BIMSTEC revival: A compelling alternative to the BRI in the Bay of Bengal

Written by Eve Register

It will be important for BIMSTEC to learn from the mistakes of the BRI if it is to work as a viable alternative for countries in the Bay of Bengal region.

Revival of Bay of Bengal: Bhutan and Bangladesh agree on sea port access

Written by Bhumika Sevkani

The development of these seaports is particularly crucial for the smaller landlocked countries of South Asia such as Nepal and Bhutan.

Building a case for disaster diplomacy in South Asia

Written by Apoorva Jain

South Asia is increasingly facing threats from natural, technological, and complex disasters. Meanwhile, coordination failure is turning natural disasters into catastrophes. Disaster aid and relief can be an effective diplomatic tool in the region.

South Asia9DLNovember 1, 20229DashLine, Building a case for disaster diplomacy in South Asia, APOORVA JAIN, Pakistan, flood, flood-borne diseases, international aid, international organisations, Bangladesh, India, United States, China, Turkey, South Asia, regional mechanisms, natural disasters, Afghanistan, Himalayan belt, earthquakes, glacial lake outburst floods, Dudh Koshi sub-basin, Nepal, Pho Chu sub-basin, Bhutan, tropical cyclone, Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, climate change, flash floods, urban centres, agricultural lands, droughts, desertification, tropical storms, tsunami, Kosi flooding, Kashmir earthquake, Indian Ocean tsunami, humanitarian assistance, institutional frameworks, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC, sustainable development, environment, Male Declaration, Hyogo Framework of Action, HFA, Dhaka, SAARC Disaster Management Centre, SDMC, New Delhi, South Asia Disaster Knowledge Network, SADKN, South Asia Digital Vulnerability Atlas, SADVA, SAARC Food Bank, South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise, SAADMEx, GSAT-9, South Asia satellite, disaster diplomacy, emergency routes, disaster resilience, disaster mitigation, disaster management, Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, World Food Programme, WFP, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOCHA, Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure, CDRI, Climate Action Summit, European Union-South Asia Capacity Building for Disaster Risk Management Program, EU-SAR DRM Program

Trade in the new Indo-Pacific: Moving towards gender inclusivity and openness

Written by Aditi Mukund and Sanya Saroha

Policymakers across the Asia-Pacific region must work towards adopting gender mainstreaming principles. A feminist perspective, which advocates for including all marginalised groups, is necessary for fully transformative outcomes in the Indo-Pacific’s future, and an economic recovery must make provisions for women as stakeholders.

Pacific9DLMarch 22, 20229DASHLINE, Aditi Mukund, Sanya Saroha, Indo-Pacific, Feminist Foreign Policy, Gender, Asia-Pacific, COVID-19, World Bank, India, Border Haats, Gender Gap, Bangladesh, Commonwealth Nations, Gender responsiveness, Gender inclusion, Small and Mid-Size Enterprises, SMEs, Sexual harrassment, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, Trade and Gender Toolbox, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Quad, Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, SCRI, France, Japan, US, United States, ASEAN, ASEAN Committee on Women, ACW, ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network, AWEN, ASEAN-Business Advisory Council, ASEAN-BAC, Australia, South Asia Regional Trade Facilitation Program, SARTFP, Bhutan, Nepal, Neighbourhood First, Trade in the New Indo-Pacific: Moving Towards Gender Inclusivity and Openness, South Asia, covid, digital technology, telecommunications, pandemic, women, gender, feminist, Indo-pacific, Commonwealth, violence against women, Haats, australia, South Asian, garment secto, garment sector, information and technology support, BBIN, Kubernein Initiative

Bhutan and India: The importance of subnational diplomacy

Written by Nitasha Kaul and Dechen Rabgyal

While the challenges are significant, the intertwined nature of regional trade, livelihood, resources, and security management means that paradiplomacy can be given much greater attention to bring local concerns to the forefront.

Bhutan’s coming border crisis with China

Written by John Pollock

Should it transpire in the coming years that Chinese villages or roads are being constructed in Sakteng, alongside those on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is conceivable that Indian mountain troops from IV Corps would intervene as at Doklam in 2017, thus placing Bhutan at the centre of a future Sino-Indian standoff.

South Asia9DLSeptember 13, 20219DASHLINE, John Pollock, China, Bhutan, India, Doklam, PLA, Tibet, Gyalaphug, CCP, Beijing, Council of the Global Environment Facility, Arunachal Pradesh, Sakteng, South China Sea, Thimphu, New Delhi, Modi, COVID19, COVID

India’s new consulates and sub-national diplomacy in South Asia

Written by Constantino Xavier and Nitika Nayar

As the region’s predominant power with a history of interventionism, India’s sub-national missions must be able to balance their sub-national outreach, especially to minority groups, with the security concerns of the host country’s central authorities.

Negotiation and negation: India’s post-Galwan diplomacy vis-à-vis China

Written by Jagannath Panda

India’s current and future plan to support, launch and take forward the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative with Australia and Japan points to New Delhi’s approach of building a stronger narrative that poses challenges to China’s economic moves and strategic motives.

South Asia9DLJuly 23, 20219dashline, Galwan, India, China, Quad, Australia, Japan, United States, Ladakh, Indo-Pacific, Xi Jinping, Modi, Bhutan, South China Sea, CCP, CPC, Indian Ocean, supply chains, Borders, Jagannath Panda, South Asian Voices

Dams on the Brahmaputra River

Written by Ambika Vishwanath

It is imperative that Bangladesh, China and India cooperate on the multitude of weather and climate-related issues that will continue to affect the eastern Himalayan region and work with Bhutan and Nepal to create a formal disaster mitigation and management organisation.

The Galwan Valley one year on: What's changed with China and the PLA ?

Written by Suyash Desai

As visible from the ongoing stand-off, it’s difficult to restore the status quo ante once it is changed by force as the two sides evenly match up. Thus India needs to be cautious about the changing nature of China’s military operations and its manifestation on the Sino-Indian border.

Eyeball to eyeball at Pangong Tso: Why Sino-Indian tensions will continue

Written by John Pollock

The continuing presence of the PLA throughout Ladakh, with the pressure being applied on the Depsang Plains and the refusal to withdraw from Gogra and Hot Springs, indicates Beijing is not yet finished eroding India’s tactical position in the Himalayas for its strategic gain.

South Asia9DLApril 19, 2021Ladakh, Bhutan, China, India, Doklam, PLA, Peoples Liberation Army, Indian Army, Line of Control, Line of Actual Control, LAC, Pangong Tso, Hot Springs, Gogra, Galwan, Xinjiang, Arunachal Pradesh, Depsang, Article 370, Kashmir, COVID19

China’s territorial ambitions in Bhutan – why it matters to India

Written by John Pollock

With New Delhi distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of protests against its domestic policies, Beijing is seeking to incrementally change the status quo in Bhutan and the Himalayas.

South Asia9DLDecember 11, 2020India, South Asia, China, Myanmar, Bhutan

China-Nepal territorial tensions: Lessons from history

Written by Sanjay Pulipaka and Mohit Musaddi

Chinese scholars reportedly made a case for Tajikistan to 'return’ the Pamir region, which once ‘belonged to China’. This perhaps is a signal that Beijing is keen to develop greater control of territories adjoining the troubled provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet.

Editor's Picks, East Asia9DLNovember 16, 2020Nepal, Bhutan, Xinjiang, Tibet, China, Xi Jinping, Himalayas, Mount Everest, Everest, Ladakh, Tajikistan

Bhutan-India relations in the 21st Century

Written by Nitasha Kaul and Sangay Khandu.

While the official discourse emanating from both countries has predictably been about a steadfast and unwavering relationship with hardly any challenges, in reality, several aspects of this relationship have undergone a dramatic transformation in the last two decades.

In Focus, Most Popular9DLApril 5, 2020China, India, Bhutan