As Afghanistan struggles to rebuild, Bagram stands as both a scar and a lesson, a reminder of how intervention failed and how fragile independence can be. For India, backing the idea that no foreign power should return to that base is a way of saying the region must take responsibility for its own peace.
The time has come for New Delhi to consider formally recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. The downsides are minimal; the strategic dividends substantial. Engagement would not mean endorsement of ideology but acknowledgment of geopolitical reality.
Taliban’s human rights record, particularly its regressive misogynistic policies are well known. No doubt developing relations with Taliban is a geostrategic requirement. But why did India have to ban women reporters from attending the joint press conference by the two foreign ministers?
The Modi-Trump conversation may appear transactional, but its implications are strategic. If the trade agreement concludes by November, it could mark a turning point, redefining not just tariffs, but the trajectory of India’s global engagement.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
When Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, Aziz had hailed and justified the terror attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, where scores of students and teachers were killed, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
Ending the long war in Afghanistan and getting the boys back would help President Trump’s bid for a second presidential term but he may be creating a bigger Frankenstein in the combined Af-Pak region that would come to haunt America in the future, writes Lt Gen PC Katoch (retd.) for South Asia Monitor
For years Delhi government schools were known for their indifferent pedagogy, rundown buildings, large dropout percentages and were synonymous with all that was wrong with the country's public-sector education system, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
Just before the American president sets course for India, a senior US official noted that the US wants an India that is strong with a capable military that supports peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, writes Cmde C Uday Bhaskar (retd) for South Asia Monitor
