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DW
2 days ago
- Business
- DW
Is India leaving South Asia behind? – DW – 06/19/2025
India is aiming for a global leadership role, but strained ties and regional instability in South Asia are testing its Neighborhood First policy. India, the world's fourth-largest economy, aspires to become a top power on the international political stage. "India is emerging as a global leader in different aspects of technology, be it space, AI [artificial intelligence], digital innovation, green technology and more," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X last month. However, some experts told DW that India's global ambitions come at the cost of its relationship with regional neighbors that have turned hostile to New Delhi's quest for regional hegemony. India's rise comes as economic instability and political fragility are threatening South Asia. As India positions itself on the global stage, questions remain over whether it can truly rise without its neighbors Image: DPR PMO/ANI Photo More than half of Afghanistan's population has slipped below the poverty line since the Taliban came to power, while Myanmar grapples with political instability under military rule. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have turned to the International Monetary Fund for bailouts, and India itself faces a rise in sectarian violence. China is meanwhile expanding its influence across South Asia through deepening economic and strategic partnerships. Neighborhood First — on the backburner? After coming to power in 2014, Modi signaled a revitalization of India's Neighborhood First Policy, aimed at repairing and bolstering its ties with countries in the region. But Chietigj Bajpaee, senior fellow for South Asia at the London-based Chatham House, said that a decade on, "the neighborhood remains a weak component of India's foreign policy." He suggested that there has been "a degree of benign neglect by New Delhi." Despite rhetorical nods to regional solidarity, India's foreign policy has primarily focused outward, toward the US, Europe and East Asia — rather than toward South Asia. Bajpaee said there is little appetite in India to reactivate the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a regional bloc comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. "Everyone except India is interested in reviving it," Bajpaee said, but noted that the "India-Pakistan relationship ... undermines any prospect of [reviving] SAARC." Hostilities between India and Pakistan have effectively frozen the bloc since 2016, when India withdrew from a summit in Islamabad following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Kanak Mani Dixit, a Nepal-based writer and founding editor of Himal South Asian magazine, says India has often taken a unilateral approach on regional issues. Citing the launch of the SAARC satellite in 2014, Dixit says Prime Minister Narendra Modi "bypassed regional consultations." "Courtesy requires talking with your neighbors," said Dixit. "This strategic aloofness has fed resentment against India in countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka." Dixit noted that other rising powers, most notably China, invested first in regional networks before turning outward. "China regionalized before it globalized. India is attempting the opposite," Bajpaee added. Tracking the tense relationship between India and China To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Missed opportunities South Asia is now widely considered the least economically integrated region in the world, according to the World Bank. Intra-regional trade makes up barely 5% of total trade in the region. By contrast, intra-EU trade stands at about 60%. "There is a strong market of 500 million people outside of India in South Asia," said Biswajeet Dhar, a former economics professor at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. He pointed to textiles, pharmaceuticals, energy and services as areas with huge potential. "We studied regional value chains for the Asian Development Bank. The complementarity was incredible," Dhar added, noting that the "potential remains largely unrealized due to narrow political disputes." Dixit echoed Dhar's sentiment: "This is the region that could benefit the most from trade, and yet there is none." Sri Lankan economist Ganeshan Wignaraja said that India could benefit economically if it fostered closer links across its borders. "If India neglects its neighborhood, it will let others, such as China, enter the neighborhood, and that would compromise India's national security," said Wignaraja. India's trade with Pakistan collapsed following diplomatic hostilities, depriving both sides of economic links that could foster stability. China has already benefited from the regional gap, by investing in Bangladeshi ports, Sri Lankan airports and Pakistani motorways. Are India, the EU ready for a free trade agreement? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video India's diplomacy of domination Dixit challenged what many people perceive to be India's diplomacy by domination. "It would like the rest of South Asia to be subservient," Dixit said. "For India to do well on the global stage, it has to make peace with its neighbors by accepting a one-on-one sovereign relationship." Bajpaee said that India "cannot control these countries' internal politics. The era of spheres of influence no longer exists." In the past, India has sacrificed long-term regional cooperation for short-term geopolitical alignment. Citing the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as an example, Dixit says that it was abandoned under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh due to US pressure. "Had that happened, we would have created forward and backward linkages for gas to keep flowing, and that would have compelled peace," Dixit said. Is India setting a new diplomatic course? India's focus has shifted towards the Indo-Pacific, the Quad group — which is made up of the US, Japan, Australia and India — and the West. However, for India to be sustainable, its borders would need to be stable. "India's engagement with East Asia is held hostage by instability in Bangladesh and Myanmar," Bajpaee said. "It needs to have good relations with countries on its borders if it wants to engage more broadly." Dixit explained that India's global aspirations, including its efforts to become a veto power in the UN Security Council, also suffer from the regional deficit. "A UNSC seat needs regional credibility. But when the region is in a mess and India isn't reaching out, it weakens its case," he told DW. Wignaraja concluded that "India can [perhaps] rise alone — but it will be in a stronger position if it can rise with its neighbors." Edited by: Keith Walker
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Malda cops help Nepal boy return home
Malda: A 14-year-old boy from Nepal, missing for 11 days, was reunited with his family on Wednesday, thanks to the efforts of Malda Police. The boy, deaf and speech-impaired, was found on June 2 in Gourhanda village under Chanchal PS. Since he was unable to communicate, cops sought help from special educator Suhana Parveen. After counselling, she managed to learn his name — Sashi Yadav — and a partial address — Khutta. Constable Ajoy Oraon, with SI Kajal Das and officer Biplab Mondal used Google Maps to locate multiple places named Khutta across India. Eventually, they zeroed in on a village by the same name in Nepal. Oraon contacted Nepal-based NGO Ragam Apaht Anrak, which confirmed the boy's identity as Sashi Yadav from Khutta, Loharpatti Nagarpalika, Madhesh Pradesh. His family recognised him via video call. On Wednesday, Sashi's mother Bibha Devi arrived at Chanchal PS. After verification of documents and CWC Malda's approval, the boy was handed over to her.
Malaysian Reserve
01-06-2025
- Climate
- Malaysian Reserve
Swiss glacier collapse offers global warning of wider impact
DUSHANBE (Tajikistan) – The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say. Footage of the May 28 collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the hamlet of Blatten. Ali Neumann, disaster risk reduction advisor to the Swiss Development Cooperation, noted that while the role of climate change in the specific case of Blatten 'still needs to be investigated', the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. 'Climate change and its impact on the cryosphere will have growing repercussions on human societies that live near glaciers, near the cryosphere, and depend on glaciers somehow and live with them,' he said. The barrage largely destroyed Blatten, but the evacuation of its 300 residents last week averted mass casualties, although one person remains missing. 'It also showed that with the right skills and observation and management of an emergency, you can significantly reduce the magnitude of this type of disaster,' Neumann said at an international UN-backed glacier conference in Tajikistan. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said it showed the need for vulnerable regions like the Himalayas and other parts of Asia to prepare. 'From monitoring, to data sharing, to numerical simulation models, to hazard assessment and to communicating that, the whole chain needs to be strengthened,' Uhlenbrook said. 'But in many Asian countries, this is weak, the data is not sufficiently connected.' Swiss geologists use various methods, including sensors and satellite images, to monitor their glaciers. Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said last year, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. But many Asian nations, particularly in the Himalayas, lack the resources to monitor their vast glaciers to the same degree as the Swiss. According to a 2024 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report, two-thirds of countries in the Asia and Pacific region have early warning systems. But the least developed countries, many of whom are in the frontlines of climate change, have the worst coverage. 'Monitoring is not absent, but it is not enough,' said geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). 'Our terrains and climatic conditions are challenging, but also we lack that level of resources for intensive data generation.' That gap is reflected in the number of disaster-related fatalities for each event. While the average number of fatalities per disaster was 189 globally, in Asia and the Pacific it was much higher at 338, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' Emergency Events Database. Geoscientist Jakob Steiner, who works in climate adaptation in Nepal and Bhutan, said it is not as simple as just exporting the Swiss technological solutions. 'These are complex disasters, working together with the communities is actually just as, if not much more, important,' he said. Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warn. Hundreds of lakes formed from glacial meltwater have appeared in recent decades. They can be deadly when they burst and rush down the valley. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides. Declan Magee, from the Asian Development Bank's Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, said that monitoring and early warnings alone are not enough. 'We have to think… about where we build, where people build infrastructure and homes, and how we can decrease their vulnerability if it is exposed', he said. Nepali climate activist and filmmaker Tashi Lhazom described how the village of Til, near to her home, was devastated by a landslide earlier in May. The 21 families escaped — but only just. 'In Switzerland they were evacuated days before, here we did not even get seconds,' said Lhazom. 'The disparity makes me sad but also angry. This has to change.' –AFP
France 24
31-05-2025
- Climate
- France 24
Swiss glacier collapse underscores urgency of efficient warning systems elsewhere, experts say
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say. Footage of the May 28 collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the hamlet of Blatten. Ali Neumann, disaster risk reduction advisor to the Swiss Development Cooperation, noted that while the role of climate change in the specific case of Blatten 'still needs to be investigated', the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere – the part of the world covered by frozen water. 'Climate change and its impact on the cryosphere will have growing repercussions on human societies that live near glaciers, near the cryosphere, and depend on glaciers somehow and live with them,' he said. The barrage largely destroyed Blatten, but the evacuation of its 300 residents last week averted mass casualties, although one person remains missing. 'It also showed that with the right skills and observation and management of an emergency, you can significantly reduce the magnitude of this type of disaster,' Neumann said at an international UN-backed glacier conference in Tajikistan. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said it showed the need for vulnerable regions like the Himalayas and other parts of Asia to prepare. 'From monitoring, to data sharing, to numerical simulation models, to hazard assessment and to communicating that, the whole chain needs to be strengthened,' Uhlenbrook said. 'But in many Asian countries, this is weak, the data is not sufficiently connected.' Need better warning systems Swiss geologists use various methods, including sensors and satellite images, to monitor their glaciers. Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said last year, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. But many Asian nations, particularly in the Himalayas, lack the resources to monitor their vast glaciers to the same degree as the Swiss. According to a 2024 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report, two-thirds of countries in the Asia and Pacific region have early warning systems. But the least developed countries, many of whom are in the frontlines of climate change, have the worst coverage. 'Monitoring is not absent, but it is not enough,' said geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). 'Our terrains and climatic conditions are challenging, but also we lack that level of resources for intensive data generation.' That gap is reflected in the number of disaster-related fatalities for each event. While the average number of fatalities per disaster was 189 globally, in Asia and the Pacific it was much higher at 338, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' Emergency Events Database. Heightened risk of landslides Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warn. Hundreds of lakes formed from glacial meltwater have appeared in recent decades. They can be deadly when they burst and rush down the valley. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides. Declan Magee, from the Asian Development Bank's Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, said that monitoring and early warnings alone are not enough. 'We have to think ... about where we build, where people build infrastructure and homes, and how we can decrease their vulnerability if it is exposed,' he said. Nepali climate activist and filmmaker Tashi Lhazom described how the village of Til, near to her home, was devastated by a landslide earlier in May. The 21 families escaped – but only just.
Observer
31-05-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Swiss glacier collapse offers global warning of wider impact
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say. Footage of the May 28 collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the hamlet of Blatten. Ali Neumann, disaster risk reduction advisor to the Swiss Development Cooperation, noted that while the role of climate change in the specific case of Blatten "still needs to be investigated", the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere -- the part of the world covered by frozen water. "Climate change and its impact on the cryosphere will have growing repercussions on human societies that live near glaciers, near the cryosphere, and depend on glaciers somehow and live with them," he said. The barrage largely destroyed Blatten, but the evacuation of its 300 residents last week averted mass casualties, although one person remains missing. "It also showed that with the right skills and observation and management of an emergency, you can significantly reduce the magnitude of this type of disaster," Neumann said at an international UN-backed glacier conference in Tajikistan. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Hydrology, Water, and Cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said it highlighted the need for vulnerable regions, such as the Himalayas and other parts of Asia, to prepare. "From monitoring, to data sharing, to numerical simulation models, to hazard assessment, and to communicating that, the whole chain needs to be strengthened," Uhlenbrook said. "But in many Asian countries, this is weak, the data is not sufficiently connected." - 'Not enough' - Swiss geologists use various methods, including sensors and satellite images, to monitor their glaciers. Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region due to climate and weather hazards in 2023, according to the United Nations, with floods and storms being the chief causes of casualties and economic losses. But many Asian nations, particularly in the Himalayas, lack the resources to monitor their vast glaciers to the same degree as the Swiss. According to a 2024 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report, two-thirds of countries in the Asia and Pacific region have early warning systems. But the least developed countries, many of whom are in the frontlines of climate change, have the worst coverage. "Monitoring is not absent, but it is not enough," said geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). "Our terrains and climatic conditions are challenging, but also we lack that level of resources for intensive data generation." That gap is reflected in the number of disaster-related fatalities for each event. While the average number of fatalities per disaster was 189 globally, in Asia and the Pacific, it was much higher at 338, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' Emergency Events Database. Geoscientist Jakob Steiner, who works in climate adaptation in Nepal and Bhutan, said it is not as simple as just exporting the Swiss technological solutions. "These are complex disasters, working together with the communities is just as, if not much more, important," he said. - 'Sad disparity' - Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warn. Hundreds of lakes formed from glacial meltwater have appeared in recent decades. They can be deadly when they burst and rush down the valley. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides.
