Commentary

U.S.-India Defense Relations

“U.S.-India Divergence and Convergence on Defense Operationalization Concepts,” China Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations, June 5, 2025. Link; Archive; PDF
“How to Get the Most Out of the U.S.-Indian Defense Partnership,” War on the Rocks, February 11, 2025 (with Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“INDUS-X at One: A Year of Bilateral Breakthroughs” U.S. Institute of Peace, September 9, 2024 (with Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“What’s the Deal with INDUS-X?” U.S. Institute of Peace, February 16, 2024 (with Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“Modi’s Trip to Washington Marks New Heights in U.S.-India Ties,” U.S. Institute of Peace, June 20, 2023 (with Daniel Markey, Tamanna Salikuddin, and Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“A Big Step Forward in US-India Defence Ties,” Hindustan Times, June 4, 2023 (with Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“What the 2022 US Defence Strategy Means for India,” Hindustan Times, January 9, 2023 (with Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“Toward a Mature Defense Partnership: Insights from a U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue,” Washington, DC: Stimson Center, November 2021 (with Elizabeth Threlkeld, Christopher Clary, and Zoe Jordan). Link; Archive; PDF
“What India can do to avoid US sanctions over Russia,” Hindustan Times, September 22, 2021. Link; Archive; PDF
“Avoiding a Collision Course With India,” War on the Rocks, September 12, 2021 (with Tyler Sagerstrom). Link; Archive; PDF
“Trump’s India trip didn’t produce a trade deal. Here’s what did result.” Washington Post, February 27, 2020. Link; Archive; PDF
“Take Small Steps to Advance the US-India Relationship” Defense One, December 21, 2017 (w/ Liv Dowling). Link; Archive; PDF

India-China Competition

“What’s Driving India-China Tensions?” U.S. Institute of Peace, March 25, 2024 (with Dean Cheng, Daniel Markey, and Nilanthi Samarnnayake). Link; Archive; PDF
“Another Clash on the India-China Border Underscores Risks of Militarization,” U.S. Institute of Peace, December 20, 2022 (with Daniel Markey and Vikram Singh). Link; Archive; PDF
“Revelations and Opportunities: What the United States Can Learn from the Sino-Indian Crisis,” War on the Rocks, July 10, 2020. Link; Archive; PDF
“One Year After They Almost Went to War, Can China and India Get Along?” ChinaFile, June 14, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“How long Can India and China Avoid War in the Himalayas?” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2017 (w/ Olivia Dowling and Yun Sun). Link; Archive; PDF
“Signs of a Thaw in India, China Border Dispute,” Cipher Brief, July 25, 2017. Link

China in Southern Asia

“The Chinese Threat No One is Talking About,” Politico, March 16, 2022. Link; Archive; PDF
“Navigating the Maldivian Crisis,” The Asian Age, February 18, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“Stirred but not Shaken: Sri Lanka’s Rebalancing Act,” CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, June 18, 2015. Link; Archive; PDF
China’s Port to Nowhere: India Reins in Chinese Influence in Sri Lanka,” Foreign Affairs, April 8, 2015. Link; PDF

India-Pakistan Conflict

“America Can’t Ignore the Next Indo-Pakistani Crisis,” War on the Rocks, February 26, 2021. Link; Archive; PDF
“India Revoked Kashmir’s Autonomy a Year Ago. What Has Happened Since Then?” Washington Post/MonkeyCage, August 5, 2020. Link; Archive; PDF
“The Kargil War: India and Pakistan 20 Years Later,” The Diplomat Magazine, May 1, 2019 (w/ Eyal Hanfling). Link
“Did India shoot down a Pakistani F-16 in February? This just became a big deal.” Washington Post, April 17, 2019 (w/ Emily Tallo). Link; Archive; PDF
“Drivers, Decisions, and Dilemmas: Understanding the Kashmir Crisis and its Implications,” War on the Rocks, February 20, 2019 (w/ Emily Tallo). Link; Archive; PDF
“India and Pakistan Aren’t Ready for Another Terrorist Crisis,” Foreign Policy, November 30, 2018 (w/ Emily Tallo). Link; Archive; PDF
“Investigating Subcontinental Crises,” Pakistan Politico, May 4, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“A Political Choice: What Sparks an India-Pakistan Crisis?” The Hindu, March 15, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“Encouraging Signs, Continuing Dangers,” Cipher Brief, November 1, 2016. Link
“The Case for Restraint in India: Why the Conventional Wisdom is Wrong,” Foreign Affairs, September 25, 2016. Link; PDF
“Valley of the Brawls: Tensions Rise in Kashmir,” Foreign Affairs, February 12, 2016. Link; PDF
“Danger Zone: Posturing Against Pakistan Can Be Costly for India,” Hindustan Times (India), September 23, 2015. Link; Archive; PDF

Strategic Stability

“How to Deal with the Risk of Nuclear Escalation in South Asia,” U.S. Institute of Peace, May 17, 2022. Link; Archive; PDF
“The Risk of a Nuclear-Tinged South Asian Crisis Is Rising,” The Diplomat, January 11, 2018 (w/ Hannah Haegeland). Link; Archive; PDF
“Southern Asia’s Escalating Strategic Competition,” War on the Rocks, August 7, 2017 (w/ Travis Wheeler). Link; Archive; PDF
“The Debate over Indian Nuclear Strategy is Heating Up,” War on the Rocks, April 5, 2017 (w/ Hannah Haegeland). Link; Archive; PDF
“The Second Coming of MIRVs: The Future of Strategic Arms Competition,” War on the Rocks, August 23, 2016 (w/ Travis Wheeler). Link; Archive; PDF
“Bringing South Asia’s Nuclear Debate Out of the Shadows,” Brink, August 5, 2016 (w/ Michael Krepon). Link; Archive; PDF
“Learning About the Bomb is the Best Way to Reduce Nuclear Dangers,” The Wire (India), July 21, 2016 (w/ Michael Krepon). Link; Archive; PDF

Indian Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics

“India Elections: Foreign Policy Rhetoric Mixes Bluster and Real Differences,”U.S. Institute of Peace, May 20, 2024 (with Tamanna Salikuddin and Daniel Markey). Link; Archive; PDF
“At G20, India Tests Geopolitical Clout Amid Xi’s Absence,” U.S. Institute of Peace, September 7, 2023 (with Carla Freeman). Link; Archive; PDF
“Will India Ditch Russia? Debating the Future of an Old Friendship,” Foreign Affairs, January 24, 2023. Link; PDF
“Confidence and Nationalism in Modi’s India: Findings from a National Survey,” Stimson Center, August 17, 2022, (with Chris Clary, Niloufer Siddiqui, and Neelanjan Sircar). Link; Archive; PDF
“India Needs to Understand the Causes of Its NSG Embarrassment,” The Wire (India), June 27, 2016 (w/ Shane Mason). Link; Archive; PDF
“The State is Not Serious About Naxalism,” The Hindu (India), July 15, 2014. Link; Archive; PDF
“Understanding India’s Counterinsurgency Strategy Against the Naxal Threat,” India in Transition, July 14, 2014. Link; Archive; PDF

Pakistani Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics

“After Elections, Debt Crisis Looms in Pakistan,” Axios, July 25, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“U.S.-China: A New Hyphenation Driving U.S.-Pakistan Relations?” Global Village Space, June 21, 2018. Link; Archive; PDF
“Don’t Fear Pakistan’s Participation in China’s New Silk Road,” Defense One, May 12, 2017 (w/ Hannah Haegeland). Link; Archive; PDF
“Killing the Emir: What We Know About the Strike that Killed Mansour and What It Says About Pakistan and the Taliban,” War on the Rocks, May 25, 2016. Link; Archive; PDF
“Will Pakistan Draw Closer to Saudi Arabia to Balance Iran?” War on the Rocks, February 24, 2016. Link; Archive;PDF
“Actually, Pakistan is Winning its War on Terror,” Foreign Policy, December 10, 2015. Link; Archive; PDF
“Pakistan’s Subtle Strategic Shift,” The National Interest, August 4, 2015. Link; Archive; PDF
“Strategic Rethink Needed,” Dawn (Pakistan), March 14, 2010. Link; Archived; PDF
“Obama’s Pakistan Problem,” Foreign Policy, August 13, 2009. Link; Archived; PDF
“Why We’d Miss Musharraf,” Foreign Policy, September 2007. Link; Archived; PDF

Afghanistan, the Global War on Terrorism, and Middle East Policy

“Strategizing To Exit Afghanistan: From Risk Avoidance To Risk Management,” War on the Rocks, March 29, 2021. Link; Archive; PDF
“Putting Peace Out of Reach: The Administration will Undermine U.S. Aims in Afghanistan if it Shutters the Taliban’s Political Office,” U.S. News & World Report, October 27, 2017 (w/ Stephen Tankel). Link; Archive; PDF
“Four Ways Forward in Afghanistan,” Foreign Affairs, May 25, 2017. Link; PDF
“Why a Political Settlement in Afghanistan Will Benefit Indo-US Relations,” The Wire, April 16, 2017 (w/ Travis Wheeler). Link; Archive; PDF
“Ambling Blindly Back into the Mountains: 5 Hard Questions for the Next Phase of Afghanistan,” War on the Rocks, February 23, 2017. Link; Archive; PDF
“Options in Afghanistan,” Dawn (Pakistan), April 2, 2016. Link; Archive; PDF
“Putting the ‘I’ in Aid” (w/ Peter Bergen), New York Times, October 2, 2009. Link; Archived; PDF
“The War on Poppies,” (w/ Peter Bergen), Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2007. Link; Archived; PDF
“Reframing the Arab Reform Agenda,” Washington Post, April 16, 2007. Link; Archived; PDF