South Asia

South Asia

South Asia is home to over 1.8 billion people and the largest youth population in the world. It includes India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. As one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, it serves as a strong economic link between the East and the West. South Asia’s strong global connections make it a zone of opportunity for businesses and governments engaging in infrastructure development, trade, and economic development.

Explore
The six strategic mistakes that led to US defeat in Afghanistan

Issue Brief Apr 1, 2025

Rescuing Pakistan’s economy

By Aasim M. Husain

For decades, Pakistan has struggled with a declining standard of living, skyrocketing public debt, and economic policies that have failed to address the root causes of its stagnation.
Economy & Business Middle East
The six strategic mistakes that led to US defeat in Afghanistan

New Atlanticist Mar 25, 2025

Starlink’s India launch is a crash course on New Delhi’s approach to tech sovereignty

By Trisha Ray

A recently announced partnership to deploy the Elon Musk-led company’s satellite internet in India offers a window into New Delhi’s “hybrid” approach.
Economy & Business India
The six strategic mistakes that led to US defeat in Afghanistan

New Atlanticist Feb 19, 2025

Why India and Armenia are now taking their relationship to new heights

By Tatevik Khachatryan, Srujan Palkar

The growing military and diplomatic cooperation between New Delhi and Yerevan benefits both beyond immediate defense concerns.
Economy & Business India

Programs

The South Asia Center is the hub for the Atlantic Council’s analysis of the political, social, geographical, and cultural diversity of the region. ​At the intersection of South Asia and its geopolitics, SAC cultivates dialogue to shape policy and forge ties between the region and the global community.

Learn more

Content

Dispatches

Nov 6, 2026

The six strategic mistakes that led to US defeat in Afghanistan

By Andrew L. Peek

Twenty-five years on, the United States' defeat in Afghanistan appears less inevitable than the result of decisions that undermined its ability to prevent the Taliban's resurgence.

Afghanistan Security & Defense

Report

Nov 3, 2026

Religion as statecraft: What a decade of research reveals about the geopolitics of religious soft power

By Peter Mandaville

The post-Cold War assumption that international politics was converging toward a secular liberal framework in which religion would play at most a marginal role has not survived contact with the evidence. From China to Turkey to Saudi Arabia and Russia, states are integrating religion into their foreign policy in strategically significant ways.

China India

Report

Oct 26, 2026

Pakistan’s changing development assistance landscape: Manifestations, implications, and opportunities

By Leon S. Waskin, Imran Shauket

Pakistan’s development assistance landscape is undergoing a major structural shift. Western bilateral aid is declining, multilateral development bank (MDB) financing is increasing to compensate, and non-Western bilateral and philanthropic flows are growing steadily.

Pakistan South Asia

Report

Oct 26, 2026

Bangladesh’s changing development assistance landscape: Manifestations, implications, and opportunities

By Leon S. Waskin, Jon F. Danilowicz, Imran Shauket

Bangladesh is absorbing one of the most severe aid shocks in its history while simultaneously benefiting from an unprecedented surge in remittances and multilateral development bank lending.

Bangladesh South Asia

Dispatches

Oct 7, 2026

South Asian governments should look east for opportunities for young workers

By Imran Shauket

As Japan, South Korea, and increasingly Thailand slide toward super-aged societies, Pakistan and Bangladesh have something they need: young people.

Resilience & Society South Asia

Econographics

Oct 5, 2026

Malaysia is invested in the industries of the future. Now it needs them to power productivity.

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

Malaysia has become a major destination for investment in semiconductors, data centers, AI, and advanced manufacturing. Its next challenge is to turn that investment into stronger domestic capabilities, higher productivity, and more value captured at home.

Economy & Business South Asia

Econographics

Sep 22, 2026

To achieve its next economic leap, Vietnam needs to move beyond the factory floor

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

Vietnam’s export-driven growth has been remarkable. But with domestic firms capturing relatively little of the value, Hanoi now needs to turn foreign investment into broader gains at home.

Economy & Business South Asia

Russia Tomorrow

Sep 17, 2026

New voices, old friends: How Russia targets its messaging in the Global South

By Casey Michel

The latest report in the Atlantic Council's Russia Tomorrow series examines the themes and methods that Russia uses to target audiences in the Global South.

Africa Civil Society

Econographics

Sep 15, 2026

The Philippines needs to turn fast growth into productive growth

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

The Southeast Asian nation has proved it can grow. Now, amid shifting supply chains and rising geopolitical tensions, it must prove it can grow more productively.

Economy & Business Indo-Pacific

Dispatches

Sep 10, 2026

The state of terrorism, 25 years after 9/11

By Atlantic Council experts

A quarter century after the deadly attacks against the United States, Atlantic Council experts answer twenty-five pressing questions about terrorism today.

Afghanistan Middle East
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Grace Abuhamad

Former Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Digital Policy Internet

Fellow

Elliot Ackerman

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Afghanistan Defense Policy

Fellow

Paul Amato

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Missile Defense Nuclear Deterrence

Fellow

Peter Arvo

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

China Human Rights

Staff

Rayhan Asat

Senior Legal & Policy Advisor, China Lead

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Central Asia China

Fellow

Kyle Atwell

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Afghanistan Colombia
Load More