South Asia

The global energy crisis and its impacts on Asian emerging economies

By Phillip Cornell

The Strait of Hormuz energy crisis poses a stress test for import-dependent, emerging economies in Asia, forcing difficult trade-offs.

India’s energy security at a crossroads: The Hormuz crisis and an opportunity for US-India cooperation

By Paul Stahle

The Iran crisis has exposed India's energy vulnerabilities but opens an opportunity for a stronger trade partnership between the US and India.

How terrorism imperils Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts

Pakistan has never been closer to ending polio, but frontline health workers are operating inside one of the world's most violent security environments.

As Russian losses mount in Ukraine, Putin seeks more foreign fighters

By Marc Goedemans, Katherine Spencer

With no end in sight to the invasion of Ukraine, Putin is looking to recruit more foreign fighters to counter heavy Russian losses while avoiding a politically risky mobilization, write Marc Goedemans and Katherine Spencer.

The global push for local-currency cross-border payments is intensifying

By Hung Tran

More than one hundred countries now operate instant payment systems, and growing efforts to link them are reshaping how cross-border transactions get settled in local currencies.

Powering data centers in emerging markets

By Phillip Cornell

This report examines how emerging markets are increasingly powering the next wave of data centers, with recommendations for policymakers.

Dispatch from Geneva: Uyghur communities need cross-border protection from China’s ongoing atrocities

By Rayhan Asat

Beijing’s long arm of transnational repression extends to Chinese dissidents, pro-democracy activists, and Uyghur diaspora communities around the world.

Sri Lanka needs a development plan, not just a recovery narrative

By Nishan de Mel

Sri Lanka's trajectory is marked by volatility rather than steady progress. Gains in political rights, economic openness, and security proved episodic rather than transformative when not supported by a credible rule of law. Breaking from cycles of recovery and crisis requires institutional renewal, social reconciliation, and professional governance.

The US should rethink Iran as a Southwest Asia challenge

By Mike Schoengold Beatty

Conventional instinct to treat Iran as another Iraq or Yemen risks misallocating resources and missing the real challenges ahead.

What does Bangladesh’s new government need to do to revitalize democracy?

By Will Mortenson

The new leadership in Bangladesh should focus on both short-term economic development and forward-looking constitutional reforms.