South Asia Water Politics News & Analysis

Indus Waters Treaty, and India-Pakistan Ties: A Year after Pahalgam

cc kremlin.ru, modified, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69362

With one of the most important cross-border water-sharing treaties ever signed still on hold, what are the chances that Islamabad and New Delhi open talks on the Indus Waters Treaty, and what forum could help bring about a new diplomatic dialogue?

Yarlung Zangbo Dam: The Dawn of Zero-Sum Water Politics in South Asia

India China Yarlung Zangbo Dam, (C) Geopoliticalmonitor.com

The Yarlung Zangbo dam represents more than an infrastructure project or geopolitical flashpoint between China and India; it embodies a fundamental challenge to the international order governing shared natural resources.

Breaking the Dam: How India Can Abrogate the Indus Waters Treaty

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Exploring the legal arguments behind India potentially abrogating the Indus Waters Treaty - an agreement with no formal exit clause.

Lower Mekong at Risk: Water Scarcity & Rising Geopolitical Tensions

MekongDelta

Exploring how upstream dam building, food insecurity, and climate-driven drought are pushing the Mekong River Basin toward greater geopolitical instability.

Three International Water Conflicts to Watch

BrahmaputraMap

Trans-border waterways have always been sources of geopolitical tension, and climate change is only making cooperation more difficult. This article examines three international water conflicts to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Funan Techo Project Calls for Joint Approach to Mekong Development

Vietnam News Agency or VNA

A new China-Cambodia canal project risks ecological damage in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, highlighting the need for a joint approach to development.

China’s Foreign Policy Adrift upon Rivers of Sand

China's Three Gorges Dam, cc Dan Kamminga from Haarlem, Netherlands, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Gorges_Dam.jpg

To understand China’s foreign policy toward India and bordering ASEAN countries, one must understand its national water crisis.

India’s Water Crisis: Beyond Chennai

A water truck in Kolhapur, Maharashtra; author: Arne Hückelheim, modified, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:WaterTruckCropped.JPG

For India, the road to great power status is frought with critical water management challenges.

Glacier Watch: Indus Basin

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Pakistan’s water issues will go from bad to worse after glaciers in the Indus Basin pass the peak water mark later this century.

Geopolitics in the South China Sea: Expansionism in the Shadow of North Korean Drama

VinsonVietnam, USS Carl Vinson docks in Vietnam's Da Nang port. CC Official U.S. Navy Page Flickr, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

With ASEAN sidelined and all eyes on North Korea, Vietnam can only sit and watch as China consolidates its position in the South China Sea.

Cambodia-Laos Border Dispute: Geopolitical Flashpoint or Playing Politics?

CambodiaElection, cc Flickr Michael Coghlan, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Cambodia-Laos border dispute has a peculiar a way of only flaring up ahead of election season.

The Hidden Price of Interlinking Rivers in India

Boat ride on the Ganges, cc Flickr rusticus80, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Are the economic benefits of India’s interlinking river project worth the massive and largely unquantified ecological risks?

Water Conflict: Indus Water Treaty Up for Debate in India

Generated by Google Gemini AI on August 10, 2025. All flags, maps, and likenesses contained within this image are not necessarily accurate representations of reality.

A 1960 water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan could be the next casualty of deteriorating bilateral relations.

Science Diplomacy a Crucible for South China Sea Disputes

cc matthew lee, modified, scuba diving near Swallow Reef (Pulau Layang-Layang) in Spratly Islands, South China Sea / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Layang-Layang_diving48.jpg

Given the high ecological stakes and the number of international stakeholders in the region, the time to realize the promise of science diplomacy may now be at hand in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

Is Bangladesh the Newest Addition to China’s ‘String of Pearls’?

cc Took-ranch at English Wikipedia, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Kilo_in_service.jpg

Bangladesh may be drifting away from its traditional ally India and right into China’s wider plan of constructing a 'string of pearls' to contain New Delhi.

Should India Dive into the Shale Boom?

India oil, Generated by Google Gemini on August 1, 2025.

The global shale boom offers India the tantalizing prospect of an escape from energy scarcity – but at what environmental cost?

Water Wars: The Next Clash between India and China

Abstraction of Himalayas rivers, Generated by Google Gemini on July 31, 2025.

Amitava Mukherjee discusses how conflicts over the trans-national Brahmaputra River may come to harm relations between China and India.

China and India: Water Wars in the Himalayas

China India River Wars; image is generated by AI and maps are not an accurate reflection of reality; Generated by Google Gemini on July 31, 2025.

Examining the potential for water wars in the Himalayas betwen India and China, particularly surrounding China's upstream development of the key Brahmaputra River in northeastern India.

River Erosion along the India–Bangladesh Border: A Source of Violent Conflict

Generated by Google Gemini on July 29, 2025.

River erosion along the border often triggers violent conflicts between India and Bangladesh.

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