Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flying his last fighter jet sortie

Air Power and National Security: Strategic Choices that the Indian Air Force Needs to Make

Air power will remain central to national security. Whether India has enough of it, in the right form, and can afford it in scarce dollars, is still an open question. ACM Singh is to be commended for his distinguished service and stellar leadership – and more importantly – rendering objective professional advice to the apex leadership, an increasingly rare trait in the current times.

Nonalignment and Strategic Autonomy Unworkable for Small States: 'India First' Policy a Strategic Necessity for Sri Lanka

Under conditions of what is increasingly described as the "Great Fragmentation," Sri Lanka's geographic proximity to India should be viewed as a strategic advantage rather than a liability. Properly managed, this strategic reality could help transform Sri Lanka into a prosperous and stable nation.

Pakistan’s Hangor-Class Fires Its First Missile. Can It Shift the Maritime Balance in South Asia?

The September 27 firing is therefore best seen as the beginning of a new phase in Pakistan’s naval modernization. The larger strategic question is still open. Whether Hangor changes the regional maritime balance will depend on what comes next

India Strategically Transforming Bay of Bengal Islands Into a Major Trade, Logistics and Military Hub

The Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP)  is a mammoth venture by India to strategically strengthen its presence in the Andaman Sea and Southeast Asia with its own transshipment hub. The mega-infrastructure project spans approximately166.10 sq km covering about 15% of the total landmass of Great Nicobar Island at the southernmost tip of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

Why has Pakistan deployed LY-80 missiles near the India border?

Pakistan wants to fulfill several objects by placing LY-80 missiles near Indian borders, writes Jai Kumar Verma for South Asia Monitor

As China faces world's ire, time for India to rise

As many nations relocate their industries to newer locations, India should play its cards well and, with alacrity,  could be one of the preferred destinations for replacing China, writes Lt Gen Kamal Davar(retd)  for South Asia Monitor

South Asian nations should enhance public spending on health, scientific research

There is a need to invest in scientific research in the South Asian region so that disease control measures could be taken in the right earnest, writes Shubham Singh for South Asia Monitor

COVID-19 and the growing vulnerability of overseas Bangladeshis

Due to COVID-19, Bangladeshi  workers abroad are caught jobless, quarantined in shabby living places, mentally disturbed because of their family crisis of getting no money, fear of being affected by the coronavirus aftermath and uncertainties of being back in Bangladesh, write Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim and Dr. Mohammad Tarikul Islam for South Asia Monitor

Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council, once hailed, leading to power tussles

Some of the decisions by the CC have resulted in a major tussle between the Council and the Executive in Sri Lanka, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor

Future of work: Need to address widening mismatch between skill, academic training and employment

Devising a strategy to help close the digital skills gap should be a key focus for all businesses during the next decade and beyond, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

A conflict-ridden AfPak region where fighting COVID-19 is not a priority

A common thread that runs through them is of COVID-19 taking the back seat in the plans and actions of various stakeholders in the  AfPak region working at cross-purposes, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor

On Ramzan eve, India seeks to allay Gulf concerns over Islamophobia

There is growing realization within the government and diplomatic community that India stands to lose a great deal in allowing Islamophobia to spread within India and among Indians abroad and some nimble diplomacy is required to change perceptions, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor

Can India's pharma soft power work in South Asia?

Indian pharma’s soft power has, no doubt, opened up possibilities for foreign policy in the neighbourhood, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

India, France, China should WAVE to fight future viruses

The terrific trio of Modi, Macron and XI should meet over videoconference and announce WAVE. They have the capability and potential to make history, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

South Asia needs to pay more attention to public health; SAARC needs to pool health resources

What really jumps up from the plethora of information floating around is the lack of preparedness and lack of governmental attention to health care, especially in the overcrowded South Asian region, writes Sreeradha Datta for South Asia Monitor

Muslims in India: A minister indulges in smoke and mirrors

Irrespective of whether they succeed in convincing the foreigners, the reactions in India to the minister’s assertion will range from amusement to derision, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Policy priorities: rice for ethanol or hungry stomachs?

This abundant food-in-the-granary exigency will unfold even as a large number of Indians are grappling with hunger pangs and are  stuck in varying degrees of deprivation, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

A questionable agreement: Has Khalilzad betrayed Afghan people by caving into Taliban pressure?

The wider consequences of the agreement between the US and Taliban remain ambiguous, writes Iqbal Dawari for South Asia Monitor

A meaningful gesture to restore trust in frayed India-Bangladesh ties

The Indian government’s decision to pass and enact, in December 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Act, naming Bangladesh as a country where minorities are persecuted, had an extremely negative fallout in that country, writes  Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor