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
Men rest by the riverside on a hot day in Allahabad, India, on April 28.
Men rest by the riverside on a hot day in Allahabad, India, on April 28.

South Asia’s Record-Breaking Heat Wave Isn’t Over Yet

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh take part in a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on April 11.
U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh take part in a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on April 11.

Russia Still Looms Over U.S.-India Relationship

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Security personnel walk past a banner featuring Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan near the Parliament House building in Islamabad on April 3.
Security personnel walk past a banner featuring Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan near the Parliament House building in Islamabad on April 3.

Political Crisis Heightens U.S.-Pakistan Tensions

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the venue for a ceremony to hoist the Taliban flag on the Wazir Akbar Khan hill in Kabul on March 31.
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the venue for a ceremony to hoist the Taliban flag on the Wazir Akbar Khan hill in Kabul on March 31.

The Taliban Hard-Liners Are Winning

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan watches the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan watches the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23.

Imran Khan Faces His Biggest Political Test Yet

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Pakistani military helicopters fly past a vehicle carrying a long-range ballistic missile during a military parade on Pakistan's National Day in Islamabad on March 25, 2021.
Pakistani military helicopters fly past a vehicle carrying a long-range ballistic missile during a military parade on Pakistan's National Day in Islamabad on March 25, 2021.

The Missile Crisis That Wasn’t

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
A worker stacks oil barrels at a filling station in n Chennai, India, on Feb. 24.
A worker stacks oil barrels at a filling station in n Chennai, India, on Feb. 24.

Oil Price Surge Will Hit South Asia Hard

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Yogi Adityanath waves to supporters from atop a truck during campaigning in Allahabad, India, on Feb. 25.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Yogi Adityanath waves to supporters from atop a truck during campaigning in Allahabad, India, on Feb. 25.

The Uttar Pradesh Elections Are a Referendum on BJP Rule

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan takes part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow on Feb. 24.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan takes part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow on Feb. 24.

What the Russia-Ukraine Crisis Means for South Asia

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Men receive aid from a charity on the outskirts of Kabul on Jan. 30.
Men receive aid from a charity on the outskirts of Kabul on Jan. 30.

Biden Hands the Taliban a Propaganda Victory

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
People drive past a poster of late Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai on Feb. 7.
People drive past a poster of late Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai on Feb. 7.

Lata Mangeshkar Was a South Asian Icon

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
A pedestrian watches a digital screen relaying the budget speech by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the facade of the BSE Limited stock exchange in Mumbai on Feb. 1.
A pedestrian watches a digital screen relaying the budget speech by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the facade of the BSE Limited stock exchange in Mumbai on Feb. 1.

India’s Economy Could Loom Large in State Elections

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Dec. 6, 2021.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Dec. 6, 2021.

Why India Is Silent on the Ukraine Crisis

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Men ride motorcycles past electricity pylons in Vollur village, Karnataka, India, on Oct. 10, 2021.
Men ride motorcycles past electricity pylons in Vollur village, Karnataka, India, on Oct. 10, 2021.

South Asia Has a Connectivity Disconnect

South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Police vehicles sit outside of Congregation Beth Israel synagogue.
Police vehicles sit outside of Congregation Beth Israel synagogue.

How Aafia Siddiqui Became a Radical Cause Célèbre

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Michael Kugelman
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