After Munich, Rubio travelled to Budapest and aligned himself warmly with Orbán’s government, praising Hungary’s trajectory. For European leaders committed to participatory democracy and the rule of law, the signal must have been disquieting. It suggested that Washington’s conception of Western solidarity may prioritise cultural homogeneity over liberal pluralism.
The structural transformation of India’s export basket is no longer incremental—it is systemic. Technology-driven industries with higher value addition are steadily outpacing traditional sectors. If managed strategically, external tariff pressures could accelerate this transition. Rather than viewing tariff hikes solely as a threat, India can leverage them as a catalyst for deeper integration into global supply chains and stronger positioning in high-technology manufacturing. The reshaping of India’s export architecture is already underway. The tariff shock may simply fast-forward the process.
Considering the potential of AI in solving complex questions and generating contents in individual writing styles, institutions need to ask a few fundamental questions - what is the role of academia in ensuring that the learners are not being slaves to AI, but masters who are aware of the potential bias and hallucinations that has a huge impact on knowledge acquisition and dissemination? Should it be a social responsibility of higher educational institutions to ensure meaningful curriculum and assessment practices which make learners future ready in such a rapidly changing AI era?
Recent global adoption indices confirms that South Asia has become one of the most dynamic regions for cryptocurrency engagement, with implications for remittance use. According to the 2025 crypto adoption index by Chainalysis, India secured the top position worldwide in overall crypto adoption across retail usage, reflecting pervasive grassroots digital activity. Pakistan and Bangladesh also feature prominently, with Pakistan ranking among top three in Asia and Bangladesh within top 20
India's armed forces need to transform itself to deter and if necessary fight and win a two-front war, and ensure that both China and Pakistan will bear the consequences of military and national embarrassment, writes Lt Gen PR Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
That fateful March 1977 election vindicated Indian democratic traditions and proved the triumph of freedom over bread, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
The distribution of the COVID-19 package across countries of the South Asian region shows that India has been one of the largest beneficiaries but the per capita package is lower than the Maldives and Bhutan due to the smaller population of these countries, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
Although the COVID-19 crisis has provided an immediate context for Indian outreach, health has been for years on its foreign policy agenda and New Delhi has been quite active in promoting global health partnerships, writes Saroj Mohanty for South Asia Monitor
June 25, 2020, is the 45th anniversary of the infamous Emergency imposed on the country by Mrs. Gandhi, even while countrywide protests had erupted against her continuation in power, writes Vinod Aggarwal for South Asia Monitor
We need to step out of the stated and irrevocable positions taken, think out of the box, accept existing ground realities, create the right atmospherics amongst the people and international community and come up with a pragmatic solution, writes Lt Gen P R Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The gloves are indeed off. Now New Delhi must ensure that the Indian Army’s mountain corps is made fully ready to foil further Chinese military moves, writes Anil Bhat for South Asia Monitor
Potential Indian defence ministers will have to be qualified to carry out the duties and responsibilities of that office effectively. This will automatically generate a culture of strategic thinking in the political rank and file, writes Lt Gen (Dr) Yash Malhotra (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The Chinese are extremely wary and suspicious of India's growing closeness with the US and feel that the US was seeking to "draw a line" around China, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
China’s message to India is loud and clear that it has absolutely no intention to withdraw soon. It has also proved that the collusive support of China and Pakistan to each other against India has been translated into reality, writes Lt Gen Rameshwar Roy (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Since Bangladesh is among the lowest testing countries, Rohingyas living in these makeshift camps are largely deprived of testing for COVID-19, writes Shanjida Shahab Uddin for South Asia Monitor
Experts feel that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new opportunities for regional cooperation in South Asia with the setting up of an emergency fund of $10 million to fight the pandemic with India's initiative, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
While India never had hegemonistic tendencies, China the ‘middle power’ always wanted to restore its past glory by any means, which included grabbing/occupying land and maritime zones based on its perception of past ownership, writes Lt Gen P R Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
The efficiency of response has varied across India. Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and the Northeastern states responded well, with strong public health measures combined with empathetic social services, writes Prof. K. Srinath Reddy for South Asia Monitor
China has made all-out efforts to draw Nepal into its strategic sphere and has stoked anti-India feelings, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
