In the face of such sustained criticism, to which its foreign office is very unaccustomed, it is clear that India’s domestic politics are now placing India’s global ambitions at grave risk, writes Nilova Roy Chaudhury for South Asia Monitor
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
US, Taliban and the Doha Agreement: Afghan government short-shrifted
It is the agenda going forward that effectively puts a stamp over what the US assumes would be a Taliban-led, if not outright, Taliban government in Afghanistan, writes Shakti Sinha for South Asia Monitor
South Asia needs to reclaim its cultural ethos, revive SAARC
Although BIMSTEC has been gaining momentum in the recent past, it cannot be an alternative to SAARC, as it involves all the players in the region, including Pakistan, writes Samudrala VK for South Asia Monitor
Russia, India, China should cooperate to lead the Asian century
RIC, a troika of the three Eurasian powers, can work extensively on issues like counter-terrorism, transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking and climate change, writes Samudrala VK for South Asia Monitor
The Taliban, and Pakistan, have caught Trump in a duplicitous bind
What constituency Pakistan has in Capitol Hill is not known, but in putting up this deal, Pakistan has played its double game to the hilt, capitalizing on Trump’s pre-election promise of ‘bringing the boys home’, writes Lt Gen P C Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
US-Taliban deal will only boost Trump’s electoral prospects and Pakistani influence
The requirement of a seven-day ‘reduction in violence’ for signing the deal was a joke that demonstrated abject surrender to the Taliban, writes Lt Gen PC Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
For Trump facing re-election India was the 51st US state!
If the adulation of Trump and the rally made it seem like India was the 51st state in Trump's re-election campaign, it may be because Modi bets on the re-election of a tough, right-wing hardliner with whom he shares some characteristics, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor
To ‘Act East’ effectively requires India to ‘Learn East’
In order to effectively “Act East” we must first try to “Learn East” once again to rediscover the opportunities for prosperity that lie therein, writes By Amb Sarva Chakravarti (retd) for South Asia Monitor
A Bollywood film that got Trump's attention and sends out a social message
The LGBT issue is far from gaining social acceptability in a diverse and conservative society that India and much of South Asia is. But things are changing, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
The Indus Waters Treaty: Enduring agreement provides security in strained India-Pakistan ties
Today’s dispute (between India and Pakistan) is now less about Kashmir and Kashmiris and more about a river system with its headwaters in Kashmir writes Anuttama Banerji for South Asia Monitor
US-Taliban talks: Peace is still elusive
The present peace accord is fragile as there are several forces which are against the peace, and they may try to disrupt the agreement, writes Jai Kumar Verma for South Asia Monitor
Delhi riots have dented Modi’s image
For, what happened in the capital during the two days of the Trump visit, especially on the last day, was no less damaging to the Prime Minister’s reputation than the electoral setback, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
Popular dissent in India threatens the government's idea of domination
The women of Shaheen Bagh at Delhi and their sisters at innumerable other locations all over India have changed the narrative of dissent... causing utter confusion of thought as well as action at the level of the Indian government, writes Dr Udai Vir Singh for South Asia Monitor
Bangladesh has a tradition of religious harmony: American senator’s remarks cause outrage
There is no incident in Bangladesh that can prove that any Bangladeshi has been persecuted by the government for his or her religious beliefs, writes Swadesh Roy for South Asia Monitor
Modi and Trump are different, but together they can make a difference
The second largest and the fourth largest emitter of the green house gases are standing in the cusp of the most critical decade of the 21st century when they meet on 24-25 Februrary 2020 when the world is on the cusp of environmental havoc due to climate change, writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor
