South Asia

List of South Asia articles

Narendra Modi sits at a table with officials behind him and an Indian flag beside him.
Narendra Modi sits at a table with officials behind him and an Indian flag beside him.

Modi’s China Bind

India is becoming more dependent on China economically, but the prime minister’s base demands a hardline approach.

Analysis
Sushant Singh
Chinese soldiers in Belarus for military training.
Chinese soldiers in Belarus for military training.

Asian Powers Set Their Strategic Sights on Europe

After 500 years, the tables have turned, with an incoherent Europe the object of rising Asia’s geopolitical ambitions.

Analysis
C. Raja Mohan
Narendra Modi wearing a Russian decoration around his neck, wraps his arms around Vladimir Putin in a hug against a neutral wall.
Narendra Modi wearing a Russian decoration around his neck, wraps his arms around Vladimir Putin in a hug against a neutral wall.

Russia Is a Strategic Spoiler in the Indo-Pacific

As Beijing and Washington vie for supremacy, Moscow still has formidable influence.

Analysis
Derek Grossman
Afghan refugees carry their belongings after being deported back from Iran at the Islam Qala Border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province, on May 30.
Afghan refugees carry their belongings after being deported back from Iran at the Islam Qala Border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province, on May 30.

Afghan Asylum Seekers Face Hostility in Iran

As the country heads to a presidential run-off election, its largest immigrant population has featured prominently in the debate.

Analysis
Kourosh Ziabari
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden during the G-7 summit in Savelletri, Italy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden during the G-7 summit in Savelletri, Italy.

Modi’s Third-Term Foreign Policy Looks the Same

New Delhi’s relations with the West—and especially Washington—are likely to stay the course.

Analysis
Sumit Ganguly, Dinsha Mistree
Dozens of Hindu devotees wait in line beneath a hazy blue sky near the newly opened temple of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India. Many of the pilgrims are dressed in orange.
Dozens of Hindu devotees wait in line beneath a hazy blue sky near the newly opened temple of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India. Many of the pilgrims are dressed in orange.

Indian Temples Are Scanning Visitors’ Faces

Data privacy advocates fear a testing ground for mass religious surveillance.

Dispatch
Bibek Bhandari
Indian National Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi arrive for a meeting in New Delhi on June 5.
Indian National Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi arrive for a meeting in New Delhi on June 5.

India’s Small Opposition Victory

They lost the election, but Rahul Gandhi and his allies may have voters’ attention.

Analysis
Salil Tripathi
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joke before a group photo during the G-7 summit in Savelletri, Italy, on June 14.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joke before a group photo during the G-7 summit in Savelletri, Italy, on June 14.

Modi Still Has Great-Power Ambitions for India

A new book traces the evolution of New Delhi’s quest for elusive global status.

Review
Sumit Ganguly
Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan arrive at a transit camp in Renk on Feb. 14.
Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan arrive at a transit camp in Renk on Feb. 14.

How to Solve the World’s Refugee Crisis

UNHCR’s Filippo Grandi on Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and more.

Q&A
Ravi Agrawal
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves during a tour of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, the largest Hindu temple in the Middle East, at its inauguration ceremony on February 14, 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves during a tour of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, the largest Hindu temple in the Middle East, at its inauguration ceremony on February 14, 2024 in Abu Dhabi.

Modi Tried, and Failed, to Homogenize Hindus

It’s not easy to play identity politics with a religion ineradicably divided by caste.

Analysis
Anchal Vohra
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits onstage at a party meeting. He crosses his arms and puts one hand over his face in contemplation as he watches the proceedings.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits onstage at a party meeting. He crosses his arms and puts one hand over his face in contemplation as he watches the proceedings.

Modi’s Taiwan Ties Have Rattled China

India’s overtures to the island have coincided with a breakdown in its relationship with Beijing.

Analysis
Rishi Iyengar
Journalists watch election results in a media room set up outside an election vote-counting center in Mumbai.
Journalists watch election results in a media room set up outside an election vote-counting center in Mumbai.

India Deserves a Better Media

Mainstream news channels have been in thrall to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A ragtag army of small independent media is helping to save democracy.

Argument
Mukul Kesavan
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory signs at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party’s win in the country’s general election, in New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory signs at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party’s win in the country’s general election, in New Delhi.

Why Modi Underperformed

India’s prime minister will balk at needing allies to stay in power, but coalition rule has proved to have benefits for large democracies.

Q&A
Ravi Agrawal
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves a hand high above his head as greets a crowd of supporters lined against a parade route. Modi is dressed in the bright orange party color of the BJP, and the float is also decorated in bright orange.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves a hand high above his head as greets a crowd of supporters lined against a parade route. Modi is dressed in the bright orange party color of the BJP, and the float is also decorated in bright orange.

Modi’s Power Has Peaked

Election results in India suggest the ruling BJP will return to power, but with a reduced mandate that has surprised pollsters. The natural order of coalition rule is back.

Analysis
Devesh Kapur
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen from behind as he raises both hands into the air to greets supporters during an election campaign rally in Kolkata. People crowd against a barrier in the background, waving their hands and taking photos on their cell phones.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen from behind as he raises both hands into the air to greets supporters during an election campaign rally in Kolkata. People crowd against a barrier in the background, waving their hands and taking photos on their cell phones.

Modi’s Campaign Rhetoric Is Dangerous

With election results expected next week, the Indian prime minister is doubling down on anti-Muslim language.

Argument
Sushant Singh
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