<p>Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. The Himalayan Mountains form the northern border of South Asia, whose two main rivers, the Indus and the Ganges, support the region&rsquo;s great population centers. India is the region&rsquo;s dominant country, home to the world&rsquo;s fastest growing economy. But its rivalry with neighboring Pakistan, a fellow nuclear power and growing consumer market, has made South Asia one of the world&rsquo;s most dangerous nuclear flashpoints. The region is also a testament to how militancy and militarism can undermine the regional integration needed to unleash higher economic growth.</p>

Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. 

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

Social Issues

The Pulse of Political Islam

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

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The Geopolitics of Water

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Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Depleted groundwater reserves threaten India's agriculture, energy and manufacturing sectors, potentially sparking unrest and inter-state disputes in the absence of a coordinated national policy.

The Geopolitics of Water: India's Groundwater Crisis

United States

Iran

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) arrive for a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 25, 2020.

Military & Security

While U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will maintain many of the outgoing Biden administration's overarching policies toward South Asia, bilateral relationships will grow increasingly transactional.

What Trump's Second Term Means for South Asia

A session is held in Sri Lanka's Parliament in Colombo on Aug. 20, 2020. 

The ballot could bolster the new president's ability to enact his socialist agenda, though it may also yield a hung parliament that leads to more government instability.

Previewing Sri Lanka's Parliamentary Elections

Global Elections

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Japan

A ballot is cast in front of the Japanese flag. On Nov. 11, the country will select a prime minister and convene an extraordinary session of its bicameral Diet.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Selects a Prime Minister, Trump's Shadow Looms Over COP29

China

Indian soldiers walk along a road near the Zojila mountain pass that connects to Ladakh, bordering China, on Feb. 28, 2021. 

Cyber

While their recent efforts to ease bilateral tensions will probably reduce the risk of border clashes, deep-seated mistrust between the two strategic rivals will very likely limit the scope of any reconciliation. 

After a Tense Few Years, India and China Try To Turn Down the Heat

Pakistan's president administers the oath of office to Justice Yahya Afridi as Afridi is sworn in as chief justice in Islamabad on Oct. 26, 2024.

The reform will allow the government to appoint Supreme Court justices who support its agenda, weakening judicial independence while likely fueling political tensions and protests.

The Implications of Pakistan's Controversial Judicial Reform

Ethiopia

Kenya

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Brazil

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United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Russia

Moldova

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

Snapshots

Canada

Indian policemen stand guard outside the entrance of the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi on Oct. 15, 2024. 

The dispute over India's alleged covert activities on Canadian soil will raise the risk of restricted consular services and protests in both countries, but major economic disruptions are unlikely.

India and Canada's Diplomatic Rift Hits a New Low

Incoming Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Jan. 27, 2023, in the Indian city of Srinagar in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Frustration Will Build in Kashmir as India Ignores the Movement to Restore Autonomy

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Sept. 27, 2024, over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel. The Security Cabinet of Israel has yet to decide exactly how to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile barrage against the country, but Israel clearly is seeking U.S. approval for an operation that might yet pull the U.S. back into active defense.

The Weekly Rundown: A Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meeting, Chinese Financial Support Measures

U.S.-Iran Relations

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

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Eurasia

The U.N. Climate Change Conference's new draft text on a climate finance agreement still includes separate options for the so-called New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance, differing both on the scale and scope of commitments, as well as which countries will contribute, Argus Media reported on Nov. 21.

Global: Disagreements Over COP29 Finance Target Remain as Summit Enters Final Hours

Voting concluded for the second and final phase of the mineral-rich Jharkhand legislative assembly elections, as well as for the single-phase assembly elections in Maharashtra, India’s western industrial hub, India Today reported on Nov. 20.

India: Voting Concludes in Jharkhand's and Maharashtra's State Assembly Elections

China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Nov. 19 that it will send troops from the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army to participate in "Warrior-VIII" joint counterterrorism exercises alongside Pakistani troops in Pakistan.

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom will resume negotiations with India on a free trade agreement in the new year, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office announced on Nov. 18 following his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G-20 summit in Brazil, Reuters reported the following day.

U.K., India: Countries To Resume Trade Talks in 2025

Leaders of the Group of 20 issued a joint declaration during a summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, emphasizing the need to fight hunger and climate change, reform multilateral institutions, and end conflicts and humanitarian crises in Gaza and Ukraine, g1 reported on Nov. 18.

G20: Despite Joint Communique, G20 Summit Unlikely To Impact Businesses Directly

Sri Lanka's Election Commission announced that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's leftist National People's Power Party won a two-thirds majority in Parliament, securing 159 out of 225 seats in the snap parliamentary elections held on Nov. 14, Reuters reported on Nov. 15.

Sri Lanka: President's National People's Power Party Secures Landslide Victory

Voting for the first phase of the Jharkhand state assembly elections in India took place on Nov. 13, with a voter turnout of 64.86%, the Hindu reported the same day.

India: First Phase of Voting in Jharkhand Assembly Elections Held on Nov. 13

Beijing is pushing Islamabad to allow Chinese security personnel into Pakistan to protect its interests there, fueling ongoing negotiations on a joint security management system, Reuters reported on Nov. 12.

Pakistan, China: Governments Discuss Joint Security Arrangement

South Asia

SITUATION REPORTS

Global: Disagreements Over COP29 Finance Target Remain as Summit Enters Final Hours

India: Voting Concludes in Jharkhand's and Maharashtra's State Assembly Elections

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

U.K., India: Countries To Resume Trade Talks in 2025

G20: Despite Joint Communique, G20 Summit Unlikely To Impact Businesses Directly

Sri Lanka: President's National People's Power Party Secures Landslide Victory

India: First Phase of Voting in Jharkhand Assembly Elections Held on Nov. 13

Pakistan, China: Governments Discuss Joint Security Arrangement

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