Militant Islamism is not primarily responsible for instability in the region despite claims to the contrary

A middle class has emerged, several hundred million Indians have seen lifestyles improve immeasurably and wealth is displayed more conspicuously than ever before. Western attention is often fixated on India's economic growth

Pakistan is an utterly failed state that is tumbling down the abyss. Where else could a fundamentalist cleric who lives in Canada draw tens of thousands to a rally calling for dissolution of the government?

The US seems to be devising a multi-pronged agenda to compel Pakistani acquiescence in the ongoing stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan and ensure its long term presence in the region

Central Asia has increasingly dazzled players from near and far, once they've grasped its worth as a crucial source of energy and as a strategic asset. Among these we may count India

With better connectivity and implementation of various development projects, the Asian Highway would enable the North-East region to become a business hub of South Asia

Recent reports suggest the Pakistan Navy may be on the cusp of developing a naval nuclear missile capability, even as its plans for acquiring a nuclear submarine capability gradually become clearer

In 2007 China set up its sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation, with an initial capital fund of $200 billion. Since then, Asia's other emerging economic power â€" India â€" has been wondering if it should follow. Such a move is ill-advised and that India has more worthy investment opportunities at home

Mutual distrust between the United States and Pakistan in part results from mistakes and misjudgments by both countries that date back to the 1979-89 Russian occupation of Afghanistan. But at its heart is an American strategy that not only runs counter to Pakistan's interests

In the wake of its strategic partnership agreement with India, Afghanistan has become an untouchable, even an 'enemy', for many Pakistani commentators

In the wake of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government took some initial steps toward a more robust counterterrorism policy. Since then, however, a spate of deadly attacks on high value targets have continued, most recently against the High Court premises in New Delhi last month

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh agreed to establish a regular bilateral strategic economic dialogue mechanism during Wen's visit to India last December, and the first one-day meeting of the China-India Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in Beijing on 26 September

Adopting constitutional means and respecting the political process is the only way to achieve sustainable change in Indian politics. The goal of eradicating corruption may be worthy, but Anna Hazare's means are blatantly wrong and ultimately dangerous. It is time this message is delivered to him, loud and clear

Osama bin Laden's death during an American raid on his compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, not far from Pakistan's premier military academy, has pushed U.S.-Pakistan relations to a 'new low,' says Hassan Abbas. Abbas says this is typical of the recent rocky relationship the two countries, which need each other but also undercut each other at crucial times

The death of Osama bin Laden is unlikely to have much of a tactical impact on the wider jihadist movement, but the killing does carry significant implications for U.S. foreign policy moving forward  

Much has been made of U.S. President Barack Obama's pledge to support India's push for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, which was offered during his November trip to India, but the real story from his visit was its implications for bilateral military trade.

The United States is threatening to also sanction India if it doesn't observe U.S. sanctions on Iran

Afghanistan's war enters its second decade with the Taliban emboldened and the United States enfeebled. But the power-play between Pakistan, India and China is also now central to an assessment of what comes next

In the wake of the resolution of several contentious issues, India and Bangladesh must cooperate to create a border that not only enhances trade efficiency but is also secure

The Inidan PM's speech in the UN General Assembly shows that Indian foreign policy may be rediscovering age old themes which had become subdued in recent years.

There has been no serious study comparing the political trajectories of India and Pakistan. Those who have tried to fill this gap have attributed India's democracy to Hinduism and Pakistan's autocracy to Islam. Fortunately, Philip Oldenburg, a research scholar at Columbia University, is wise enough not to resort to such sociocultural explanations

A major strategic challenge for the United States in the coming decades will be integrating emerging powers into international institutions. The dramatic growth of Brazil, China, and India -- and the emergence of middle-tier economies such as Indonesia and Turkey -- is transforming the geopolitical landscape and testing the institutional foundations of the post-World War II world order

Pakistan's delegation, led by army chief General Pervez Ashfaq Kayani, cleverly changed the subject. He came armed with a fifty-six page book on ways the United States should do more to help Pakistan. Kayani also left his chief spymaster at home, practically eliminating potential for in-depth counterterrorism debates.

Until the late 1990s, the United States often ignored India. India's weak and protected economy gave it little influence in global markets, and its nonaligned foreign policy caused periodic tension with Washington. When the United States did concentrate on India, it too often fixated on India's military rivalry with Pakistan. Today, however, India is dynamic and transforming.

A survey found multiple problems at temporary settlements, of which 75 percent lack lighting and 46 percent lack blankets. Residents at 39 percent of settlements have reported acute watery diarrhea or other air- and water-borne disease

Disgruntled former Maoist combatants are blocking roads in major cities and towns along Nepal's main east-west highway, as part of an ongoing effort to highlight their plight

As water balloons drenched the unsuspecting, the celebration of Fagu Purnima or Holi -- the festival of colors -- was in full swing in Nepal

Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan. It is the country's commercial hub, financial capital, naval base, and only operational seaport. For the past several months, this city has once again been in the grip of violence

Just a day after a powerful blast ripped the entrance of New Delhi's High Court, Kashmir police took three men into custody on the basis of an email believed to have been sent by terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami

Anna Hazare's movement is a populist one, and like all such campaigns offers simplistic solutions to complex problems. Yet there is no doubt that it has galvanized the urban middle class, and if properly channelled could change the trajectory of Indian politics

It's time, I think, to resacralize progress. One way to start is to recognize the rights of native peoples around the world not to be displaced, to see in their determination to remain in reverent connection to a piece of the earth not something quaint and primitive and of value to them alone, but the heart and center of humanity's struggle with itself.

China and India stopped being part of what was called the third world when the Communist world disappeared in a shattering of global illusions in 1989. Since then there has been a search to find a new King of the Global Hill. The United States rejoiced for a few years in being the sole superpower, considering it an opportunity to remake the world according to its own advantage.

For nearly a year, an unmanageable coalition government in India has obstructed the ruling Congress Party's policy agenda and brought the country's economic reform process to a grinding halt. Now that an impressive electoral triumph in national parliamentary elections held in April and May has allowed the party to shed unreliable allies, can its leaders move the country in a more market-friendly direction. There are grounds for both caution and optimism

Nandan Nilekani's book, Imagining India, charts how India arrived at the potentially transformative moment it has reached today and describes the gargantuan challenges the country will have to overcome if it is to fulfill that potential