South Asia


India  / Russia  / Ukraine
Challenges for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023
Posted On April 18, 2022
After the United States and Australia called for Russia to be excluded from the upcoming G20 Summit in Bali this November, there was some concern that the political pressure and the fallout from Russian aggression in Ukraine would derail Indonesia’s G20 Presidency. With Indonesian President Joko Widodo calling for caution and suggesting the venue was a gathering for economic cooperation rather than political discussion, it is clear that the status quo for Russian President Vladimir Putin⁠—for the moment⁠—will prevail. However, as the war in Ukraine drags on and calls for international condemnation, isolation, and increased punishment directed at Moscow, it is not too early to suggest that India could face questions about its continued political, economic, and military connection to Russia.
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India  / South Asia  / Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis: An Opportunity for India to Reclaim Influence
April 5, 2022

Sri Lanka is in crisis. In the capital, Colombo, last week, authorities fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters who had gathered outside the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa demanding his resignation. The country of 22 million people is in the throes of a major economic crisis, one not seen since its independence in 1948.  The crisis has stretched the ability of policymakers to pay for essential public services as the treasuries have been drained. Coupled with a severe shortage of foreign currency, vital to the payment of tremendous amounts of Chinese-funded debt, the government had little choice but to ban critical imports, leaving many with a shortage of everyday essential items.


India  / Japan  / Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s India Visit: Economics trumps Geopolitics
April 1, 2022

In his first bilateral visit, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visited India on the beginning leg of a three-day swing through New Delhi, and later Cambodia. Meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kishida aimed to tighten relations with India, and further promote bilateral ties, as 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Japan holds India in high regard, as iron ore from India contributed to Japan’s post-war recovery and after then-Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi visited India, Japan provided loans to India, constituting its first official development assistance (ODA) package.


Eurasia  / India  / Russia  / Ukraine  / United States
India’s Russia Choices: A Narrowing Path to Strategic Hedging
March 4, 2022

Russo-Indian relations have been historically stable. A carryover from the Cold War era, a warm bilateral relationship has led to the development of a Strategic Partnership that has included defense deals, such as India buying Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, Mil Mi-17 helicopters, and more recently the S-400 missile defense system from Moscow. The nature of the security relationship has lifted Russia in the eyes of Indian observers, but in light of recent developments—including India’s closer ties with the United States and Russia’s February 24 invasion of neighboring Ukraine—India’s ability to deftly balance Moscow with the West may be tested like never before.


China  / India  / Japan  / Myanmar  / United Nations
Challenges Beyond the Indo-Pacific Test the Limits of the Quad
February 17, 2022

As tensions mount with China and polarization widens the gap between Beijing and the four members of the Quad, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States met in Melbourne on Friday, 11 February 2022, for their Fourth Ministerial meeting, which precedes a larger summit to be held in Japan later this year.


Afghanistan  / Central Asia  / China  / India
Quad and Indo-Pacific: The counter-terrorism strategy
November 17, 2021

In the smoky aftermath of the Taliban’s quick retaking of Afghanistan, Quad members India, Japan, Australia met for the first time in person in September this year, discussing a wide range of agenda items, from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and infrastructure development. While cybersecurity, a growing menace from China, was one of the main issues discussed, it was surprising that counterterrorism was not.


Afghanistan  / Central Asia  / India
What Does a Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan Mean for India’s Foreign Policy?
September 13, 2021

India’s foreign policy is at a crossroads in Afghanistan, where past policy decisions are producing strategic, moral, and political consequences. To a large extent, India made a mistake, as many Western powers did: it put its faith and confidence in the Ashraf Ghani government, while rivals such as China and Pakistan made overtures toward the Taliban, and are now certain to advance their interests and influence over the country.


Afghanistan  / Central Asia  / China  / India  / Japan  / United States
Does Afghanistan Present a New Opportunity for the Quad?
June 17, 2021

For most of its existence, the Quad has been conceptualized as an informal entity with objectives primarily aimed at containing China and maintaining the long-standing rules-based international order. For India, Japan, Australia, and the United States these interests are firmly rooted in the implementation of a cohesive, salient Indo-Pacific policy.


China  / India  / Japan  / Myanmar  / Southeast Asia
Japan and India’s Policy Tightrope on Myanmar Protests
April 9, 2021

The Myanmar crisis has spilled well beyond its borders, with Karen refugees seeking protection in neighbouring Thailand and the Tatmadaw targeting civilians protesting the February coup d’état. Increasing cases of violence have registered with the international community, as casualties crossed more than 100 on a single day.


India  / Myanmar  / Southeast Asia
On Myanmar, a deliberate poise
March 6, 2021

India’s neighbourhood policy is being tested like never before, thanks to an ongoing border stand-off with China, a faltering relationship with Nepal over an unusual assertion of sovereignty by the Oli government, and perpetual high tensions with Pakistan. The February 1 coup in Myanmar has only compounded matters.