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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.
India and Chabahar: Navigating the Tides of US Sanctions
By Namita Barthwal
India will develop the Shahid-Behesti Terminal of Iran’s strategic Chabahar port. Can it so do without facing U.S. sanctions?
Of 69,000 South Asians Displaced Last Year, 67,000 Were From Manipur: IDMC Report
By Rajeev Bhattacharyya
However, the ground situation is far more serious than the numbers cited in the report, say Manipuri activists and academics.
Controversial Map in Nepal’s Currency Note Irks India
By Santosh Sharma Poudel
The Nepali map features territories that India also claims and is in control of.
Afghan Women Face Serious Challenges Amid Flooding
By Saeedullah Safi and reporters of The Afghan Times
A lack of access to toilets and sanitary products plague Afghan women in the wake of recent floods, problems worsened by cultural taboos and strict gender-separation.
Making Sense of Recent Mass Protests in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
By Muneeb Yousuf and Mohd. Usman Bhatti
In addition to rising prices, Kashmiris are angry that Islamabad has denied them political autonomy and rights over the region’s resources.
Indian Parties Give Climate Issues the Cold Shoulder in Election Campaigns
By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Even as India reels under a series of heatwaves and forest fires, environment and climate change issues are barely mentioned in campaign speeches and manifestos.
Parents of Children Gone in Sri Lanka’s Civil War Seek Answers
By Krishan Francis
Fifteen years after the war ended, families do not know if their children are dead or alive.
Why Nepal Escalated Its Map Dispute With India
By Rishi Gupta
It’s no coincidence that the move came just as Nepal’s left-alliance government faces a crucial floor test.
What Are the Prospects for Reviving India-Pakistan Trade?
By Waleed Sami
India-Pakistan trade has been especially difficult since 2019. What would it take for the neighbors to overcome present barriers to trade?
India and China: Trading With the Enemy
By Shreya Upadhyay
Political and security tensions are on the rise, but so is the value of China-India trade.
Rising Voices of Dissent in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir
By Syed Mushahid Hussain Naqvi
Unrest in the “jugular vein of Pakistan” exposes a nexus of societal, political, and geopolitical risks.
A Year On, Manipur in India’s Northeast Continues to Simmer
By Nikita Jain
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not uttered a word about the situation in Manipur since violence engulfed the state last year.