South Asia

Observers urging engagement with the Taliban should take direction from those on the ground, who are directly impacted by the Taliban’s discriminatory policies. 

Hasina is back as prime minister. Economic problems and surging anger among opposition supporters threaten the much-vaunted stability under her rule.

Pakistan joins Canada and the United States in alleging attempted or successful assassinations of anti-India actors on foreign soil.

Pakistan’s retaliation was unexpected, and thus may not necessarily establish deterrence against future Iranian strikes.

25 years after Bhutan first applied to join the WTO, recent developments seem to be giving Thimphu a final push. 

While the government claims it will help check online fraud, abuse and false statements that threaten national security, critics allege it will be used to stifle speech.

Under the Taliban, the Hazara community in Afghanistan is subjected to extreme violence and systematic dehumanization.

While much of the discussion of the crisis has been about geopolitics, militant groups, and proxy wars, the people living in the border areas are bearing the brunt.

The BJP has consistently used its foreign policy credentials to bolster its domestic popularity, but the difference is mostly one of style rather than substance.

Media, internet, and civil rights groups say the bill would have “a chilling effect on free speech.” The government argues it is needed to address online fraud, abuse, and false statements.

Contrary to perceptions that it is being done to obliterate Muslim sites of worship from India, the consecration of the temple is about creating a new type of public-facing Hinduism.

In a fractious world where disputes appear intractable, India hopes to use its ambiguous silence as leverage to play its partners off of each other rather than offering support to any side.