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Tuesday, February 17, 2026
TopicCentral Asia

Topic: Central Asia

Distracted Russia is losing central Asia to China

Chinese commentaries highlight the launch of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway and a $1 billion mining deal between China and Kazakhstan, as signs of a quiet pivot toward Beijing.

From Kashmir to China—Aurel Stein’s expeditions helped unlock secrets of ancient civilisations

Although the survey of Central Asia is among Stein’s most renowned and celebrated works, he had also successfully surveyed a wide landscape from Jammu and Kashmir to West Bengal.

Doval meets Central Asian counterparts, pushes for ‘transparent’ connectivity, ‘inclusive’ Afghanistan

National security adviser says Afghanistan 'remains a concern for all of us' and terrorism remains one of the most serious threats to international peace & security.

Dancing Shiva in Samarkand: Central Asian traders spread Hinduism, Buddhism along Silk Road

800 years before Babur, Hindu gods were worshipped by merchant diasporas in Central Asia.

Some Hindus even praised Khilji in Sanskrit texts — Medieval India’s complex power games

When Sanskrit-speaking elites were not well-treated, Muslim kings were decried as mlecchas, accused of killing cows and persecuting Brahmins.

Forgotten story of great Hindu merchants in Central Asia shows enterprise can defeat China

The fortunes Indian merchants built in Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent were based on a single, simple thing: Selling all that Central Asian consumers needed.

Modi govt is mastering the art of balancing Quad and SCO, ‘sanctioned’ nations and democracies

None of India’s objectives behind joining SCO seem to have been achieved so far. But Russia's neo-Eurasianist policy and China's economic expansionism are keeping Delhi engaged.

Big brother problem — Unlike India, China’s ties with our neighbourhood not marred by history

In ‘The China Factor’, Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury writes that while China’s strategic interests in India’s neighbourhood have increased, this has not been an entirely unilateral decision.

India’s goal can’t be to become another China – it needs to work out its economy first

In ‘How China Sees India And The World’, Shyam Saran writes that the West and Japan recognise that India is the only country that has the civilizational heft, area, and skills to match China.

How Russia-Ukraine war is leading to Central Asian nations going hungry

Rising food prices—a result of both Western sanctions on Russia and of the integration of national economies—have set the alarm bells ringing across Central Asian countries.

On Camera

Imagine if Epstein files named Rahul Gandhi or MK Stalin. What would BJP and TV media do?

The questions are not going to go away. But future generations will know who refused to ask the tough questions and who didn’t.

Urban co-op banks doubled loan book in 5 yrs, but stuck at under 2% of credit market—Sahakar Trends

UCBs accounted for 1.8% of total industry credit in September 2025—down from 2.2% five yrs ago—showing that they are losing ground to faster PSU banks.

US military commander, envoy Sergio Gor visit Indian Army Western Command, Bengaluru next

At the Western Army Command, the American delegation was briefed on the capabilities of the formation, past operations and the path ahead.

The new Great Game—Trump’s playing for time, China for leverage & India for wiggle room

This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.