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Politics

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China on Aug. 31 for the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Heads of Government Council, which will mark Modi's first visit to China since June 2018, Reuters reported on Aug. 6, citing an unidentified Indian government source.

India, China: India's Modi To Visit China for First Time in Over Seven Years

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Economics

The Trump administration announced new tariffs for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan that will take effect on Aug. 7, Reuters reported on Aug. 1.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan: Trump Announces Reduced Tariff Rates

Military & Security

Amid parliamentary debate on India's handling of its May conflict with Pakistan, Home Minister Amit Shah announced on July 29 that Indian security forces near the Kashmiri summer capital of Srinagar on July 28 killed three men responsible for the deadly April 22 attack on civilians near the Kashmiri town of Pahalgam, Hindustan Times reported on July 29.

India: Home Minister Says Security Forces Killed Perpetrators of April Attack in Kashmir 

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari unilaterally enacted an ordinance expanding the Frontier Constabulary, a paramilitary force that primarily operates in regions near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, into a national force called the Federal Constabulary with authority to operate across all provinces and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Reuters reported on July 14.

Pakistan: Government To Establish New National Paramilitary Force

Iran

Israel

According to a June 19 press release from the media wing of Pakistan's military, Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir and U.S. President Donald Trump's June 18 meeting focused on regional security, counterterrorism cooperation and expanding bilateral ties in trade, technology and energy.

Pakistan, U.S: Pakistan's Field Marshal Meets With Trump

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled a 17.573 trillion rupee ($62 billion) budget for fiscal year 2025-26, Dawn reported on June 10.

Pakistan: New Budget Increases Defense Spending but Seeks Alignment With IMF Conditions

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruled out dialogue or trade with Islamabad and pledged to make Pakistan's military and economy "pay a heavy price" for any aggression on Indian soil, Bloomberg reported May 22.

India, Pakistan: Modi Rules Out Talks and Trade With Islamabad, Pledges To Withhold Water

Pakistan's military on May 21 accused India of "plann[ing] and orchestrat[ing]" a suicide bombing earlier the same day that targeted children on their way to a military-run school in Pakistan's restive southwestern province, killing some five people and wounding 38 others, AP reported on May 21.

Pakistan, India: Islamabad Claims Suicide Bombing Targeting Schoolchildren Had Links to India

Assessments

Germany

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Russia

Afghanistan

The flag of Afghanistan sits on the Afghan embassy in Moscow on July 4, 2025. 

As Afghanistan's neighbors deepen ties with the Taliban and Western states remain cautious, a widening diplomatic divide threatens to complicate efforts to address the country's worsening crises and regional security risks.

The Growing International Divide Over Taliban Ties Will Risk Regional Stability

Water runs in the Gurez valley in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir, near the India-Pakistan border, on June 3, 2025. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan will likely remain stalled due to ongoing airspace closures and disputes over water-sharing, sustaining the risk of a future conflict following the two countries' military confrontation earlier this year.

Unresolved Tensions: Water, Airspace and the Future of India-Pakistan Diplomacy

Turkey

Europe

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Turkey's export strategy necessitates trade partnerships with countries in many different spheres of influence, portending both risks and opportunities as Ankara attempts to maintain its neutral middle-power status.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Turkey's Export Strategy Hinges on Neutrality

Media

Podcasts

Will the cease-fire between the two countries last?

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for India-Pakistan Relations

The Bombay Stock Exchange building May 7 in Mumbai, India. If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

The Economic Case for an India-Pakistan Ceasefire

Snapshots

Indian soldiers pay respect during a wreath-laying ceremony for a soldier who was killed during a cross-border firing between India and Pakistan, in Jammu on May 12, 2025. 

While the near-term threat of severe escalation has waned, ongoing tensions over thorny issues like Kashmir and water-sharing will sustain the risk of cross-border flare-ups.

Amid India and Pakistan's Tenuous Ceasefire, Future Flare-Ups Remain Possible

Soldiers and onlookers inspect the debris of a mosque damaged by Indian strikes in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 7, 2025. 

While a full-scale conflict remains unlikely, escalating tensions will increase security risks in both countries, including travel and business disruptions, nationalist protests, potential militant attacks, and increased cyber threat activity.

India's Retaliation for Kashmir Attack Will Provoke a Pakistani Response

An Indian paramilitary trooper patrols a market area in Pahalgam, south of Srinagar, in India-held Kashmir, on April 29, 2025. 

India will likely soon launch limited military strikes against Pakistan in retaliation for the deadly April 22 Kashmir attack, raising the risk of escalation despite both sides' desire to avoid a full-scale war.

The Drivers and Constraints to a Wider India-Pakistan Conflict

Canada

Italy

Ukraine

Indian soldiers stand guard atop their vehicle in Srinagar, India, on April 23, 2025, following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: Escalating Pakistan-India Tensions, Canadian Elections and Pope Francis' Funeral

An Indian paramilitary serviceman keeps watch in Pahalgam, south of Srinagar, on April 23, 2025, following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. 

India and Pakistan's exchange of tit-for-tat diplomatic and economic moves is raising the risk of a military escalation, while also fueling domestic unrest due to rising nationalist sentiment in both countries.

India-Pakistan Tensions Surge Following Deadly Kashmir Attack

A general view shows Sri Lanka's Colombo port on April 9, 2025.

Textile exports from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will suffer under new U.S. tariffs, worsening economic hardships and risking political instability.

South Asia's Textile Industry Reels From U.S. Tariffs

Bangladeshi soldiers stand guard in Dhaka on July 27, 2024.

Since assuming power in August, Bangladesh's interim government has pursued closer ties with Pakistan and China, deepening India's concerns about regional stability and its declining influence over Dhaka.

Bangladesh's More Assertive Foreign Policy Puts India on Edge

Pakistan is located in South Asia and is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China and India. To the north are the Himalayan Mountains, which branch off into the Hindu Kush range. To the southwest is the vast Balochistan Plateau, which is arid and sparsely populated. In the south is the Thar Desert and a 650-mile coast along the Arabian sea. The Indus River begins in the Tibetan Plateau and cuts through the country’s eastern half.  The river nourishes the fertile plains of the Punjab, the country’s populous core region and its political and economic heartland.    Pakistan’s primary geographic challenge arises from its borders, which do not correspond to natural geographic boundaries. The modern borders of Pakistan were created in 1947, when the nation was carved out of the Muslim-majority northwest and northeast portions of India. The countries have fought three wars since independence, and each claims the territory of Kashmir. Bangladesh, then known as “East Pakistan,” gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 with India’s help.  This reinforced the notion within Pakistan that India was an existential threat. Pakistan has long sought to gain influence in Afghanistan, both to secure strategic depth and to prevent Kabul from falling into New Delhi’s orbit.    On the west, the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — called the Durand Line — has remained contentious since the British created it in 1893. Kabul claims that Afghanistan’s true boundary runs deep into Pakistan to absorb the Pashtun tribal belt divided between both countries. The mountainous terrain has made the region difficult to govern, ensuring that the border remains porous.  

SITUATION REPORTS

India, China: India's Modi To Visit China for First Time in Over Seven Years

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan: Trump Announces Reduced Tariff Rates

India: Home Minister Says Security Forces Killed Perpetrators of April Attack in Kashmir

Pakistan: Government To Establish New National Paramilitary Force

Pakistan, U.S: Pakistan's Field Marshal Meets With Trump

Pakistan: New Budget Increases Defense Spending but Seeks Alignment With IMF Conditions

India, Pakistan: Modi Rules Out Talks and Trade With Islamabad, Pledges To Withhold Water

Pakistan, India: Islamabad Claims Suicide Bombing Targeting Schoolchildren Had Links to India

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