<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

Iran

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Russia

Afghan protesters burn a Pakistani flag during a demonstration in Helmand Province in 2016.

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Gains from the Afghan Taliban's growing regional ties will be hindered by enduring disputes, logistical constraints, infrastructure security risks, and Pakistan's possible absence from future multilateral engagements.

How the Afghan-Pakistani Conflict Is Redrawing Regional Relations

Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate with the party flags in Kolkata, India, following state elections in West Bengal.

The ruling party's expanding control across state governments will likely gradually strengthen its position in Parliament and accelerate the implementation of citizenship and labor policies.

In India, the BJP's State Election Wins Set the Stage for National Reform

United States

Australia

Japan

United Kingdom

An oil products tanker at Muscat Anchorage on March 21, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.K. Elections, Iran War Resumption Risk

U.S.-Iran Relations

An oil tanker is seen docked in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, in February 2019.

Chabahar is poised to transition from an ambitious commercial venture to a symbolic strategic asset, as India seeks to maintain long-term access and regional influence until sanctions conditions become clearer.

Expired U.S. Sanctions Waiver Threatens India's Chabahar Port Project in Iran

South Korea

Vietnam

Europe

Employees walk at the construction site of a gas metering station, part of the pipeline link between Bulgaria and Greece near the village of Malko Kadievo, on March 18, 2022. 

Energy

The Weekly Rundown: No U.S.-Iran Breakthrough, EU Ban on Spot Market Russian LNG

Parliament House is seen in New Delhi, India.

The ruling BJP will continue pushing to enact a women's legislative quota, either as a standalone law that could intensify intra-party competition before the 2029 elections, or as a part of broader political reforms that could trigger a north-south regional crisis.

Modi's Push to Redraw India's Electoral Map Faces a Setback

Israel

A passenger boat sails past the Indian-flagged oil tanker Kashimasan, which is docked near an offloading terminal at Butcher Island (also known as Jawahar Dweep) off the coast of Mumbai, India, on April 1, 2026.

Energy and fertilizer price shocks from the Iran war will increasingly threaten energy supplies, crop yields and economic growth across the region, pressuring governments' foreign exchange reserves and heightening unrest risks.

In South Asia, Iran War Fallout Risks Worsening Economic and Political Instability

Sub-Saharan Africa

IMF officials participate in an economic outlook briefing in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026.

The sharp increase in global oil and fertilizer costs will force import-reliant, low-income nations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to choose between fiscal discipline and maintaining social stability.

Iran War Price Shocks Will Hit Low-Income Energy Importers Hardest

Columns

On Geopolitics

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Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Demographic decline, driven by falling fertility rates worldwide, is likely irreversible but will also increasingly differentiate countries based on their ability to adapt through sound immigration, labor, technological and fiscal policies.

Adapting to Demographic Decline: Policy Tradeoffs and Global Divergences

Snapshots

China

Myanmar

A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Global Trade

New Delhi's decisions to permit specific imports and fast-track minority investments highlight its strategy of addressing critical manufacturing shortages, though relations are unlikely to extend beyond low-level confidence-building measures.

India Cautiously Opens up to Chinese Investment

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Moscow was building "pragmatic" and "full-fledged" relations with the Afghan Taliban, "ranging from political and security contacts to trade, economic, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation," The Moscow Times reported on May 14.

Russia, Afghanistan: Moscow Says It Is Building 'Pragmatic,' 'Full-Fledged' Relations With Afghanistan

India increased import duties on gold and silver from 6% to 15%, adding a 10% basic customs tariff and a 5% agriculture infrastructure and development levy, Reuters reported on May 13.

India: New Delhi Raises Gold and Silver Import Tariffs

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a range of measures, including fuel-saving efforts, expanded work-from-home arrangements, and curbs on nonessential travel and gold buying, as rising global energy prices increase pressure on India's foreign exchange reserves, Reuters reported on May 10.

India: Modi Calls for Limits on Fuel, Travel and Imports To Help Conserve Foreign Exchange Reserves

Pakistan summoned a senior Afghan diplomat and issued a strong demarche two days after a May 9 militant attack in northwest Pakistan killed at least 14 police officers, Reuters reported on May 11.

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Recent Actions Suggest Desire To Avoid Re-escalation

Somalia

Turkey

Turkey is looking to test its Yildirimhan intercontinental ballistic missile, which has a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), and its medium-range ballistic missile Tayfun-4, which has a range of over 2,000 kilometers, from its spaceport in Somalia, potentially as early as this year, Bloomberg reported on May 6, quoting people familiar with the matter.

Turkey: Ankara Reportedly Eyes ICBM Launch From Somali Spaceport

India and Vietnam elevated ties to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership during Vietnamese leader To Lam's May 5-7 state visit, during which he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a target to raise bilateral trade from $16 billion currently to $25 billion by 2030, according to a joint statement released on May 6.

Vietnam, India: Strategic Upgrade Expands Rare Earth, Defense Ties

The Afghan Taliban's deputy government spokesperson accused Pakistan of carrying out fresh cross-border strikes on May 4, claiming the attacks hit two schools, two mosques and a health center in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least three people and wounding another 14 others, AP reported the same day.

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghan Taliban Reports More Pakistani Attacks as Conflict Simmers

Partial results from the Election Commission of India show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is on track for a third straight term in Assam state and is sweeping West Bengal state, defeating longtime opposition leader Mamata Banerjee, while the BJP's national coalition, the National Democratic Alliance, is leading in the union territory of Puducherry, Bloomberg reported on May 4.

India: Early State Assembly Election Results Come In

South Asia

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Afghanistan: Moscow Says It Is Building 'Pragmatic,' 'Full-Fledged' Relations With Afghanistan

India: New Delhi Raises Gold and Silver Import Tariffs

India: Modi Calls for Limits on Fuel, Travel and Imports To Help Conserve Foreign Exchange Reserves

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Recent Actions Suggest Desire To Avoid Re-escalation

Turkey: Ankara Reportedly Eyes ICBM Launch From Somali Spaceport

Vietnam, India: Strategic Upgrade Expands Rare Earth, Defense Ties

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghan Taliban Reports More Pakistani Attacks as Conflict Simmers

India: Early State Assembly Election Results Come In

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