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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.
Inequalities of Caste and Contract in Sewage Work in Delhi
By Aarushie Sharma
Rising contractual employment in sanitation work draws upon and reproduces historical inequalities of caste and class in urban India.
Why Sri Lanka’s Rejection of a Land Bridge With India Is the Right Call
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Physical connection to India could dissuade other countries from deepening ties with the island, as it will be seen as New Delhi’s client state.
Plummeting Academic Freedom and Autonomy in Modi’s India
By Kavita Chowdhury
India figures in the bottom 15 percent of 179 countries with regard to academic freedom, according to V-Dem’s 2025 report.
Terrorists Target Tourist Hotspot in India’s Jammu and Kashmir
By Sudha Ramachandran
The Resistance Group, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the mass killings. How will India respond?
The Unfolding Sorry Saga of Nepal’s China-built Airport at Pokhara
By Biswas Baral
A parliamentary panel probing the project has discovered irregularities worth over $100 million.
Starlink in Bangladesh: A Digital Leap or Sovereignty Trade-Off?
By Shahadat Swadhin
While Starlink holds promise for connecting Bangladesh’s rural and hard-to-reach areas, it also raises critical questions about national autonomy, data ownership, and digital governance.
Why Are Tokay Geckos Being Smuggled Out of India’s Northeast?
By Rajeev Bhattacharyya
This lizard species, which is valued for its use in traditional medicine in China and Southeast Asia, can earn a smuggler around $70,000 per lizard.
The Emerging Exception: India Sees Itself as Transcending Middle Power
By Rajiv Bhatia
India no longer sees itself as merely a middle power, but as a key player shaping the global order: an “emerging great power.”
The National Security Implications of Starlink’s Entry Into India
By Gurshabad Grover
India’s uncritical and pernicious reliance on U.S. tech companies may serve to undermine its own national and technological visions.
Bangladesh Pokes India in the Eye; Delhi Hits Back
By Sudha Ramachandran
India’s withdrawal of transshipment facilities for Bangladeshi cargo headed for third countries will hit the Bangladeshi economy hard.
Through Climate Diplomacy, Nepal Sounds the Alarm on the Himalayas
By Ritesh Panthee
Nepal’s climate vulnerability shapes its climate goals and strategies, with the Sagarmatha Sambad as a rising symbol of Himalayan climate diplomacy.
Water for Peace: What Bangladesh Wants From the Ganga Water Treaty
By Sk Tawfique M Haque
The forthcoming negotiations for renewing the treaty must make water-sharing climate resilient and equitable as well as account for extreme weather conditions.
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