About South Asia Channel
The South Asia Channel, a collaboration with New America and Johns Hopkins SAIS, features deep analysis of issues concerning Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, and covers everything from politics to business to culture.
Editor, Peter Bergen
Assistant Editor, David Sterman
America Doesn’t Control the Forever Wars
The slow fall of the nation state’s monopoly on violence will shape future conflicts.
India and China’s Border Conundrum
Talks have failed again because neither side has much to gain from backing down now.
‘You’re Very Vulnerable’: Afghan Diplomats Fear Violent Taliban Reprisals
The Taliban are pressuring exiled diplomats in an attempt to take back Afghanistan’s embassies.
Afghanistan’s Diplomats Refuse to Represent a Terrorist Group
Some are working on resistance. Others, consular services. And all of them must figure out how to keep their embassy’s lights on.
Taliban Pressing for Prisoner Swap With U.S.
The group wants to trade an American engineer abducted two years ago for an Afghan drug lord imprisoned in the U.S.
The Taliban Pick Fight Over Border With Pakistan
Potential tensions with Kabul present a new challenge for Islamabad, a longtime supporter of the Taliban.
China’s Two-Ocean Strategy Puts India in a Pincer
The Chinese foreign minister’s island hopping is the latest sign of contestation over the Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. Has a Police Brutality Problem. So Does Bangladesh.
Dhaka’s denial of extrajudicial killings is imperiling its relations with Washington and exposing the country’s corrupt police and undemocratic institutions.
What to Watch in South Asia Next Year
From the Taliban’s hold on power to the omicron variant, these stories could have an outsized impact.
India’s Religious Minorities Are Under Attack
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on a recent spate of hate speech and violence is deafening.
Galleries
The Week in World Photos
Global protests against government-imposed lockdowns, gang violence in El Salvador, and hat tips to medical staff.
The Week in World Photos
A prayerful start to Ramadan, medical workers on the front lines of a pandemic, and the annual Lyrids meteor shower.
In the Magazine
In the Magazine
How to Save Global Capitalism From Itself
Decentralizing decision-making can help left-behind regions get back on track.
Britain’s Post-Brexit Identity Crisis
Boris Johnson has contradictory ideas for his country’s future—and no clear paths for getting there.
The Ugly End of Chimerica
The coronavirus pandemic has turned a conscious uncoupling into a messy breakup.
The 3 Most Polarizing Words in India
“Jai Shri Ram” was meant to be a celebration of a Hindu deity. But the phrase is turning into hate speech—and a dog whistle for attacks on Muslims.