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.

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Afghanistan’s Opportunity Costs

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

Afghanistan’s Opportunity Costs

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

Afghanistan’s Opportunity Costs

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.

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Content

New Atlanticist

Aug 31, 2009

Afghanistan’s Opportunity Costs

By Paul Bauman

The Afghan debate in the blogosphere is reaching new heights of late, mainly due to the recent Afghan elections and Admiral Mullen’s comments concerning the deteriorating US position vis-à-vis the Taliban.  One issue that seems to be lost in this discussion is the opportunity cost of US involvement in Afghanistan. 

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 26, 2009

Pakistan: Reason for a Glimmer of Optimism?

By Harlan Ullman

Despite a continuing flow of depressing reports from Pakistan about the safety and security of this strategically vital American ally, on the eve of President Asif Ali Zardari’s first anniversary as president, the latest news, at least anecdotally, offers a glimmer of optimism. Predictions of dire outcomes leading to a failed government overthrown by an […]

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Why Do the Afghans Need Our Help?

By Shuja Nawaz

Matt Yglesias writes over at Think Progress: The other thing I wonder about is these incredibly long time horizons for getting the Afghan army up to speed. Why so long?

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Afghanistan: Putting Lipstick on a Pig

By Don Snow

Two events over the weekend have dominated news from Afghanistan. One involves voting in the presidential election, results of which will not be final for several weeks but which have aroused much passionate rhetoric anyway. The other is the not very surprising conclusion by the  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the situation […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Michael Jackson Trumps Afghanistan in News Coverage

By James Joyner

Americans’ limited interest in foreign affairs has long been lamented. But surely, the war in Afghanistan deserves more press coverage than the death of a pop star?

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2009

Afghanistan: War of Necessity?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Afghanistan is not only President Obama’s war, but it’s also what he now calls “a war of necessity.” But for Richard Haass, the head of the Council on Foreign Relations who was head of policy planning at the State Department in the run-up to the Iraq War and who voted for Obama, Afghanistan is a […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 21, 2009

Afghanistan Effort Shooting Behind a Moving Target

By James Easaw

A wise man once said “we can’t kill our way to victory” in Afghanistan.  And, I might add, we can’t keep shooting behind a moving target either.  If you want to hit a moving target, you have to lead it.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 20, 2009

An Alternative Strategy for Afghanistan

By Bernard Finel

One of my great frustrations in becoming more involved in the debate over Afghanistan policy and the utility of population-centric counter-insurgency (COIN) theory is how ruthlessly the pro-escalation side of the debate has sought to caricature the position of the skeptics.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 19, 2009

Shock and Awe in Pakistan

By Harlan Ullman

The apparent elimination of Tehrik-e-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud two weeks ago in a Predator strike is, on balance, very good news.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 19, 2009

Afghanistan Election Winner

By Shuja Nawaz

No matter what the pundits and the election commission says after tomorrow’s elections in  Afghanistan, one thing seems clear : we know who has won. It is the people of Afghanistan. Rather than hurl rockets or grenades at each other, they have debated and traded arguments. Rather than picking up arms, they have clicked on […]

Afghanistan
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Experts

Board director

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky

Vice Chair, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Latin America China
Jenny Domino

Fellow

Jenny Domino

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Digital Policy East Asia

Staff

Manal Fatima

Assistant Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Middle East North Africa

Millennium fellow

Lauren Fenley

Project Engineer, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems

Millennium Leadership Program

Afghanistan Americas

Fellow

Nik Foster

Nonresident Fellow

Global China Hub

China Energy & Environment

Fellow

Bahar Ghandehari

Junior Policy Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Afghanistan English
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