Bangladesh is strategically important to China for dominating the Bay of Bengal in conjunction with Myanmar, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor
India Must Recalibrate Its Grand Strategy To Face Emerging Geopolitical Headwinds
Today, India’s grand strategy faces a similarly critical moment—this time shaped not by the Kissinger Doctrine but by the Donroe Doctrine. New Delhi must avoid relying on limited or incremental approaches. Instead, its strategy must be upgraded to a level that allows it to take calculated risks, withstand U.S. diplomatic blitzkrieg, and navigate an anxiety-ridden global order with greater resilience and confidence.
Greenland, Great Power Politics, And India’s Strategic Imperative: A Realist Geopolitical Analysis
Greenland’s geopolitical prominence illustrates how a distant region can reflect deeper shifts in global power, economics, and security. For countries like India, Greenland is not about territorial ambition; it is a reminder that structural shifts in global power dynamics transcend geography. In a realist world, engagement is not optional; it is necessary for safeguarding long-term interests in a system where power continually redistributes itself.
The Quiet Unraveling Of The Global Nuclear Order And Its Dangerous Implications
According to realist paradigms, nuclear weapons can be seen as the ultimate guarantee of national security and when there will be no restrictions, states will strive to dominate or achieve parity. Lapse of New START can thus create worsening security dilemmas, where efforts of any state to enhance its deterrent value is seen as a threat, and the state retaliates. The position of nuclear weapons as power projectors will, therefore, be more intense.
Back-To-Back Visits And Differential Access: Sri Lanka’s Clever Foreign Policy Balancing Between India And China
Some analysts are of the view that Sri Lanka’s differential access — full executive level for India versus foreign ministry level for China — may reflect Sri Lanka’s carefully calibrated foreign policy. Sri Lanka is leveraging India for urgent, high-impact assistance and wider policy coordination and engaging China for strategic reassurance and medium-to-long-term cooperative alignment that is less intertwined with immediate executive decisions.
More on Spotlight
Is the Diamer-Bhasha dam in Pakistan a boondoggle?
The Pakistan government claims that the Diamer-Bhasha dam project will generate 4,500 megawatts of electricity which will be much cheaper in cost. But the reality is that the world has much better, environmental-friendly, cheaper, and sustainable solutions to generate electricity, writes Muhammad Abbas Khaskheli for South Asia Monitor
India-US naval exercises: Can symbolism translate into powerplay?
Despite the US raising the ante with China over South China Sea and prioritizing freedom of the oceans, New Delhi remains wary of entering into a formal alliance with Washington, writes C Uday Bhaskar for South Asia Monitor
Ershad's first death anniversary: Despotism still survives in Bangladesh
Ershad may have gone, but his shadow can still be seen in the political theatre of Bangladesh, writes Aashish Kiphayet for South Asia Monitor
P.V. Narasimha Rao: The undervalued PM who changed India's destiny
It is to Rao's credit that within a short period of time he not only arrested the decline of his party but was able to unite the country on the most productive political platforms since the freedom movement - the pursuit of prosperity, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor
Tidings of a bountiful monsoon could lessen economic woes in India, South Asia
The southwest monsoon’s impact is felt throughout South Asia. Above-normal rainfall is likely over Pakistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, while it could be less than normal in Bangladesh, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor
India's Chabahar challenge: Is China putting paid to New Delhi's connectivity plans?
The Chabahar connectivity project envisages uninterrupted access and movement of goods and services via the sea route and road-rail facilities, making it cost-effective, convenient, and feasible for all parties and boosting the regional economy, writes Vishakh Krishnan Valiathan for South Asia Monitor
Needed a bicycle renaissance to promote environment-friendly road culture
From lockdown, we learned that there is a big opportunity for cities to support non-motorised transport to achieve sustainable cities and a non-polluting environment, writes George Cheriyan & Amar Deep Singh for South Asia Monitor
Recurrent anti-Indianism in Nepal: Need to restructure bilateral ties
As India prepares for anti-Indianism 2.0 it will eventually have to also address the deeper Nepalese yearning for a sense of equality and mutual respect, writes Amb K V Rajan (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Is it the end of the road for two main national parties of Sri Lanka?
Two major national political parties that took turns in ruling the country for seven decades are about bite the dust, perhaps ending a healthy democratic system in which these two parties ensured a stable government and a strong opposition in parliament most of the times, writes Sugeeswara Senadhira for South Asia Monitor
Resilience of the real sector key to sustenance in South Asia
In terms of a more vulnerable population which is less well paid, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal are more vulnerable as compared to the rest of the countries of the region, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor
India and the European Union: Virtual summit has sent positive signals to the world
The signing of the India-EURATOM Agreement on research and development cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy will cover all aspects of research and technological development, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor
Why the BJP remains unchallenged in Indian politics
There is little doubt, therefore, that the opportunism of Indian politicians is a reason for the BJP’s success, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor
Giving Iran and Afghanistan on a platter to China
China will use its increased presence and influence in Iran and Afghanistan to target Indian interests, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor
To build or not to build a temple - in Pakistan
The government’s move on the temple, some media commentators suggest, is to show Pakistan in a better light in comparison with India, which is seen as being driven by Hindutva forces that are against India's religious minorities, writes Mahendra Ved for South Asia Monitor
