Wolf World or a Multipolar World

Wolf World or a Multipolar World? How Major Powers Exercise Power Will Determine Emerging International Order

The growing role of middle powers adds another layer of complexity. Yet the term itself remains imprecise. Not every country outside the United States and China qualifies as a middle power, and many reject the label altogether. India, for example, increasingly sees itself as a leading power pursuing strategic autonomy rather than as a middle power seeking alignment with one bloc or another.

Is Northeast India's Permit System Inhibiting India-Japan Paradiplomacy? Colonial-Era System may be Stumbling Block to Subnational Exchanges

If India and Japan genuinely envision Northeast India as the gateway connecting South Asia with the Bay of Bengal and the Indo-Pacific, then the next chapter of the partnership cannot remain confined to New Delhi and Tokyo. It must also be written in Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl, Imphal, Agartala, Kohima, Gangtok and Itanagar 

Bangladesh's Strategic Balancing and India's Neighbourhood Challenge: China Will Consolidate Influence if New Delhi Fails to Deliver

In several neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, China has demonstrated an ability to move from agreements to implementation far more rapidly than many competitors. India, despite enjoying unmatched geographic and cultural advantages, has often struggled with delays 

Are the Echoes of 1971 Growing Louder in Balochistan? Voices that Pakistan Refuses to Hear

The echoes of 1971 are not proof that Balochistan will become another Bangladesh. They are proof that Pakistan has yet to learn what East Pakistan was trying to tell it in the first place: that a state cannot indefinitely draw wealth from a people it refuses to hear. 

More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs

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 

Why winning the ‘water game’ in India requires team effort

With some 600 million Indians facing high to extreme water stress, ‘games’ offer vital insights for expanding self-governance to help people manage water more sustainably, write Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Pratiti Priyadarshini for South Asia Monitor

India-Bangladesh ties headed for a 'golden phase', with enhanced connectivity creating new opportunities

The two countries’ leaders have brought Delhi and Dhaka closer and can together bring economic prosperity to South Asia, writes Pathik Hasan for South Asia Monitor

Celebrating a unique 50-year relationship: India and Bangladesh are development partners with worrying challenges

The foremost geostrategic challenge for India vis-à-vis Bangladesh is to counter the machinations of the China-Pakistan axis, writes Amb Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty (retd) for South Asia Monitor