South Asia, a region of nearly 2 billion people comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives, must balance respective national interests with strategic autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world. The United States should use both nuance and focused engagement to advance our values in this diverse, yet tightly interconnected region of middle powers.
South Asia is bound by geography, trade, migration, and shared history, but divided by political systems, security postures, and economic trajectories. International engagement can feel like a tightrope for these countries.
The countries in the region must juggle Chinese offers of economic engagement, which can be perceived as disadvantageous or coercive, against a U.S. administration shifting economic norms, reducing traditional foreign assistance, and closing information avenues like Voice of America, while also reshaping global perceptions of U.S. security guarantees.
U.S. policy choices on tariffs, market access, and standards can unintentionally accelerate regional hedging. If American trade or investment policies make it easier for South Asian economies to deepen ties with others while disadvantaging the United States, political leaders may conclude it’s in their countries’ best interests to do so.
This is important to the United States because security cooperation still matters, particularly in maritime awareness, crisis response, and counterterrorism. It works best when it reinforces regional stability rather than forcing solely binary alignment.
Across South Asia, governments are wrestling with large youth populations eager for economic opportunity and global integration. At the same time, political institutions are under strain, with uneven democratic practices, contested elections, and declining public trust in governance. Many governments are also tightening controls on media, civil society, and opposition movements, often justified in the name of stability but at the cost of long-term legitimacy.
Domestic instability in South Asia rarely stays domestic. Youth protests in Nepal, political crackdowns and transitions in Bangladesh, simmering internal unrest in Pakistan, and rising religious tensions in India all contribute to a regional feedback loop that affects trade, migration, security, and diplomacy across borders.
These partners seek predictability, not perfection, from the United States. U.S. engagement should be guided by clear, consistent throughlines that reflect American interests and values:
The U.S. administration should prioritize and increase support for democratic reforms, resilient institutions, human rights, and religious freedoms in these key countries: Simply put, democracies make better, more sustainable partners. Countries thrive and evolve when they elect leaders responsive to citizens’ needs. Countries like Iran, Russia, and China stifle freedoms, oppress their citizens and make dangerous neighbors.
U.S. engagement should prioritize strengthening institutions that deliver accountability, rule of law, and basic services, rather than focusing only on personalities or election cycles. Durable institutions are what allow democratic systems to weather political shocks without sliding into instability or repression.
Respect for human rights and religious freedom remains a core measure of long-term stability, not a peripheral “nice to have.” Consistent, credible U.S. advocacy elevates this issue, counters polarization and highlights/signals that partnership with the United States carries expectations as well as benefits.
The United States should enhance economic engagement that benefits American workers without impoverishing partner countries: Trade and investment policies should expand both market access and supply chain resilience. Mutually beneficial growth is sustainable and weakens the appeal of coercive alternatives. The transparency and accountability of a democratic system reinforces these mutually beneficial and reliable open markets, protected by the rule of law, especially in contrast to the arbitrary power of a dictator or autocratic system.
China’s Belt and Road projects in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, and the Maldives, for example, have yielded visible infrastructure, but the price tag is steep: deep debt exposure and vulnerability to political leverage and coercive pressure tied to those investments.
The United States should deepen partnerships that encourage these countries to invest in their own defense while bolstering U.S. national security: Security is effective when it is not a solo show; alliances act more than amplifiers: They provide exponential security. The United States should continue to invest in partner capacity and avoid forcing zero-sum choices. Partnerships grounded in shared interests and burden-sharing are more sustainable than transactional or crisis-driven arrangements.
The administration should prioritize engagement with the South Asian diaspora as a vital cultural, political, and economic bridge: The South Asian diaspora is a powerful connector, shaping trade, innovation, cultural exchange and public perceptions in both directions. Engaging these communities deepens people-to-people ties and anchors U.S. partnership with these critical countries.
South Asia is not waiting to be led, but the region is watching America closely. The United States can and should employ steadiness, credibility, and respect for these nations’ own domestic concerns and their citizens’ aspirations. Engagement that is predictable, principled, and informed will do more to anchor U.S. influence in South Asia than any single trade action or security initiative.
