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

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

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

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

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

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

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

New Atlanticist

Mar 13, 2009

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

By James Joyner

Juan Cole, a leading historian of the Islamic world and fervent critic of the Bush administration’s policies, tells Harper‘s Scott Collins that he’s not so pleased with the Obama administration’s policies, either.

South Asia United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Mar 13, 2009

Pakistan Protests Bring Fear of Military Coup

By James Joyner

Top diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom are trying to broker a deal between the government of Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and chief opposition leader Nawaz Sharif amid fears that a string of protests could result in yet another military takeover.

Pakistan United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Mar 10, 2009

Afghanistan: Time to Give Up?

By James Joyner

The New York Times headline “U.S. General Says Allies ‘Not Winning’ Afghan War” grabbed my attention. After all, the Atlantic Council issued a widely-cited report fourteen months ago which began, “Make no mistake, the international community is not winning in Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Mar 10, 2009

Pakistan Army Hits Back at Taliban

By Peter Cassata

Pakistan’s military has successfully driven Taliban militants from Bajaur Agency, a small chunk of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) sandwiched between Afghanistan and the Northwest Frontier Province.  The news is welcome, but Bajaur’s relatively small area and milder terrain make the victory much more difficult to replicate in other regions of the FATA.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2009

Afghanistan Police: Still Corrupt After All These Years

By James Joyner

A front page piece in today’s Washington Post by Pam Constable entitled “U.S. Troops Face a Tangle Of Goals in Afghanistan” does a good job of encapsulating the problems NATO faces in that conflict.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2009

Wanted: New Afghan Supply Routes

By Peter Cassata

On top of its decision to close the U.S. airbase at Manas, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted yesterday to end agreements with eleven other countries that also use the base, including several European states, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, Reuters reports.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 26, 2009

Weakened al Qaeda a Greater Threat to Pakistan?

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

U.S. Predator strikes against high-level al Qaeda targets in the tribal areas of Pakistan are disrupting the group’s operations, but the terrorist organization has responded by stepping up its efforts to further destabilize an already fragile Pakistani government.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 25, 2009

Taliban: What’s in a Name?

By Steve Hynd

Two years into the Iraq war, moderately well read Westerners already knew that the insurgency there wasn’t monolithic. Honest reporting repeatedly made clear that Al Qaeda, Sunni militant groups of various varieties and Sadrists didn’t see eye to eye and often worked at cross purposes even while all were hostile to America and its allies.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 25, 2009

Pakistan Opposition Leader Barred from Office

By James Joyner

Pakistan’s supreme court today banned the most popular opposition candidate from running for office, raising further concerns about the long-term viability of the country’s ostensibly democratic government as a partner.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Afghanistan and Pakistan Proclaim ‘New Environment’

By James Joyner

The foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan have just declared a “new environment” of trust between their two countries, Paul Eckert reports for Reuters.

Afghanistan Pakistan
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Beth Van Schaack

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights International Norms

Fellow

Ashutosh Varshney

Nonresident Senior Fellow, India

Nationalism Elections

Fellow

Thomas S. Warrick

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative GeoStrategy Initiative

National Security Terrorism

Fellow

Earl Anthony Wayne

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Afghanistan Americas

Millennium fellow

Minmin Yen

CEO & Co-Founder, PhagePro

Millennium Leadership Program

Entrepreneurship Resilience & Society

Fellow

David H. Young

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict
Load More