US and Russian nuclear weapons

Whither Disarmament? Nuclear Weapons Remain Deeply Embedded in National Security Doctrines

However, evolving regional dynamics, particularly China’s expansion and Pakistan’s tactical nuclear developments, continue to test the durability and interpretation of this doctrine. While India has officially reiterated its commitment to No First Use, debates persist within strategic circles about its future applicability under extreme scenarios.

With a New-Gen Government in Kathmandu, are India–Nepal Relations Headed for a Reset?

The significance of Shisir Khanal’s visit therefore lies not only in the agreements reached but in the broader message it conveyed. Both Kathmandu and New Delhi are signalling a willingness to move beyond the grievances and suspicions that have periodically defined their interactions. If the emphasis on development diplomacy, economic integration, and pragmatic cooperation is sustained, the current moment could indeed mark the beginning of a new chapter in India–Nepal relations.

Why is Trump Betting Big on Pakistan? New Oil and Gas Finds Stir Regional Geopolitics

This is also the terrain through which the US 62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) traverses, facing security threats from north to south, losing men and material in attacks by militants. That being the case, the US entry brings in another global player, ready to guard its interests against China’s looming presence. Is the South Asian region headed for a proxy war? 

Pakistan: Oppressor at Home, Peace Broker Abroad

This contradiction—peace abroad, repression at home—defines Pakistan’s current posture. While Islamabad seeks international recognition as a mediator, its domestic record is marred by bloodshed and denial of democracy. The JAAC movement, rooted in basic economic grievances, has become a symbol of resistance against this hypocrisy. 

More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs

Is India heading for a constitutional crisis over CAA?

Nearly all the non-BJP state governments have ruled out implementing the two measures, thereby preparing the battlefield for an unprecedented confrontation which will shake up the federal polity, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Cracking down on student protests augurs ill for Indian democracy

The dissent by young India is being cast as a diabolical anti-national act, even while many of the leaders in the BJP led government cut their teeth in politics during their student days, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor 

On CAA, India has scored a self-goal with friendly neighbours

Can India challenge the sovereignty of other nations and think of living peacefully with them, asks Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor  

Soleimani’s killing and regional implications: Will the winners be China, Pakistan?

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo spoke to Pakistani army chief Qamar J Bajwa on January 3, immediately after Soleimani’s killing, seeking Pakistani support, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Assam: Betrayed by politicians, united strongly in anti-CAA protest

The issue of illegal immigrants, from Bangladesh to be precise, is, therefore, an old wound for the Assamese people. For someone familiar with the geography of the state, the changing demography is hard to miss, writes Azera Parveen Rahman for South Asia Monitor

Attack on Sikh shrine exposes Pakistan’s disdain for minorities

The 'deep state' and the Imran Khan government should care about the pitiable condition of minorities in their own country instead of worrying about Muslim and Sikh minorities in India, writes Jai Kumar Verma for South Asia Monitor

CAA has hurt India’s foreign policy and global image

The lack of homework by the Modi government on the adverse implications of the CAA is now clearly visible both domestically and internationally, writes Alakh Ranjan for South Asia Monitor

The Rajapaksas return in Sri Lanka: Should India be worried?

Sri Lanka is at the centre of the IOR and the country which will have greater stakes and leverage over this island nation will have an edge in the Indian Ocean, writes Alakh Ranjan for South Asia Monitor

Needed political will to solve Delhi's pollution crisis

There are enough existing solutions to alleviate air pollution which is a result of a waste-disposal problem.  However, there is a need to have political and administrative will to implement them, writes Anil Rajvanshi for South Asia Monitor

India and Bhutan explore new areas of engagement

India understands the needs of Bhutan and is equally willing to diversify the relationship beyond hydropower. During his last visit, Modi showed India’s intent towards the diversification of bilateral relations, writes Alakh Ranjan for South Asia Monitor

Policy lessons from Mahatma Gandhi: Decentralised development and sustainable living

Gandhi was an engineer at heart. He improvised and built equipment like better snake-catching tools, small cotton-spinning wheel (takli) and chappals (sandals) from used tires. In 1929, he even instituted an INR one lakh prize (INR 20 crores in today’s value; 2.6 times bigger than the Nobel Prize) for the design of a modern charkha (spinning wheel), writes  Anil K Rajvanshi for South Asia Monitor

The Afghan deadlock: Was it a Trump subterfuge or a secret understanding?

Trump realized that the draft deal, if signed, would be labeled a surrender to the Taliban, which would be politically damaging for him. Another reason could be that he never really wanted to meet the Taliban, but wanted to showcase the peace efforts made, and place indirect pressure on them through the subterfuge writes Lt Gen PC Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

Quietly, India crafts a new strategic partnership with Africa

With India's growing political and strategic interest in the continent, and inclination to leverage its diaspora as an instrument of soft power, it’s natural for New Delhi to establish a beachhead in Somalia, that straddles the Horn of Africa,  the source of the Nile and a gate to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, through which tens of thousands of vessels pass through Somali waters every year in what is one of the world’s busiest sea-trading lanes, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor

Trump cancelling Taliban pact brings relief to world capitals, including Delhi

Delhi has not yet made an official statement, but legitimizing the Taliban at a Camp David ceremony would  have had an adverse impact on India’s strategic interests in the region, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor

Putting NRC in perspective: Assam is not communal, has never been

For an outsider, the NRC process has come to be perceived as anti-Muslim. This is drawing the line along religious identity—a factor to which the indigenous Assamese Muslim community does not agree, but whose voice has been largely ignored in this massive debate, writes Azera Parveen Rahman for South Asia Monitor