Regional Connectivity
Return to article
BIMSTEC and the Challenge of Asymmetric Adoption
Long dismissed as “summit-driven” and superficial, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is now beginning to deliver. On May 16, 2026, the BIMSTEC Secretariat confirmed that the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC), the…
Crisis in the Corridor: Stress-Testing India’s Minilateral Strategy in the Gulf
From the Silk Road to the Suez Canal, trade corridors have long served as geopolitical architectures that shape power, forge alignments, and produce dependencies. Over the past few years, emerging frameworks such as the India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and…
The Shadow of Bangladesh: Elections and Paradiplomacy in Assam
A now-deleted video posted from the official handle of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Assam unit depicted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma holding a gun and firing bullets on two people who appeared to be Muslims. The post was…
Navigating Politico-Security Hurdles to Regional Connectivity: Pathways for New Delhi
Soon after taking office in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated two new visions for cross-border relations: the Neighborhood First and Act East policies. Both initiatives aimed at improving relations with the immediate neighborhood and building bridges of connectivity,…
India’s Great Nicobar Project Faces Uphill Climb
Indian policymakers and analysts often tout the critical role the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) can play in safeguarding national security and operationalizing New Delhi's Indo-Pacific strategy. Considering their close proximity to the Malacca Strait, through which roughly one-third of…
Russia’s Recognition of the Taliban: A Power Play in South and Central Asia?
In early July, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. This recognition followed an April 2025 ruling by Russia's Supreme Court to delist the Taliban as a terrorist organization. Russia's recognition signifies a major…