If federalism is the glue that has kept the world’s largest democracy together, there are growing signs that this adhesive is becoming unstuck.
Although propitious political circumstances made the Balakot crisis between India and Pakistan manageable, Pakistani terrorism remains the principal continuing threat to stability in South Asia. U.S. policy moving forward must relentlessly pressure Pakistan to crack down on jihadi groups or risk continuing crises in the region.
Hostilities between India and Pakistan have broken out many times before. But the latest aerial skirmish has upped the ante for any future clashes over the disputed border territories, with perilous consequences.
Indian observers hope that the enhanced military capabilities demonstrated in India’s attack will deter future Pakistani terrorism.
India must recognize that any response to the attack at Pulwama can at best mitigate—not eliminate—Pakistani terrorism. But India can do much more to equip and protect its security forces.
The BJP government is getting nervous about its reelection chances, but the race remains the BJP’s to lose.
The Congress Party’s newest campaigner may not actually contest elections, but she will likely narrow a funding gap in a country where winning votes costs serious money.
The BJP will have a hard time replicating its 2014 performance in Uttar Pradesh this year. But as India's biggest electoral prize, the state is make-or-break.
Recent political finance ‘reforms’ in India will actually reduce transparency and openness in political funding.
Whether the recently agreed-upon U.S.-Taliban draft peace framework will lead to real peace negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban or serve as U.S. President Donald Trump’s pretext for departing Afghanistan is unknown. The hard choices for the United States, the Afghan government, the Taliban, and regional and international stakeholders are still to come.