U.S. policy toward South Asia: Past, present, and future

Content from the Brookings Institution India Center is now archived. After seven years of an impactful partnership, as of September 11, 2020, Brookings India is now the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, an independent public policy institution based in India.

COHEN_South Asia Papers

U.S. policy towards South Asia has changed considerably over the last seven decades. The nature of U.S. engagement with different countries in the region has varied over time, as has the level of U.S. interest. While India and Pakistan have received the most attention from Washington, the United States has also been engaging with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, albeit to different degrees.

On May 19, The India Project at Brookings hosted a panel discussion exploring the past and present U.S approaches towards South Asia, based on Senior Fellow Stephen Cohen’s new book, “The South Asia Papers: A Critical Anthology of Writings” (Brookings Institution Press, 2016). Panelists also assessed the Obama administration’s policies toward the region, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the next U.S. administration. Fellow Tanvi Madan, director of The India Project, moderated the discussion.

After the discussion, the panelists took questions.

U.S. policy toward South Asia: Past, present, and future

Agenda

U.S. policy toward South Asia: Past, present, and future

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

On May 19, The India Project at Brookings hosted a panel discussion exploring the past and present U.S. approaches towards South Asia, based on Senior Fellow Stephen Cohen’s new book, “The South Asia Papers: A Critical Anthology of Writings” (Brookings Institution Press, 2016). Panelists also assessed the Obama administration’s policies toward the region, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the next U.S. administration.

madan tanvi

Tanvi Madan Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Asia Policy Studies @tanvi_madan

Alyssa Ayres

Alyssa Ayres Senior Fellow, India, Pakistan, and South Asia - Council on Foreign Relations @AyresAlyssa

Stephen P. Cohen

Stephen P. Cohen Former Brookings Expert

Daniel Markey Senior Research Professor, International Relations - Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

Alyssa Ayres

Alyssa Ayres Senior Fellow, India, Pakistan, and South Asia - Council on Foreign Relations @AyresAlyssa