How the Maldives Can Navigate Successfully Between India and China

How the Maldives Can Navigate Successfully Between India and China

In January 2025, the Maldivian foreign and defense ministers made high-profile visits to New Delhi. Occurring against the backdrop of an administration that initially rose to power on an anti-India platform, these visits signal a striking recalibration of Maldivian foreign…

U.S.-India Partnership in Trump 2.0: Aim High and Expect Less

U.S.-India Partnership in Trump 2.0: Aim High and Expect Less

As Donald Trump assumes power as President of the United States for the second time, with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar representing India during the inauguration ceremony, the U.S.-India bilateral is at a pivotal juncture. The relationship with New…

For Arms Control to Thrive in South Asia, a Bilateral Consultative Body is Crucial

For Arms Control to Thrive in South Asia, a Bilateral Consultative Body is Crucial

India and Pakistan have not held significant bilateral arms control talks since 2008, constituting the longest period without such discussions since the 1980s. There are two plausible policy explanations for this. First, India and Pakistan typically discuss arms control as…

Assessing China’s Growing Footprint in Nepal

Assessing China’s Growing Footprint in Nepal

In early December 2024, Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli paid an official visit to China — his first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister for the fourth time. Oli’s visit to Beijing was keenly watched by political…

The Quad Is Quietly Adapting Methods of Security Cooperation

The Quad Is Quietly Adapting Methods of Security Cooperation

Exercise Malabar is underway in the Bay of Bengal, hosted by India. The navies of the four Quad nations – Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – coming together for a multilateral exercise aiming to enhance interoperability and preparedness…

Reflecting on 2024 and Forecasting out to 2025

To celebrate the release of Naval Competition in the Indian Ocean Region, a new online course from the Stimson Center South Asia program’s Strategic Learning initiative, the South Asian Voices (SAV) editorial team collaborated with the Strategic Learning team on a wide-ranging Q&A that explores the importance of naval competition in the region, recent and ongoing developments in the naval domain, and opportunities for future cooperation.

Read the Q&A