<p>Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. The Himalayan Mountains form the northern border of South Asia, whose two main rivers, the Indus and the Ganges, support the region&rsquo;s great population centers. India is the region&rsquo;s dominant country, home to the world&rsquo;s fastest growing economy. But its rivalry with neighboring Pakistan, a fellow nuclear power and growing consumer market, has made South Asia one of the world&rsquo;s most dangerous nuclear flashpoints. The region is also a testament to how militancy and militarism can undermine the regional integration needed to unleash higher economic growth.</p>

Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. 

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

Social Issues

The Pulse of Political Islam

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

United States

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Feb. 3 in Washington.

Economics

Politics

India will likely delay finalizing its trade deal with the United States while seeking opportunities to expand its Russian oil imports, creating a risk of U.S. pharmaceutical tariffs against it.

The State of the Indian-U.S. Trade Deal After IEEPA Tariffs

Canada

Iran

Australia

China

Japan

Germany

The Tehran skyline on Dec. 30, 2025. On March 2, U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet in Vienna, Austria, to begin technical talks on a nuclear deal.

Military & Security

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Conflict in the Middle East, Merz meets Trump 

U.S.-Iran Relations

Snapshots

A Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keeps watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Feb. 27 in in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The ongoing escalation marks a shift into overt interstate conflict, though the most likely near-term trajectory is a sustained cycle of cross-border strikes and retaliation.

The ongoing escalation marks a shift into overt interstate conflict, though the most likely near-term trajectory is a sustained cycle of cross-border strikes and retaliation.

Afghan-Pakistan Tensions Erupt Into Conflict

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Indonesia

Vietnam

Slovakia

Hungary

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

A man walks past campaign posters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman and Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Feb. 13, 2026.

The transition from an interim administration will likely restore political stability, though social and fiscal pressures will still pose constraints for the new center-right government.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Wins Big in First Election Since 2024 Uprising

Media

Podcasts

What major challenges will the incoming government face?

What To Expect From Bangladesh's Upcoming Elections

Thailand

Campaign posters Feb. 6 of candidates running in the upcoming Japanese House of Representatives election, in Inagi, Tokyo prefecture.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Holds Snap Elections, U.S. Weighs Options After Iran Talks

A freight train on Aug. 26, 2025, in Ajmer India.

A U.S.-India trade deal will bring some relief to Indian exporters, but ambiguities over its scope, implementation timeline and myriad other flashpoints will risk undermining it.

An India-U.S. Trade Deal Will Face Ongoing Hurdles

A burned-out vehicle along a road on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Quetta on Feb. 1, 2026, a day after an attack by Baloch separatists. The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

With Coordinated Attacks, Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency Intensifies

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters gather for a rally in Sylhet, Bangladesh, ahead of the upcoming national election on Jan. 22, 2026. 

The Feb. 12 ballot could yield a government led by the conservative BNP, a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat party, or a fragile BNP-Jamaat coalition -- each with distinct implications for Bangladesh's economic, political and foreign policy landscape.

Bangladesh's General Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Nepal concluded its first polls since the September 2025 unrest that ousted the former government and plunged the country into fresh political uncertainty, with media reports indicating a peaceful election process countrywide beyond minor disputes at a handful of voting centers, The Himalayan Times reported on March 5.

Nepal: Election Peaceful as Country Holds First Polls Since September 2025 Unrest

Turkey

Energy

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that NATO air and missile defenses had shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Turkish airspace, Reuters reported on March 4.

MENA: NATO Air Defenses Intercept Iranian Ballistic Missile, U.S. Sinks Iranian Warship

Two unnamed U.S. officials familiar with preliminary information regarding protesters' March 1 storming of the U.S. Consulate compound in Karachi, Pakistan, say U.S. Marine security guards fired on protesters during the incident, Reuters reported on March 2.

Pakistan: U.S. Officials Say Marines Fired on Protesters During Karachi Consulate Unrest

Afghanistan-Pakistan cross-border clashes continued on March 1 as the Taliban in the capital, Kabul, reported firing at Pakistani jets that purportedly attempted to target Bagram Air Base, though consequent damage and casualties remain unclear, Reuters reported the same day.

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes Persist as Conflict Erupts in Neighboring Iran

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, India, where the two discussed trade and energy cooperation, Reuters reported on March 2. 

India, Canada: Trade Volumes, Energy Cooperation To Rise

Environment, Science & Technology

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.

India, Israel: Cooperation Deepens Across Defense, Trade, Energy

India's foreign ministry announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel from Feb. 25-26, Reuters reported on Feb. 24.

India, Israel: Modi To Visit Israel Feb. 25-26

Pakistani officials said on Feb. 22 that the country's military launched airstrikes overnight Feb. 21 targeting seven "terrorist camps and hideouts" linked to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State Khorasan Province in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, killing at least 70-80 militants, Dawn reported on Feb. 22. 

Pakistan, Afghanistan: Pakistan Launches Latest Cross-Border Strikes in Retaliation for Militant Attacks

South Asia

SITUATION REPORTS

Nepal: Election Peaceful as Country Holds First Polls Since September 2025 Unrest

MENA: NATO Air Defenses Intercept Iranian Ballistic Missile, U.S. Sinks Iranian Warship

Pakistan: U.S. Officials Say Marines Fired on Protesters During Karachi Consulate Unrest

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes Persist as Conflict Erupts in Neighboring Iran

India, Canada: Trade Volumes, Energy Cooperation To Rise

India, Israel: Cooperation Deepens Across Defense, Trade, Energy

India, Israel: Modi To Visit Israel Feb. 25-26

Pakistan, Afghanistan: Pakistan Launches Latest Cross-Border Strikes in Retaliation for Militant Attacks

Forecasts

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