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India’s Northeast has often been described as the region where South Asia and Southeast Asia meet. Indeed, sharing much of its border with neighbouring countries, the northeastern states are economically and culturally integrated with Southeast Asia. This brief examines the role of India’s Northeast in strengthening the country’s relations with its partners in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC

Often the success of a summit is weighed from the number of deals signed during it, and in the present summit, only a Memorandum of Understanding on BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection was signed, giving reason to doubt the jubilation about the summit. A closer view of the summit suggests more than one reason to be optimistic.

The failure of SAARC to nurture cooperation in South Asia has pushed regional players to search for an alternative.  BIMSTEC, grouping the nations in the Bay of Bengal region, is popularly favoured as the viable option. Two decades since its inception, however, BIMSTEC’s successes have been minimal. How workable is BIMSTEC as an option for pursuing regional cooperation in South Asia? Are SAARC and BIMSTEC competitors or do they complement each

This paper studies the case of the countries of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) to investigate if progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) plays an instrumental role in addressing structural vulnerabilities. It finds that it does. Despite improvements in certain SDGs such as increasing per-capita income levels, improving healthcare, and providing universal

Connectivity facilitates economic growth, social development, and people-to-people interactions. Recognising the imperative of connectivity in regional engagement, the Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in 1997 declared ‘transport and communication’ as one of its sectors of cooperation. In 2018, BIMSTEC drew up its Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, and subsequently updated the plan at the fifth BIM

India will have to evolve new terms of engagement with its neighbours — terms that reflect the reality of our times

The Bay of Bengal region links South Asia and Southeast Asia, with the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) serving as a platform of trans-border cooperation. The BIMSTEC’s prime assets are the historical and cultural links between the nations, and their spirit of community. However, the lack of both a robust decision-making mechanism and a set of common rules have slowed down the growth of th

BIMSTEC वाहतूक कनेक्टिव्हिटी प्रकल्पांना अडथळा आणणारी आव्हाने सदस्य राष्ट्रांमध्ये अखंड कनेक्टिव्हिटी वाढवण्यासाठी प्रयत्न करणे आवश्यक आहे.

BIMSTEC वाहतूक कनेक्टिव्हिटी प्रकल्पांना अडथळा आणणारी आव्हाने सदस्य राष्ट्रांमध्ये अखंड कनेक्टिव्हिटी वाढवण्यासाठी प्रयत्न करणे आवश्यक आहे.

The intent of BIMSTEC member states to push forth with a bold vision for the region was evident at the 2nd Foreign Ministers’ Retreat

China is showing Nepal that the Himalayas may not be a trade barrier for rail-based trade with Asia or Europe or even maritime trade through the South China Sea. The landlocked country is now actively considering the use of alternative routes from India’s sea ports to China’s, once its roads and rails log into the BRI. This brief examines three learnings from Nepal’s growing engagement with China through the Belt and Road International Trad

Setting up of research taskforces on various climate change and environment risks in the BIMSTEC sub-region can develop a common understanding of the threats, create standards for emergency management and come up with cost-effective solutions.

How India and its BIMSTEC partners can prosper together

While the trip offered a chance to build on cooperation, it also reinforced existing differences between the two countries.

The BRICS ship remains on course to sail steady, and is heading for more effective projects in years to come post the show of strength in Goa

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) appears to be gaining momentum in formulating collective strategies to combat non-traditional security threats in the subregion. This brief describes how BIMSTEC had focused on bilateralism or trilateralism from its inception in 1997 until 2015, thereby failing to pursue a more comprehensive and long-term approach to addressing the common threats to their

The strategic location of India’s North Eastern Region (NER) offers ample opportunities for enhancing the country’s economic ties. However, supply-chain constraints at the regional level hamper the trade-growth linkages, as do trade barriers, social unrest, and inadequate infrastructure. Enhancing and improving commercial exchanges with neighbouring countries, such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, will strengthen bilateral and regional networks. Th

In an unpredictable global environment, India needs to shape a domestic consensus in matters of Indian foreign policy.

भारत आणि G7 देशांमध्‍ये अनेक संभाषणे होत आहेत परंतु ती सर्व कामाच्या प्रगतीचा भाग आहेत.

India can lead South Asia's war on terror by strengthening counterterrorism efforts but also lead the regional counterterrorism superstructure

Various estimates show that RCEP’s share in the world GDP may touch 50 per cent by 2050. The fear that India may be left out if it decides not to join the group is real. But given the economic clout of China and other economies, India may find it very difficult to grab a significant share of the this RCEP cake.

In Modi’s second term, India needs to be pragmatic and clear-eyed about the challenge that Beijing poses for its interests.

India should put its Eurasian ambitions on hold for a while and focus on its immediate neighbourhood.

A mix of marginalisation, mobilisation and militarisation has helped Delhi take away a key facet of Pakistan’s outreach, allowing India to be more ambitious on the regional and global stage

As 2017 draws to a close, India can look at the year gone by with some satisfaction even as there might be some trepidation about the coming year.

India’s Northeast Region (NER) can serve as a pivotal connecting space between India and its neighbours to the east in South Asia, as well as to East and Southeast Asia and beyond, enhancing the country’s diplomatic, infrastructural, and commercial engagements. This paper makes an assessment of NER’s cross-border land connectivity initiatives with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan—all members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative f

Growing economic protectionism and recurrent geo-economic and geo-political tensions in recent years are testing the resilience of the global economic order. Erstwhile proponents of globalisation such as the United States and the European Union are themselves recoiling from the global value chains that are over-reliant on China. As the localisation of goods and services has become more critical, it calls to question the viability of a globalised

India and Bangladesh’s relationship has been growing steadily over the past few years, especially since Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power in January 2009. In 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the relationship as being in its “golden era (Sonali Adhyay).” Indeed, Bangladesh is at the centre of India’s flagship ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies, and has been crucial in ensuring peace

New Delhi’s approach to Southeast Asia within the wider Indo-Pacific region is strategically sound but has limits.

The Nepal-India-Sri Lanka initiative could be used to pursue better people-to-people relations.

No longer just a balancer, the prime minister wants to make India a major power in its own right. And his cabinet pick shows he’s serious about doing so.

To improve South Asian regional cooperation, Modi has three options. The first is to focus on a two-speed Saarc. The second is to build on transregional institutions like the BIMSTEC. However, it is the third way -- unilateral action -- that offers Modi the greatest opportunity. For example, Modi has already proposed to build a Saarc satellite for use by its neighbours.

Our 20 most–read commentaries this year.

As Manmohan Singh meets Myanmar's President in the sidelines of the Bimstec summit, this will give an opportunity for the two leaders to further deepen bilateral ties. As part of the two neighbours growing relations, a border security pact is expected to be signed during Dr Singh's visit.

New Delhi must now accelerate the transformative governance changes it has initiated in the North East

India will have to carefully navigate the emerging regional geopolitics in BIMSTEC

The need for regional integration is now BIMSTEC countries to make up for the deficit created by a crippled SAARC in South Asia

With the BRICS summit, India has tried to re-imagine the multilateral forum to serve its larger strategic ends in the world order

India’s ties with Bangladesh have not been smooth and faced turbulence despite India supporting Bangladesh in its liberation.