In September 2013, the Stimson Center launched South Asian Voices (SAV). Ten years later, SAV has transformed from a blog for informal, free-flowing debate between young analysts in India and Pakistan to an online policy platform for informed analysis on South Asia’s economic, political, and strategic affairs. In this time, SAV has been:
1. Encouraging Innovative Analysis on South Asia: The Top 10
Read the editorial team’s selection of the most popular articles from SAV ‘s inception to the present.
The Kartarpur Corridor and Its Impact on Indo-Pak Relations
From 2019: Rushali Saha examines the implications of the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor on the future of India-Pakistan relations.
The Political Impact of India’s Removal of Jammu & Kashmir’s Special Status
From 2019: Sarral Sharma discusses the impact of the abrogration of Article 370 on India's domestic politics as well as on India-Pakistan relations.
Pakistan’s Consolidating Conventional Deterrence: An Assessment
From 2020: Maimuna Ashraf examines Pakistan’s strategic direction since the 1998 nuclear tests, its developing conventional military capabilities, and the consequences this could have for regional stability.
Pakistan’s Full-Spectrum Deterrence: Trends and Trajectories
From 2020: Sannia Abdullah analyzes Pakistan’s evolving force posture and outlined what is entailed in Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine of full-spectrum deterrence.
SAV Review: The New Era of Counterforce in South Asia
From 2020: Sufian Ullah analyzes the role of expanding counterforce technologies in South Asia in light of Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press’s International Security journal article, “The New Era of Counterforce: Technological Change and the Future of Nuclear Deterrence.”
India-China Strategic Competition and the Costs of the Ladakh Crisis
From 2021: Arzan Tarapore analyzes the costs of the Ladakh crisis both for Indian defense posture and for regional stability and deterrence at large.
Nepal’s Delicate Foreign Policy Balancing Act
From 2022: Riya Sinha argues that New Delhi and Washington must maximize the impact of their developmental projects in Nepal by understanding Kathmandu’s domestic aims and regional balancing with China.
Is There Any Strategy Left for Washington in Afghanistan?
From 2022: Arash Yaqin examines potential paths forward for U.S. involvement in a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka in 2022: A Country Wracked by Multiple Crises
From 2023: Jehan Perera surveys the multiple political and economic crises Sri Lanka faced in 2022.
Protection of Nuclear Facilities: Lessons from Russia-Ukraine War
From 2023: Visiting Fellow Haleema Saadia highlights lessons that Pakistan and India can learn from the Russia-Ukraine war regarding the protection of nuclear facilities in armed conflict.2. Engaging Rising Analysts Globally
This interactive map shows the geographic diversity of SAV’s 450+ contributors globally.
3. Facilitating Cross-Border Debate on Complex and Contentious Issues
Look back on SAV ‘s featured series, which have been a cornerstone in the platform’s mission to facilitate cross-border debate on the most polarizing issues in the subcontinent.
Nuclear Suppliers Group Vote: Debating India and Pakistan’s Membership
From 2016: Saima Sial, Ruhee Neog, Reshmi Kazi, and Beenish Altaf think through the outcome of the Nuclear Suppliers Group vote to have India and Pakistan join, and analyze the potential aftermath of both the acceptance and denial of each country’s membership.
CPEC: Where Are We Now?
From 2018: In this three-part series, Hemant Shivakumar, Muhammad Daim Fazil, and Michael Kugelman assess the current status of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and evaluate the political, economic, geopolitical, and security developments in the region that may impact the initiative in the future.
20 Years since Kargil
From 2019: In this SAV series, contributors consider the enduring legacies and debates surrounding the Kargil conflict and their implications for India-Pakistan strategic dynamics today.
The Climate and Security Nexus in South Asia
From 2019: In this three-part series, SAV contributors explore this climate-security nexus in South Asia, looking closely at the links between climate change and security challenges in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
India-China: 70 Years of Diplomatic Relations
From 2020: In this series, SAV contributors look back at the past 70 years of India-China relations and discuss economic cooperation, maritime competition, gaps in military capabilities, each country’s respective threat assessments in public discourse, as well as Pakistan’s perspective of Sino-Indian ties.
Instruments of Influence? Chinese Financing in South Asia
From 2020: In this series, SAV contributors examine the features, complications, and intentions behind China’s economic initiatives in South Asia.
Subnational Diplomacy in South Asia
From 2021: In this South Asian Voices and 9DashLine joint series, contributors examine how countries across South Asia engage in subnational diplomacy and the ways provincial governments, state leaders, and local populations influence foreign policy.
Feminist Foreign Policy in South Asia: A Kubernein Initiative-South Asian Voices Joint Series
From 2021: In this series, run jointly with the Kubernein Initiative, contributors from across the subcontinent discuss what it means to have a “feminist foreign policy,” and how this approach could merge efforts in foreign affairs, regional policy and geopolitics, development and women’s empowerment in South Asia.
Regional Roundtable: Reflections on Balakot
From 2022: Three years after the Pulwama/Balakot crisis, contributors from India, Pakistan, the United States, and China reflect on the escalation that took place, the lessons of the crisis, and the emerging trends to watch in the years ahead.
Assessing the IMF’s Role in South Asia’s Development
From 2023: In this series for South Asian Voices, authors analyze the IMF’s role in South Asia’s economic development and prosperity.4. Reaching Vast Global Audiences
SAV ‘s informed analysis on the region’s intricate security, political, and economic dynamics reaches more readers now than ever before.
5. Enhancing Understanding of the Region
Experts Reflect on 10 Years of South Asia
Read reflections from senior experts and past SAV contributors on the changes and continuities in the region over the past decade.
