Michael Kugelman

Michael Kugelman is the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly South Asia Brief. He has been an analyst of the region for nearly two decades.

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Articles by Michael Kugelman
Commuters make their way through the rain in Islamabad on Nov. 4.
Commuters make their way through the rain in Islamabad on Nov. 4.

Domestic Challenges Dent Pakistan’s Triumphalism

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Trucks are reflected in a puddle outside the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited parking terminal in Mangaluru, India, on Sept. 5.
Trucks are reflected in a puddle outside the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited parking terminal in Mangaluru, India, on Sept. 5.

How Russia Sanctions Could Affect India

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Two men in camouflage jackets sit against light-colored brick wall. Both hold rifles.
Two men in camouflage jackets sit against light-colored brick wall. Both hold rifles.

The Deep Roots of Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Violence

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Muttaqi, a man in traditional Afghan clothing and a turban, gives the camera a serious look as he walks through a doorway, followed close behind by three men in similar attire.
Muttaqi, a man in traditional Afghan clothing and a turban, gives the camera a serious look as he walks through a doorway, followed close behind by three men in similar attire.

Taliban Foreign Minister Spends the Week in India

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 25.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 25.

Pakistan Courts Trump With Port Offer

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Security personnel stand guard along a road during a curfew in Leh, India, on Sept. 28.
Security personnel stand guard along a road during a curfew in Leh, India, on Sept. 28.

What Unrest in Ladakh Means for New Delhi

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Three military planes fly through a cloudless sky over a tarmac filled with neat rows of military trucks and other vehicles.
Three military planes fly through a cloudless sky over a tarmac filled with neat rows of military trucks and other vehicles.

Trump’s Aim to Take Back Afghan Air Base Doesn’t Make Sense

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Activists from the Hindu right-wing political party Shiv Sena (UBT) take part in a protest against an India-Pakistan cricket match in Mumbai on Sept. 14.
Activists from the Hindu right-wing political party Shiv Sena (UBT) take part in a protest against an India-Pakistan cricket match in Mumbai on Sept. 14.

Cricket Controversy Shows Depth of India-Pakistan Tensions

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
A man shouts with both hands raised in the air, pointing his index fingers at the sky, as he walks in front of a flaming pile of tires at the center of a city street. A crowd of people—mostly young men—stand circled around the tires, partly obscured by wafts of black smoke.
A man shouts with both hands raised in the air, pointing his index fingers at the sky, as he walks in front of a flaming pile of tires at the center of a city street. A crowd of people—mostly young men—stand circled around the tires, partly obscured by wafts of black smoke.

Nepal Protests Expose Depth of Public Anger

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, China.

What the Modi-Xi Meeting Was Really About

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Bangladeshi Advisor for Foreign Affairs Md. Touhid Hossain addresses a press conference after a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 24.
Bangladeshi Advisor for Foreign Affairs Md. Touhid Hossain addresses a press conference after a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 24.

Bangladesh-Pakistan Ties Get Dramatic Reset

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
People gather near a damaged vehicle and scattered debris after a flash flood in Mingora, Pakistan.
People gather near a damaged vehicle and scattered debris after a flash flood in Mingora, Pakistan.

Pakistan Grapples Again With Deadly Flash Floods

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses a public gathering on the outskirts of Varanasi, India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses a public gathering on the outskirts of Varanasi, India.

Is This Modi’s Moment of Reckoning?

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13.
U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13.

The U.S.-India Trade Spat Boils Over

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
A man pushes a cart loaded with belongings at the Islam Qala border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan.
A man pushes a cart loaded with belongings at the Islam Qala border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Can’t Handle Another Refugee Crisis

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
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