The dynamics of South Asia: A roadmap for the Biden administration
SouthAsiaSource
by
Safiya Ghori-Ahmad and Kyle Gardner
Commuters wearing protective face masks travel in a suburban train after authorities resumed the train services for all commuters after it was shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani
The Biden administration has no shortage of challenges to keep it occupied. At home, it faces a still-raging pandemic, a badly needed economic recovery, and a bitterly divided domestic populace. Abroad, President Biden’s team faces a world that has grown–since the last Democratic administration–more polarized, more nationalistic, and more wary of America’s capacity to lead. South Asia offers the Biden administration opportunities to elevate US diplomacy and strengthen partnerships in capitals from Delhi to Dhaka. But doing so will require navigating five dynamics at play across this important region.