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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Z-Morh tunnel in northeastern Kashmir, ensuring year-round access to the resort town of Sonamarg, which was previously cut off from the rest of the region during winter due to heavy snowfall, AP reported on Jan. 13.

India: Modi Inaugurates Strategic Tunnel in Kashmir

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's foreign ministry called India a "significant regional and economic partner" after Afghanistan's acting foreign minister met with India's foreign secretary in Dubai on Jan. 8 in the highest-level talks the two sides have held since the Afghan Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021, Reuters reported on Jan. 9. 

India, Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Calls India 'Significant Partner' After High-Level Meeting

China

The spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs said it had lodged a "solemn protest" with China through diplomatic channels over the latter's establishment of two new counties in its claimed northwest territory of Hotan prefecture, as parts of the two counties are in India's claimed northern union territory of Ladakh, Hindustan Times reported on Jan. 3. 

India, China: India Lodges Protest With China Over New Counties in Disputed Territory

Bangladesh

A court in Bangladesh's southeastern city of Chittagong again denied bail for prominent Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu, who is facing sedition charges for leading rallies and allegedly disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag, AP reported on Jan. 2.

Bangladesh: Chittagong Court Again Rejects Bail for Prominent Hindu Leader

Pakistan

According to Indian media reports, Pakistan will begin training Bangladesh's army in February 2025, which would mark the two countries' first military training agreement since the 1971 Liberation War that led to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, Firstpost reported on Dec. 30.

Bangladesh: India Claims Pakistan Will Provide Military Training to Bangladesh

A contentious bill introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to reform India's voting system failed to gain the two-thirds majority necessary to pass in the lower house of Parliament, AP reported on Dec. 17.

India: Lower House Rejects Proposal To Implement Simultaneous Elections

Sri Lanka

Energy

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, marking his first overseas visit since taking office in September, AP reported on Dec. 16.

India, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's Dissanayake Makes First Overseas Visit to India

United States

Russia

Russia's state-owned oil company Rosneft agreed to supply some 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day for 10 years to private Indian refiner Reliance, a deal worth around $13 billion a year based on current prices, Reuters reported on Dec. 12.

India, Russia: Countries Reach Largest Energy Deal Yet

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U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

U.S.-China Relations

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Assessments

Iran

Israel

The Geopolitics of Water

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Water utilities are uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to frequent financial and security limitations, exposing water-stressed countries to threats from hacktivists and foreign adversaries.

 The Geopolitics of Water: Cyberattacks' Impact on Water Stress in the U.S. and Beyond

Depleted groundwater reserves threaten India's agriculture, energy and manufacturing sectors, potentially sparking unrest and inter-state disputes in the absence of a coordinated national policy.

The Geopolitics of Water: India's Groundwater Crisis

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) arrive for a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 25, 2020.

While U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will maintain many of the outgoing Biden administration's overarching policies toward South Asia, bilateral relationships will grow increasingly transactional.

What Trump's Second Term Means for South Asia

Indian soldiers walk along a road near the Zojila mountain pass that connects to Ladakh, bordering China, on Feb. 28, 2021. 

While their recent efforts to ease bilateral tensions will probably reduce the risk of border clashes, deep-seated mistrust between the two strategic rivals will very likely limit the scope of any reconciliation. 

After a Tense Few Years, India and China Try To Turn Down the Heat

Ethiopia

Kenya

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Brazil

Egypt

United Arab Emirates

Moldova

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

Snapshots

Canada

Indian policemen stand guard outside the entrance of the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi on Oct. 15, 2024. 

The dispute over India's alleged covert activities on Canadian soil will raise the risk of restricted consular services and protests in both countries, but major economic disruptions are unlikely.

India and Canada's Diplomatic Rift Hits a New Low

Incoming Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Jan. 27, 2023, in the Indian city of Srinagar in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Frustration Will Build in Kashmir as India Ignores the Movement to Restore Autonomy

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Sept. 27, 2024, over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel. The Security Cabinet of Israel has yet to decide exactly how to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile barrage against the country, but Israel clearly is seeking U.S. approval for an operation that might yet pull the U.S. back into active defense.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: A Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meeting, Chinese Financial Support Measures

Maldives

An aerial view of the island of Male, which is the capital of the Maldives.

If it defaults on its Islamic bonds, the island nation will be forced to seek more financial aid from India and China, which would heighten macroeconomic instability and erode investor confidence.

Trouble in Paradise: The Maldives' Looming Debt Default

A protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 15.

Social Issues

In Bangladesh, improving security will not eliminate the high risk of additional violence and protests in the coming weeks, while policy uncertainty and severe political tensions in the coming months will continue to threaten the operating environment for businesses.

In Bangladesh, Improving Security Does Not Spell Stability

Ukraine

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for a working session on the second day of the G-7 summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany, on June 27, 2022. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The trip is likely aimed at addressing backlash from the prime minister's recent visit to Russia, as India tries to mitigate Western criticism and reinforce its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.

Modi's Upcoming Visit to Ukraine Reflects India's Balancing Act

<p>India is endowed with favorable geographic barriers. Surrounded by oceans on three sides and the formidable Himalayan Mountains to the north, what is now modern India has been free of outside interference for much of its long history. Its large geographic size and population, coupled with weaker peripheral nations on much of its boundaries, have allowed India to become the dominant force in South Asia. Home to the world&rsquo;s second-largest population, India&rsquo;s 1.3 billion people are spread out across the peninsular nation, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the tropical south. India&rsquo;s population core is settled along the Ganges river basin, a densely populated swath of fertile land that extends across the northern Himalayan border. India&rsquo;s primary geographic challenge comes from a lack of strong internal boundaries. Modern-day India struggles to rectify the ambitions of a relatively weak national government that competes with the prerogatives of strong, diverse states &mdash; a legacy of a long history of domestic infighting between various dynasties uninhibited by mountains or other defining geography. A similar lack of defining geography still plagues India&rsquo;s northwest border. Waves of Greek, Persian, and Mongols invaded, culminating in the Mughal Empire, which united much of the subcontinent prior to British conquest. The northwestern border still poses national security risks, due to ongoing disputes with Pakistan. But rising domestic consumption means India is increasingly dependent on imported goods from distant suppliers. Surrounded by water or impassable mountains, New Delhi now faces the additional task of developing naval capabilities to secure its critical supply routes, risking maritime tensions with China in the broader Indo-Pacific basin.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

India: Modi Inaugurates Strategic Tunnel in Kashmir

India, Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Calls India 'Significant Partner' After High-Level Meeting

India, China: India Lodges Protest With China Over New Counties in Disputed Territory

Bangladesh: Chittagong Court Again Rejects Bail for Prominent Hindu Leader

Bangladesh: India Claims Pakistan Will Provide Military Training to Bangladesh

India: Lower House Rejects Proposal To Implement Simultaneous Elections

India, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's Dissanayake Makes First Overseas Visit to India

India, Russia: Countries Reach Largest Energy Deal Yet

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