Blog
The Pulse
South Asia is a story of promise and peril where Asia’s conflicting forces of modernity and reaction meet head on. Home to a multitude of different cultures, ethnicities, and religions, The Diplomat's regional correspondents and experts will provide the insight you need to navigate one of the world's most consequential regions.
With China’s Help, Nepal Chips Away at Its India-lockedness
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
They have begun a feasibility study to build a railway line linking Kathmandu with Kerung in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
BJP Government’s Strategy on Implementation of Citizenship Law
By Mridugunjan Deka
Implementation of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 is being advanced incrementally and in a non-dynamic fashion.
Pakistan and the US Join Hands Against the Pakistani Taliban
By Umair Jamal
Pakistan will be wary of becoming a staging post for U.S. counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan as this would worsen its already testy ties with the Taliban regime.
To Please the IMF, Sri Lanka is Cutting Troop Numbers
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Instead, it should retrain its soldiers and redeploy them in policing, peacekeeping, and disaster rescue and relief roles.
Taliban Erasing Women From Society in Afghanistan
By Baktash Siawash
As Afghan women are being erased from society in Taliban-run Afghanistan, all Afghans will suffer.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal Heads New Government in Nepal
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
His party, which won only 11 percent of the vote, heads a new seven-party coalition of parties that share little other than a lust for power.
India’s Global Ambitions Begin at Home
By Chietigj Bajpaee
Does the grand rhetoric of India’s foreign policy aspirations match the reality of the country’s domestic reform momentum?
Indian, Chinese Army Commanders Meet to End Border Standoff
By Ashok Sharma
There is no indication whether a breakthrough in the impasse was achieved but the meeting is expected to reduce tensions.
As TTP Attacks Mount, Pakistan Runs out of Patience With Afghan Taliban
By Umair Jamal
Pakistani commandos killed 25 TTP militants in an operation to rescue hostages at a counterterrorism center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Foreign Policy Implications of Nepal’s Election
By Pratistha Rijal
Continued political instability could allow external powers to increase their influence in the country's political landscape.
How Football Resurrected Argentina-Bangladesh Relations
By Shafik A. Rahma
Bangladeshis’ passion for Argentina’s national team helped inspire Buenos Aires to reopen its embassy in Dhaka.
Period Poverty and Floods: A Toxic Combination in Conservative Pakistan
By Anam Zahra
The catastrophic floods this summer worsened Pakistan's already severe menstrual health problems. Yet few are willing to even discuss the issue.