2024
India Monitor (12/2024). In December, a part of New Delhi's focus was on retaining India's position in South Asia. In this context, India is likely to see two recent developments positively (the visits of the King of Bhutan, and then the President of Sri Lanka, in New Delhi), one event as a rather negative from the point of view of Indian interests (the signing of a new deal between Nepal and China), and one development as a clearly negative one (Bangladesh' demand to India to extradite the country's ex-PM, Sheikh Hasina). Apart from the above, in December 2024, the Indian government obtained a frigate from Russia, tested an orbital ship docking station, and announced its reform that would lead to all elections in the country being held at the same time. Download the entire December compilation with commentary here.
India Monitor (11/2024). In November, the ruling coalition in India, led by the BJP, won the elections in the state of Maharashtra and lost in another state, Jharkhand. Other polls, the presidential ones in the US, were won by Donald Trump. The New Delhi government seems optimistic about its future relations with Trump's administration. However, this month rather brought tensions in US-India relations: prosecutors in New York charged an Indian company, Adani Green Energy, with bribery while the State Department sanctioned another Indian firm, Shaurya Aeronautics, for trading with Russia. Moreover, New Delhi watched the unfolding instability in Bangladesh with concern, as it did in the case of a wave of smog that engulfed north Indian cities earlier this month. Download the entire November compilation with commentary here.
India Monitor (10/2024). On October 21, a de-escalation was announced on the India-China border. It was launched now, perhaps, to calm the mood of the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping, which took place immediately afterwards at the BRICS summit in Kazan. It should be remembered that this is in fact an agreement to de-escalate only a small part of this area – parts of the Depsang plains – and it is only a restoration of relative stability after the tensions of June 2020. Although the de-escalation slightly improves the tactical position of Indian forces in the region, it cannot be considered a breakthrough, but only an attempt to normalize the already tense situation. De-escalation does not mean a resumption of dialogue on the border line either.Download the entire October compilation with commentary here.