Biden and Beyond: The United States Rethinks South Asia captures the significant transitions unfolding in the US policy towards South Asia. Developed across two administrations, led by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the US' South Asia policy has moved away from more than four decades of focus on Afghanistan, especially after the military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, to now viewing the region through the Indo-Pacific prism. The military withdrawal has also undermined the US' long-standing strategic partnership with Pakistan that was viewed as the frontline state in dealing with the turmoil in Afghanistan. This has substantially altered Washington's geopolitical perspective of the South Asian subcontinent.Furthermore, the rising concerns in Washington on China have seen the formulation of an Indo-Pacific strategy that has elevated India to the top of US strategic priorities. The deepening tensions between China and the US, as well as between Beijing and Delhi, have set the stage for a new strategic partnership between Washington and Delhi. Amidst Washington's competition with Beijing, the Himalayan region girding the underbelly of China has acquired an importance of its own. The maritime perspective of the US has also raised the value of the subcontinent's waters and provided an incentive for Washington to turn new attention to the strategic islands of the Maldives and Sri Lanka.Taken together, these factors presage a transformation in the interaction between the US and the South Asian subcontinent in the coming years. This book, hence, brings into the conversation these recent changes and sheds new light on contemporary US-South Asia relations.

Although China has been an important external actor in South Asia since the middle of the last century, it is only in the 21st century that China became a decisive influence on the region's evolution. The emergence of China as the world's second largest economy had naturally made it the largest trading partner for most of the South Asian countries. China's rapid military modernisation, facilitated by its expansive economic growth, had a major impact on the region's security politics. China's political and diplomatic weight is now visible sharply not only in the economic, foreign and security policies of the South Asian nations but also in their domestic politics.Meanwhile, India has emerged, albeit at a slower pace than China, as a major power over the last two decades. Like Beijing, New Delhi's geopolitical aspirations too have steadily risen during that period. This has set the stage for growing strategic friction between the India and China. The friction has enveloped many regional and global domains, but its greatest expression has been in the shared South Asian neighbourhood. India is determined to sustain its traditional primacy in the region and China is determined to consolidate its growing influence in South Asia. The sharpening friction has also begun to intersect with the growing great power tensions, especially between the United States and China. Many elements of these new dynamic have drawn academic engagement, in particular from the major power perspectives. However, the voices of the smaller South Asian nations have not been sufficiently heard or analysed. This volume seeks to address that major gap in the current discourse on the Indian subcontinent and its changing role in great power politics.This volume brings multiple regional voices to assess how the various South Asian nations are dealing with the growing rivalry between India and China. Many of the chapters in this volume were initially published as shorter essays by the Institute of South Asian Studies in its South Asia Discussion Papers series in 2020. Those essays have been updated and expanded in this volume. Additional contributions have also been commissioned to enrich the special perspectives that this volume presents.

India became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1992. In 1995, India became a full Dialogue Partner. In 2002, ASEAN and India held their first Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since then, a bilateral Summit has been held annually.India's relations with Southeast Asia date back a thousand years. There are many cultural, religious and people-to-people linkages between India and the 10 ASEAN member states. Trade and investment ties have also grown since the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s. Relations are good but not optimal.ASEAN and India: The Way Forward hopes to inspire policymakers on both sides to understand the multifaceted relationship and explore ways to raise the bilateral ties to a higher peak.The book first traces the evolution of ASEAN-India relations over the centuries. It then examines the key areas of convergence and divergence between ASEAN and India. The final part explores the emerging areas where ASEAN and India can deepen their cooperation.

India became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1992. In 1995, India became a full Dialogue Partner. In 2002, ASEAN and India held their first Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since then, a bilateral Summit has been held annually.India's relations with Southeast Asia date back a thousand years. There are many cultural, religious and people-to-people linkages between India and the 10 ASEAN member states. Trade and investment ties have also grown since the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s. Relations are good but not optimal.ASEAN and India: The Way Forward hopes to inspire policymakers on both sides to understand the multifaceted relationship and explore ways to raise the bilateral ties to a higher peak.The book first traces the evolution of ASEAN-India relations over the centuries. It then examines the key areas of convergence and divergence between ASEAN and India. The final part explores the emerging areas where ASEAN and India can deepen their cooperation.

South Asia's growing political and economic influence, as well as the dynamism of this rapidly changing region, demands careful examination. Drawing on many areas of expertise and a wide range of perspectives, this book analyses how recent developments in the economic, political and social landscapes of South Asia have affected the region itself as well as its relations with the rest of Asia and the world at large.

The book gathers together the papers presented at the 4th International Conference on South Asia held in Singapore in November 2008. It represents the expert knowledge and opinions of prominent academics and world leaders. Whether be it dealing with issues of trade and investment, soft power and cultural influence, or the reduction of poverty, the chapters in this book are both in-depth and rich in broader implications for the South Asian region and beyond.

South Asia in 2008: A Review is a collection of papers written by researchers at the Institute of South Asian Studies in 2008. Focusing on significant developments in South Asia, this publication highlights the key issues that dominated the news in the subcontinent last year. It examines positive developments in the South Asian region such as the return of democracy in several of the countries, economic growth and cooperation. These papers also cover some of the fundamental challenges facing the region, including terrorism, the economic slowdown and obstacles to socio-economic development among countries in the region. Attention is also given to South Asias relationship with the principal partners such as China, Russia, the United States and South-east Asia. This publication is intended as a comprehensive and current reference to the complex issues that shape the political, economic and social landscape of South Asia.