South Asia

The World in 2025

Editor's note: Below are the compiled links to our entire 2025 annual forecast. Please follow the links for quick navigation, or download the PDF...

2025 Forecast: India

India is a rapidly emerging global player with immense potential, but its rise is encumbered by its complex domestic politics and challenging strategic environment....

2025 Forecast: A World Without an Anchor

Throughout history, world order has been shaped by great powers. In the competition with them – and sometimes among them – lesser powers would...

China and Strategic Realignments in South Asia

South Asia is in the throes of a major geopolitical realignment. In the east, Bangladesh is gravitating away from India following the ouster of...

China and India Are Still Rivals

By Andrew Davidson In late October, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS assembly in...

Graphic Essay: Energy Market Volatility

For many countries, including major geopolitical players, energy resources rank among the most politically and economically sensitive commodities. Prices for these resources are shaped...

Daily Memo: Georgian Elections, British Military Reforms

Results are in. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili vowed not to recognize the results of parliamentary elections held over the weekend that saw the governing...

BRICS Runs Into a Wall

For leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the annual BRICS summit is an excellent opportunity to present a vision of a world...

India’s Northeastern Borderlands at Risk

Between discontented citizens and disputed borders, India’s northeast has long posed challenges for the government in New Delhi. The area is cut off from...

Graphic Essay: Emerging Technologies

From the wheel to the internal combustion engine, new technologies have, for better or worse, fundamentally transformed our society. The emerging technologies listed have...

For the Quad, Economics Is Security

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a loose affiliation comprising the United States, Australia, Japan and India and known more commonly as the Quad, plays an...

Southwest Asia’s Shatter Belt

A strategic vacuum is expanding where Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet. All three states are devolving, each in its own way and at its...

On Ukraine, India Stands Firm With Neutrality

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv on Friday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a calculated diplomatic move designed to underscore...

The Deep Malaise Afflicting Pakistan’s Security Establishment

After decades of dominating the state, Pakistan’s national security establishment has succumbed to the sort of political strife that has wracked the country throughout...

The New Arc of Crisis in Southern Eurasia

Strategic analysis usually entails an in-depth examination of a specific area or issue, but sometimes it is necessary to zoom out and take a...

Graphic Essay: The Fight Against Global Hunger

Last year, approximately 30 percent of the world’s population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. This means some 2.3 billion people “compromised on the...

Latest Posts

The heartland of South Asia is the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a large and fertile region based around the Indus and Ganges river systems, as well as the Bramaputra in Bangladesh and eastern India.

The center of gravity of South Asia is the balance of power between Pakistan and India. Historically, India has struggled to assert itself within the subcontinent because of its complex internal divisions.

The future of Afghanistan matters to the degree it could weaken Pakistan, thereby tipping the balance of power in India’s favor.

There is an intense rivalry between China and India, but the geography of the region, including the existence of buffer states such as Nepal and Bhutan, typically prevents them from coming to blows.

Read Regional Assessment

The Future of India...

India will work to improve ties with Central Asia and strengthen alliances with secondary powers like Japan and Australia.

South Asia in our Memos

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Latest Posts

Daily Memo: US Cuts Off Ukraine, Hits Neighbors and China With New Tariffs

High and dry. U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen all military aid to Ukraine until he feels its leadership is committed to peace negotiations....

The Ukraine War and the Consequences for Russia

I have come under criticism lately from those who challenge my view that Russia is in decline and is not a threat for the...

Daily Memo: Kurdish Ceasefire in Turkey, Leadership Split in Iran

New phase. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, declared over the weekend a ceasefire with Turkey, days after its jailed leader called on the...

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2025 Forecast: The World Without an Anchor

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