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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.

It Just Became Much Easier to Travel to India

It Just Became Much Easier to Travel to India

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

India's new visa-on-arrival scheme will make traveling there much easier.

Sri Lanka’s Presidential Race Gets Interesting

Sri Lanka’s Presidential Race Gets Interesting

By Taylor Dibbert

High-level defections are troubling developments for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

For SAARC to Work, India and Pakistan Must Resolve Differences

For SAARC to Work, India and Pakistan Must Resolve Differences

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

Despite Modi highlighting South Asia’s problems at the SAARC summit, SAARC fails to progress.

A Blueprint for India-Australia Collaboration

A Blueprint for India-Australia Collaboration

By Mohamed Zeeshan

Beyond geopolitics, the two countries have the potential to work together in a number of areas.

Could China Save India's Railways?

Could China Save India's Railways?

By Ankit Panda

Chinese state-owned firms will conduct a feasibility study for Chinese high-speed rail infrastructure in India.

Bangladesh’s Persistent Water Crisis

By ASMG Kibria

Issues with water resource management in Bangladesh have some very broad repercussions.

Afghan Government Lifts Ban on Night Raids

Afghan Government Lifts Ban on Night Raids

By Ankit Panda

Night raids, an important but controversial tool in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan, are back.

Obama to Visit India in January

Obama to Visit India in January

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

The fruits of Modi’s diplomacy become evident as Obama becomes the first American President to visit India twice.

When General Sharif Went to Washington

When General Sharif Went to Washington

By Michael Kugelman

A visit by Pakistan's army chief underlines the unique and often troubled relationship between Washington and Rawalpindi.

India Needs to Join Asia's Emerging 'Chinese Order'

India Needs to Join Asia's Emerging 'Chinese Order'

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

A new Asian order is emerging and South Asia -- including India -- needs to be a part of it.

India Tops Report on Global Slavery

India Tops Report on Global Slavery

By Ankit Panda

According to the Walk Free Foundation's 2014 Global Slavery Report, India is home to 14 million "modern slaves."

The Solution for Pakistan’s Problems: Become Another Iran

The Solution for Pakistan’s Problems: Become Another Iran

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri

Maybe what Pakistan needs is more Islamization.

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Authors

The Pulse

Contributing Author

Abdul Basit

Abdul Basit is a Senior Associate Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, where he covers extremism and militancy in South Asia. Follow him on Twitter @basitresearcher.

Contributing Author

Ahmed Naish

Ahmed Naish is a freelance journalist from the Maldives and former editor of the Maldives Independent, the country’s premier English-language publication.

Contributing Author

Akhilesh Pillalamarri

Akhilesh Pillalamarri is an international relations analyst, writer, and journalist.

Contributing Author

Ali Riaz

Ali Riaz is a distinguished professor of Political Science at Illinois State University and a nonresident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council.

Contributing Author

Birat Anupam

Birat Anupam is a Kathmandu-based Nepali journalist writing mostly on tourism, diplomacy, and the environment.

Contributing Author

Elizabeth Roche

Elizabeth Roche is Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Haryana, India.

Contributing Author

Kavita Chowdhury

Kavita Chowdhury is an independent journalist and writes on development, politics, gender, culture.

Contributing Author

Mariyam Suleman Anees

Mariyam is a development specialist and a freelance writer from Gwadar. She tweets at @mariyamsuleman

Guest Author

Mimrah Abdul Ghafoor

Mimrah Ghafoor writes on the politics and diplomacy of the Indian Ocean, with a particular focus on the Maldives. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of St Andrews. He served as a speechwriter for the President of the 76th Session of the General Assembly.

Guest Author

Mohamed Zeeshan

Mohamed Zeeshan is a foreign affairs columnist and author of “Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership.”

Contributing Author

Mubashar Hasan

Mubashar Hasan, Ph.D., is a Sydney-based scholar and analyst of geopolitics in South Asia.

Contributing Author

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Rajeev Bhattacharyya is a senior journalist in Assam in India’s northeast.

Contributing Author

Rathindra Kuruwita

Rathindra Kuruwita is a journalist and a researcher from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Contributing Author

Rushali Saha

Rushali Saha is a New Delhi based independent researcher and foreign affairs columnist. She is currently working as a security risk analyst with Horizon Intelligence, a Belgium-based threat intelligence firm.

Guest Author

Santosh Sharma Poudel

Santosh Sharma Poudel is a faculty at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu and a co-founder of Nepal Institute for Policy Research (NIPoRe).

Contributing Author

Saqlain Rizve

Saqlain Rizve is a Bangladeshi journalist and photographer who covers politics and society from Dhaka for The Diplomat.

Contributing Author

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, the author of two non-fiction books on India’s ultra-Left and the Hindu right, writes and comments on India’s politics, environment, human rights and culture.

Staff Author

Sudha Ramachandran

Sudha Ramachandran is South Asia editor at The Diplomat.

Contributing Author

Umair Jamal

Umair Jamal is a correspondent for The Diplomat, based in Lahore, Pakistan.