What Lessons are to be Learned from U.S.’s Afghanistan Exit?

[John Bruton] The experience in Afghanistan and similar experiences elsewhere suggest that there is a strong temptation on USA's part to turn inwards and reduce commitments to the defence of other countries, including the European ones.

Asia-Pacific’s Coastal Communities Becoming more Vulnerable by the Day

[Bahauddin Foizee]
While coastal areas of countries like Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka would disappear gradually, other small island nations like Micronesia and the Maldives would be submerged under water almost completely, turning millions of inhabitants living in these countries into climate refugees.

India’s Lingering Concerns over Chinese Influence in Indian Ocean, South Asia

[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] Mutual suspicions would dictate relations between China and India for a long time to come.

Asia’s Geopolitical Alliances are Shifting

[Conn M. Hallinan]
From what direction on the Compass Rose the winds out of Washington will blow is hardly clear, but increasingly a number of countries are charting a course of their own.

Whither Regional Cooperation in South Asia?

[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] Putting sensitive bilateral issues out of the SAARC mandate has not yielded any positive results. Instead, the forum has been held hostage to bilateral disputes [largely between India and Pakistan]. The requirement of consensus has prevented SAARC from making any headway on desirable proposals on regional integration.

Indo-US Strategic Relations: Strengths and Limits

[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] Strategic relations between the US and India evolved steadily and were steered by multiple factors like size and population of India, impact of Indian soft power on US's leaders and people, relative stability of Indian political and economic system necessary for bilateral trade-and-investment and the alignment of interests of these two countries in containing a militarily assertive and muscular China. However, the Indo-US strategic relations may not be as promising as some leaders and scholars from both sides epitomize such as natural allies or defining partners, but the history suggests that the relations will not decline rather will witness a steady rise.

Maiden UN Report on Human Rights Status in Kashmir Attracts Criticism from New Delhi

[Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra] Despite India’s long-standing concerns over the Kashmir issue, human rights are no more considered domestic concerns with the growing institutionalization of international human rights laws and norms and, therefore, the UN report falls squarely with the Pakistani attempt at internationalizing the issue. However, even after several Pakistani attempts in seeking international support on the Kashmir issue, the major powers of international politics have preferred to stay off the course.