If Bangladesh applies to join this year, it can be a member of RCEP from 2025 onward. Apart from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are also reportedly eager to join the China-led trade bloc.
From Ecological Decline to Food Insecurity: Pollinator Loss has Long-Term Consequences for Pakistan Agriculture
The decline of pollinators in Pakistan is not an isolated environmental issue. It is a structural signal of imbalance within agricultural ecosystems. It reflects how modern farming practices, if not carefully managed, can inadvertently weaken the very systems upon which they depend. The danger lies not in sudden collapse but in gradual erosion that goes unnoticed until productivity begins to decline in visible and irreversible ways.
Gulf Crisis: Pakistan Hosts the Table; India Influences the Room (Part V)
India’s role in the Middle East crisis is defined not by presence at negotiation tables but by its ability to sustain stability around them.While Pakistan facilitates talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad, India underwrites the broader security architecture through its maritime presence, economic weight, and multi-aligned diplomacy.
Water Security and Regional Peace: Future of the Indus Waters Treaty in a Changing Climate
The Indus Waters Treaty has lasted more than 60 years, illustrating diplomacy's ability to handle one of South Asia's most sensitive resources. However, climate change and geopolitical tensions have called into question its significance. To guarantee that the treaty continues to prevent war and promote shared prosperity, Indian and Pakistani governments must update its provisions, invest in joint institutions, and view water as a shared strategic asset rather than a source of friction.
Iran at the Crossroads: In a Changing Region, Tehran’s Critical Choices Could Shape Change (Part IV)
Iran's demonstrated endurance to maintain its intrinsic rights to nuclear enrichment as an NPT state even under sanctions and its willingness to escalate without collapsing, is an important consideration for the Iranian regime. This issue was centre stage at the collapsed Islamabad negotiations. How Iran shapes its stand will be centre piece of future negotiations.
More on Spotlight
Hydropolitics of the Helmand River: Iran-Afghanistan water-sharing dispute could imperil regional security and ecology
The Helmand River water issue has the capacity to escalate into a protracted and intense conflict, drawing both countries into a state of violence.
Pakistan: Military rule by proxy continues and will continue
It is apparent the Pakistani military is the sole decision-maker for Pakistan and the arbiter of its destiny. The probability of a prolonged interim government under caretaker PM Kakar is a strong possibility during which time the Pakistani military will call the shots through its puppet figure.
South Asia's overcrowded prisons: Lock-up culture needs to give way to reformation and empathy
Some South Asian countries have taken welcome steps toward the release of undertrial prisoners, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. These measures need to be implemented and applied consistently. Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty International's South Asia Director, says, “South Asia’s prisons are a blight on the region’s conscience...
Another round of India-China military talks : Obfuscating ground realities?
The latest round of military-to-military talks was orchestrated to time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the BRICS Summit in South Africa on August 22-24 and the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10, which Chinese President Xi Jinping is slated to attend.
Crisis-ridden Pakistan battles an Afghan dilemma
The ISKP’s current objective is to prevent the Taliban from accomplishing its objective as a government in Kabul and prevent it from fulfilling its promises to the Afghan people. In order to achieve this, ISIS/ISKP will continue to target not just Taliban fighters but also nations that may have alliances with the Taliban government, such as China, Russia, and Pakistan.
How the China factor influenced US-India ties in the last 76 years
As the US tries to break the stranglehold of China on its supply chains, especially in hi-tech, India is emerging as a venue for what is now called 'friendshoring' – developing manufacturing in friendly countries that can be reliable partners. From being a recipient of food aid from the US seven decades ago, India has emerged as a partner in defence, space, health and technology.
Bangladesh's shelter project for the homeless is a model of socioeconomic transformation
The project, like several other initiatives of Bangladesh PM Hasina, has caught the attention of the world's policymakers as the largest such rehabilitation project in the world.
The continuing tragedy of Manipur: Time for stern decisions to safeguard national security
With over 4000 weapons in unauthorized hands, the Manipur tinderbox can explode anytime. Firing at each other between the Meities and Kukis using an assortment of small weaponry is going on intermittently with the Manipur Police and security forces unable to effectively control the violence.
Climate crisis and women's vulnerabilities: Boosting climate resilience in India remains a challenge
Even if the role of women is overlooked or unacknowledged, they should continue to break barriers by fighting the challenges. Only then all gender-blind and biased, often spurious claims of men that they have greater roles and responsibilities in combating ill effects of the climate crisis will be replaced by women who are fighters of climate action, incandescent in their love, ardor and purpose to be changemakers.
Bastille Day marked the high point of burgeoning India-France strategic ties
It was after India’s second nuclear test in May 1998 that the India-France relationship warmed up. One major catalyst for this was that at a time when many nations were judgemental about India’s test, France’s stand was that it was India’s prerogative to conduct such a test based on the threats it faced.
Sri Lanka's geopolitical and regional importance: Talks with India, China, France and Japan in one week
Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi, and the subsequent visits of the senior Chinese party functionary, the French president, and the Japanese foreign minister signal a renewed thrust by the global and regional powers to reinvigorate their influence in the Indian Ocean Region where Sri Lanka's strategic geographical location makes it a pivotal player.
Bangladesh-US fraught ties scarred by Washington's cultural misperceptions
Strong-arming Bangladesh into toeing its prescribed policy positions is part of the Biden Administration’s wider external agenda of promoting the liberal values of democracy and human rights as the centerpiece of its foreign policy. But the real problem doesn’t lie in policy postures, but rather in the way these policies are being executed.
Electoral battle begins in the Maldives: Outcome will impact on regional geopolitics
On matters of foreign policy too, Nasheed is critical of China and favors the ‘India first’ policy, while Yameen has had positive relations with China and his party has recently protested against the Indian military presence in Maldives under the slogan ‘India Out’.
South Asia in the Asian perspective: external and internal macro-economic imbalances and the rise of China (Part II of a two-part analysis)
There has been discussion of alternate supply chains being created in India, Indonesia and Vietnam but supply chain issues originating from China are not going to go away in a hurry.
