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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.
Despite Difficulties, SCO Underscores Growing Indian, Chinese and Russian Convergence
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Among other things, India shares with Beijing and Moscow concern over the U.S. increasingly weaponizing the dollar.
The US and India: Democracy and Strategic Autonomy
By Raymond E. Vickery, Jr.
The two countries should support democratic values, including the international rule of law, in their relations with the rest of the world.
A Plea From Pakistan’s Sindh: ‘Our Village Drowned. You Might Still Have Time to Save Yours.’
By Morial Shah
We knew catastrophic climate change was coming. But for Pakistan it has already arrived.
Can You Separate the Monarch from the Colonial, or Rather, Should You?
By Ryan Mitra
India’s decision to fly its flag at half-mast for Queen Elizabeth, someone who was also a colonial ruler until her last breath, is antithetical to the country’s post-1947 identity.
A New Defection Threatens India’s Congress Party
By Anzer Ayoob
Veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s exit from the Indian National Congress poses a challenge to India’s battered opposition party.
Empowering Afghan Women and Their Civil Resistance
By Mojib Rahman Atal
It is not surprising why many Afghan women see their life under the Taliban as “death in slow motion.”
Implications of India’s Agnipath Scheme for Recruitment of Soldiers for Nepal’s Gurkhas
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Despite the scheme having major implications for Nepal and Nepal-India relations, India hardly consulted Kathmandu while devising the plan.
Anger Over Past, Indifference Meets Queen’s Death in India
By Krutika Pathi and Bhumika Saraswati
For many, the royal family remains a hallmark of a deeply painful history.
China’s Japanese-Inspired Project Approval Process in Sri Lanka
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Japanese strategy allowed Chinese projects to be responsive to preferences of Sri Lankan leaders but paved the way for political capture, inflated costs and corruption.
A Teesta River Water-Sharing Deal Is Critical for Bangladesh-India Ties
By P.K. Balachandran
Brushing the issue under the carpet would be unwise for the long-term health of the relationship.
Can Rahul Gandhi’s Long March Revive the Fortunes of the Congress Party?
By Kavita Chowdhury
The march has enthused the rank and file but India’s main opposition party needs to address its leadership crisis and organizational issues as well.
Fresh Influx of Myanmar Nationals Into India’s Mizoram State
By Rajeev Bhattacharyya
Violent clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army in the Chin state early this month triggered the exodus.