Intelligence
South Asia
138 reports in this category.
The Rupee-Riyal Axis: Energy Debt as Geopolitical Leverage
As Islamabad swaps sovereign equity for Saudi oil credits, a new security architecture is emerging. Riyadh is no longer just a donor; it is the silent arbiter of the Indo-Pakistani strategic balance.
19 Jul 2026
The Pashtun Fracture: The Durand Line’s Structural Collapse
As conflict destabilises Tehran, the artificial border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is dissolving. KJ examines why the 2026 regional upheaval has finally broken the 133-year-old territorial status quo, threatening Pakistan’s western integrity.
13 Jul 2026
The Himalayan Bypass: New Delhi’s Pivot to Bilateral Coercion
As Bangladesh's internal stability fractures, India is abandoning decades of regional multilateralism. New Delhi is shifting toward a strategy of bilateral force and infrastructure bypass to secure its restive Northeast against a deepening chaotic void.
12 Jul 2026
The Indus Prerogative: India’s Turn Toward Hydrological Hegemony
New Delhi is abandoning decades of water diplomacy. Faced with a cooling economy and warming climate, India is leveraging its upstream geography to redefine power dynamics with Pakistan, risking the collapse of a sixty-year-old peace treaty.
5 Jul 2026
The Bismarckian Pivot: India’s German Deep-Tech Realignment
As New Delhi systematically decouples from its legacy Russian military dependency, a new strategic architecture is emerging. Berlin is no longer just a trading partner; it is becoming India’s primary engine for industrial sovereignty.
17 Jun 2026
The Islamabad Pivot: Trading Strategic Depth for Economic Survival
Pakistan is discarding decades of military doctrine to position itself as the vital gateway for Central Asian trade. As domestic pressures mount, Islamabad is prioritising economic rent and connectivity over traditional territorial security.
15 Jun 2026
The Liquid Front: Why South Asian Security Rests on Melting Ice
As domestic pressures and climate shifts accelerate, the Indus and Brahmaputra river basins are no longer mere sources of life, but strategic assets being weaponised in a zero-sum game between nuclear powers.
1 Oct 2025
The New Delhi Pivot: Why Strategic Autonomy Survives the Great Split
India is defying the binary logic of the new Cold War. By leveraging Russian energy and American technology, New Delhi is transforming its non-alignment legacy into a sophisticated multi-aligned leverage play that few in the West fully comprehend.
1 Jun 2025
The Garrison State: Pakistan’s Invisible Constitution
As Islamabad faces a debt ceiling and internal unrest, the facade of civilian governance is thinning. Real power in Pakistan does not reside in Parliament, but in the institutional incentives of the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
1 Feb 2025
The Tiger’s Cage: The Structural Fragility of the Bangladesh Model
Bangladesh transformed from a basket case into an export powerhouse through an unspoken social contract. As that contract dissolves, the state faces a reckoning between its industrial success and its institutional decay.
1 Oct 2024
The Frozen Impasse: Why the Himalayan Standoff is Now Permanent
The border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing is no longer a tactical rift. It is a structural transformation of Asian security, forcing India into an irreversible westward pivot while stretching Chinese logistics to their limit.
1 Jun 2024
The Hermit Emirate: Why the Taliban Cannot Build a Modern State
Despite securing its borders and suppressing internal rivals, the Taliban faces an existential paradox: the very ideological purity that won the war now prevents them from governing a functioning economy or achieving sovereign legitimacy.
1 Feb 2024
Pakistan’s Debt Spiral: Why the IMF Cannot Cure a Structural Siege
Pakistan stands at the precipice of a sovereign default, yet the recurring IMF bailouts act as a sedative rather than a cure. Real power in Islamabad rests on an extractive bargain that prevents the very reforms the lenders demand.
1 Jun 2023
The Debt Trap: Pakistan’s Perpetual Crisis and the IMF Deadlock
Pakistan is not facing a temporary liquidity shortage; it is grappling with a total structural collapse of its post-colonial economic model. Behind the headlines of default lies a brittle elite bargain that can no longer pay for itself.
1 Jun 2023
Are Malaysia and Turkey on a challenging quest to unite the Muslim world?
Malaysia leading efforts to unite the Muslim world In recent years, Malaysia has been trying to increase its engagement and cooperation with the Muslim world. We saw many signals of this in 2019, as the nation significantly strengthened relations with Pakistan, as well as Iran and several other Muslim nations in Asia. Furthermore, Malaysia has been vocal on the oppression of Muslim minorities, namely, the Uighurs in China and the Rohingya in Myanmar. After a call for a Muslim summit currently taking place in Malaysia, coming after many calls by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad for the Muslim world to come together, many believe that Malaysia is trying to unite the Muslim world, and consequently increase their say in world politics. Can Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad bring together a divided Muslim world riven by conflict, oppression and under-development? That’s the question observers will ask as Islamic world leaders and representatives convene in Kuala Lumpur for a four-day summit chaired by the outspoken 94-year-old Malaysian leader. “Islam, the Muslims and their countries are in a state of crisis, helpless and unworthy of this great religion which is meant to be good for mankind,” said Mahathir in his opening address to the summit, at which he said Muslim nations had “lost the respect of the world” due to rampant terrorism and disrespect for human rights. In addition to this, Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said foreign direct investment (FDI) within Muslim economies would stimulate wealth creation of Muslim economies. He said this could be done even as these states continued their current efforts to promote FDIs and trade with other members of the international community. “There is a lot we can benefit from if we increase trade among Muslim countries. This allows us to correct the imbalances in supply and demand among Muslim countries. The demand may be high but we lack the ability to produce the products. We have a huge human capital who are talented and are skilled workers which can be leveraged on.” Malaysia appears to be trying to unite the Muslim world for some sort of economic revival, but as point 3 will illustrate, this will not be easy. Subscribe to read the full article We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. The First 1,000 subscribers will receive a 50% lifetime discount to our content. - Access over 500 videos explaining global politics - Full access to all articles - Vote on future video topics - Secure Questions for Video Q&As Sign Up - https://www.kjreports.com/product/lifetimediscount/
20 Dec 2019
Is the US letting the Taliban loose at the cost of Afghanistan? 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. Does the latest suicide bomb put the deal with the US at risk? On Saturday night, a suicide bomber killed at least 63 people and wounded 182 in an explosion at a packed wedding hall in Kabul. An Afghan government spokesperson said the bomber detonated inside the wedding reception, where more than 1,000 guests had gathered to celebrate a marriage. “Everybody was running,” a waiter at the hall, Sayed Agha Shah, told Reuters. “Several of our waiters were killed and wounded.” A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, called the attack a “heinous crime against our people,” Glasse says. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing and the Taliban denied being behind it. However, it is possible that the Taliban is behind it and trying to cover up the attack in light of ongoing negotiations with the US. If this is true, it could put negotiations with the US for its withdrawal from Afghanistan at risk, as the Taliban would be seen as untrustworthy. 2. Taliban says differences with the US resolved Meanwhile, the Taliban have appeared to have found a deal with the US regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, as Zalmay Khalilzad, the American envoy who has been leading the talks since they began late last year, tweeted that they had made “excellent progress.”The Taliban have kept up a near-daily rate of deadly attacks, despite holding several rounds of peace talks with Khalilzad since his appointment almost a year ago. The Taliban now control roughly half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since 2001, when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their government after it harboured al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The US is, therefore, withdrawing at the wrong time according to some. Subscribe to unlock the other 3 Points We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. The First 1,000 subscribers will receive a 50% lifetime discount to our content. - Access over 500 videos explaining global politics - Full access to all articles - Vote on future video topics - Secure Questions for Video Q&As Sign Up - https://www.kjreports.com/product/lifetimediscount/
19 Aug 2019
Is Kashmir and Uyghur repression uniting Pakistan and Malaysia? 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. Pakistan counted on Malaysian support regarding Kashmir When the Indian government issued a presidential order to scrap the constitutionally mandated special status of Kashmir, Pakistan launched a diplomatic mission to gain support in opposition to the move. Pakistan counted on Malaysia for support due to commonalities between the nations and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad over the phone to discuss the unfolding situation in Kashmir. 2. Malaysian parliament voices support for Pakistan on Kashmir Malaysia has appeared to confirm its allegiance to Pakistan, as the Malaysian parliament voiced their support for the region and Pakistan, saying that India’s move is an assault on the rights of the besieged people in Kashmir. The Malaysian government has said it is carefully monitoring the situation and is calling for the dispute to be resolved in favour of the Malaysian people. Subscribe to unlock the other 3 Points We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. The First 1,000 subscribers will receive a 50% lifetime discount to our content. - Access over 500 videos explaining global politics - Full access to all articles - Vote on future video topics - Secure Questions for Video Q&As Sign Up - https://www.kjreports.com/product/lifetimediscount/
19 Aug 2019
How does India’s Kashmir move affect relations with China? 5 Geopolitical Effects You Need to Know
1. China warns of breach of their territory China has been concerned by India’s actions in Kashmir, and now China Foreign Minister Wang told S Jaishankar that the Indian government’s announcement of the establishment of the Ladakh Union Territory, “which involves Chinese territory, has posed a challenge to China’s sovereignty and violated the two countries’ agreement on maintaining peace and stability in the border region”. India should be concerned by this response and should reconsider their decision on Ladakh, to avoid conflict with China. 2. India to expect ‘consequences it can’t control’ In another worrying sign from China to India, India’s unilateral decision on Kashmir is a ‘geopolitical trickery’ that may have ‘actual consequences that India can’t control’, Chinese government’s mouthpiece Global Times said in an editorial. Warning India that “a nationalist India has no future” in an editorial titled ‘Unilateral move will incur risks for India’. Despite this, India seems unaffected by China’s comments and staying on track to its plans in Kashmir. It remains to be seen if India will eventually buckle under pressure, or maintain its position. Subscribe to unlock the other 3 Points We wish we didn't have to do this, but only paid subscribers can read the full article, Unlike other publishers, we are not the beneficiaries of State funds and are entirely dependent on our supporters to keep KJ Vids functioning. Please subscribe to read the rest of the article. 3. India and China won’t let this cloud stable relations 4. The promise of economic co-operation 5. Cultural ties to grow? By investing in KJ Vids, you are investing in yourself Our content succinctly contextualises the key geopolitical trends you need to know in order to make sense of world events. We can assure you that a regular dose of our content will be as healthy as fruit and vegetables for your mind. Subscribe for only £10 a month.
14 Aug 2019