca Leverage and Growing Indo-Pacific Contestation
While China's leverage over India runs through an upstream river Beijing controls, India's leverage over China runs through a chokepoint India will now sit astride. The Strait of Malacca is a 930-km passage between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra through which an approximate of 40–50 percent of global trade and 80 percent of China's crude oil imports transit.
Is Hamas Expanding Footprint into South Asian Nations, Including Pakistan and Bangladesh?
The presence of Hamas in Bangladesh should not be ignored by security agencies across the region, including those in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar, as such a presence may ultimately have serious consequences.
India’s Indo‑Pacific Assertion: Act East Policy in Action in Modi Visit
The significance of PM Modi's visits marks a shift from episodic diplomacy to structured engagement. The convergence of defence, economics, and technology across these four partnerships signals a pragmatic foreign policy.
More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs
Political alignment and networked economy boosts India’s conglomerate capitalism
Scarcely a day passes without news of a big-ticket acquisition or investment by Reliance or Adani biting into every lucrative business venture in India and South Asia, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
2022 holds little promise for Afghanistan; India must maintain informal contacts with Kabul
Chances are that the churn in Afghanistan may end up singeing those who take an intrusive interest in its affairs, writes Amb Rajiv Dogra (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India: A nation in disharmony with its philosophical and constitutional values
The values that are glorified today ironically are those that were always held anathema by classical Hindu society - majoritarianism, intolerance, hatred, and revanchism, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
A success story turns sour: Rise and fall of a Sri Lankan strongman
Amid shortages of even essential goods and runaway inflation, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s image has taken a solid beating, writes P. Jayaram for South Asia Monitor
Now Bangladesh to aid Kabul beat hunger and disease
Bangladesh – which has in recent times extended loans to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – is also home to about 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, writes Samina Akhter for South Asia Monitor
Afghanistan's problems require a collective regional solution; India must play a leading role
If Afghanistan does not witness a modicum of internal stability, adherence to human values and shuns terrorism of all hues, not only the region but beyond too will be impacted adversely, writes Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh and Maldives: Bridging geographical distances through common political commitments, religious values
Hasina's visit to the Maldives is in keeping with Bangladesh's larger aspirations, writes Ozair Islam for South Asia Monitor
Need to discover alternative equitable solutions for climate change action
Fairness, sustainability and dialogue must be cornerstones of any climate change policy, not a dialogue bogged down by Westernized notions, write Nishtha Gupta and Aditya Matolli for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh’s balancing politics in the strategic Bay of Bengal
Whether Bangladesh is involved in the Indo-Pacific Strategy or Belt and Road, it must maintain peace and rule of law to reap maximum economic benefits from the Bay of Bengal, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor
Iran-China 25-year cooperation has major regional and global implications
The China-Iran partnership scenario is not a product of coincidental political and trade decisions over the years, but rather a part of a carefully crafted policy, writes Ivaylo Valchev for South Asia Monitor
Will Pashtun nationalism become Pakistan's Achilles' heel?
Support to the Pakistan Taliban and Afghan Taliban is rebounding on Islamabad as both Talibans don’t recognize Durand Line and want Pakistan to be Sharia-ruled, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd.) for South Asia Monitor
Bravehearts of Killer Squadron: Recalling Indian Navy’s 1971 valour
The Killer Squadron traces its genesis to the 1971 war when it took part in operations that enabled the Indian Navy to dominate the Arabian Sea, crippling the Pakistan Navy, writes Col Anil Bhat (retd) for South Asia Monitor
India's outreach to Central Asia: Afghanistan factor gives it added importance
India, as also Eurasia – Russia and the Central Asian Republics (CARs) - have a common adversary in terrorism and need to make it a common goal to work on, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Growing income disparities in India can upset social equilibrium
How does India compare with the South Asian neighbourhood? The World Inequality Lab database indicates that regional disparities are less than India’s, writes N. Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
