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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.
August 13, 2022
Under Taliban Rule, Afghanistan Will Never Have an Inclusive Government
By Fawad Poya
In practice, the political order the Taliban prefer is incapable of accommodating crucial features like universal human rights, an inclusive and representative political system, and compliance with international law.
August 13, 2022
Pakistan at 75: A Long History of Anti-Americanism
By Muhammad A. Basit
For most of its history, Pakistan has had turbulent relations with the United States, leading to deep-rooted public antipathy.
August 12, 2022
Food for Thought as Independent India Turns 75
By Muqtedar Khan
India’s pursuit of greatness will remain elusive if it fails to address inequality and revive its democratic and secular values.
August 12, 2022
Pakistan at 75: A Country in Search of Itself
By Umair Jamal
Its Independence Day should be a day to reflect and ponder on the mistakes of the past rather than celebrating fiction as history.
August 11, 2022
Implications of al-Zawahiri’s Killing for al-Qaida and Taliban
By Abdul Basit
The Taliban regime’s efforts to get international diplomatic recognition and unfreeze Afghan assets worth $3.5 billion with the U.S. will hit a dead end.
August 11, 2022
At 75, India’s Biggest Challenge Is to Create Jobs
By Krutika Pathi and Bhumika Saraswati
From an impoverished nation in 1947, India has emerged a global powerhouse whose $3 trillion economy is Asia’s third largest. But where are the jobs?
August 10, 2022
Is China to Blame for Sri Lanka’s Debt Woes?
By Ivory Kairo
China's role in lending to Sri Lanka has expanded in the last 20 years, but fewer Chinese loans would not have saved the country from its current economic crisis.
August 10, 2022
Sri Lanka Introduces Reform Bill to Clip Presidential Powers
By Krishan Francis
If passed into law, the amendments would reinstate democratic reforms made in 2015 and then reversed in 2020 under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
August 10, 2022
Enforced Vegetarianism in India
By Kavita Chowdhury
Meat shops and slaughter houses in Gurugram near New Delhi will stay shut for nine days during a Jain religious festival.
August 10, 2022
At 75, India’s Kashmir Challenge Shifts Foreign Policy Focus
By Aijaz Hussain
From a Pakistan-centric policy, India has shifted to focus on a rising China that is supporting Islamabad’s stance on Kashmir.
August 10, 2022
Sri Lanka Asks China to Postpone Research Ship’s Port Call
By Krishan Francis
India had objected to the Yuan Wang 5’s scheduled visit to the Chinese-owned port of Hambantota.
August 09, 2022
India Noncommittal on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
India’s tepid response to the PGII seems odd given Delhi’s opposition to the BRI, which the new G-7 initiative seeks to counter.
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