Publications
India has a good story to tell the world
The Diplomatist
In an insightful interview with Daniel S. Markey, Senior Advisor for South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace, provides insights into India’s evolving role in U.S. foreign policy, its leadership potential within the Global South, and its strategic balancing act with China and the West.
November 2024
How the India-China Border Deal Impacts Their Ties and the US
USIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Xi and Modi seem keen to patch things up in order to expand mutually beneficial economic interaction.
But the deal does not necessarily herald a strategic shift by Beijing and New Delhi.
India is unlikely to reverse course in its relationship with the U.S., which has deepened in recent years.
October 2024
At SCO, Pakistan Promotes Relevance as China Projects Influence
USIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Despite clear security threats and political instability, hosting the SCO provided Pakistan a chance to boost its diplomatic standing.
India’s participation shows potential for improved India-Pakistan ties.
For China, the summit incrementally advances alternatives to the Western-led world order.
October 2024
Modi Walks a Diplomatic Tightrope in Ukraine
USIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
India’s diplomatic posture, geopolitical aims and domestic politics explain what Modi was looking to achieve.
For Ukraine, the visit advanced its outreach to the global community and multilateral peace efforts.
Ukraine will continue to court India, hoping it can serve as a neutral arbiter.
August 2024
China, Russia See SCO at Counterweight to NATO but India Is Ambivalent
USIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Both Russia and China see the SCO as a key diplomatic platform to construct an alternative to the U.S.-led international order.
India is uneasy about the SCO’s anti-Western posture.
The SCO’s expansion has led to friction among member states.
July 2024
After India’s Surprising Elections, What’s Next for Modi’s Foreign Policy?
USIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Foreign policy is unlikely to be a priority issue for the new parliament.
But a return to normal parliamentary order could complicate Modi’s more ambitious foreign policy projects.
For the U.S., signs of India’s democratic vitality will elicit a bipartisan sigh of relief, if only temporarily.
June 2024
India Elections: Foreign Policy Rhetoric Mixes Bluster and Real Differences
USIP
USIP’s Tamanna Salikuddin, Daniel Markey and Sameer Lalwani identify and analyze some of the most noteworthy policy statements related to Pakistan and China with an eye to understanding the policy differences between the ruling BJP and India’s main opposition parties.
May 2024
What’s Driving India-China Tensions?
USIP
USIP experts Dean Cheng, Sameer Lalwani, Daniel Markey and Nilanthi Samaranayake examine what has changed on the border in the past four years, new domains where India-China competition has intensified, what role India’s general elections this spring could play in shaping these dynamics and the implications for U.S.-India relations.
March 2024
Chinese and Indian Responses to the Gaza War
China-India Brief, Centre on Asia and Globalisation,
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
The war in Gaza, especially its disruption of maritime shipping through the Red Sea and potential to escalate into a wider regional conflict, threatens important Chinese and Indian material interests. Those threats have naturally conditioned aspects of the wartime policy responses from Beijing and New Delhi.
However, because neither China nor India perceives the war as a vital threat, and because neither wields great influence over its conduct or outcome, their policy responses have tended to reflect a range of other parochial aims. Above all, China has opportunistically turned the war into an exercise in diplomatic point-scoring against the United States (US). India, for its part, has clung stubbornly to a pre-war vision for the “new Middle East.” For now, China’s approach appears to be paying greater dividends, but India’s policies already serve important domestic political purposes and might still pay off over the long run.
February 2024
Two Years Later, What Has the Indo-Pacific Strategy Achieved?
US Institute of Peace
This month marks the second anniversary of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). USIP experts Carla Freeman, Mirna Galic, Daniel Markey, and Vikram Singh assess what the strategy has accomplished in the past two years, how it has navigated global shocks and its impact on partnerships in the region.
February 2024
‘A setback for US-Bangladesh relations’
US Institute of Peace
Daniel Markey, senior advisor for South Asia Programs at the United States Institute of Peace, speaks to Ramisa Rob of The Daily Star about the US perspective on Bangladesh’s January 7 election.
January 2024
Amid War in the Middle East, India-Israel Ties Reach New Milestone
US Institute of Peace
The U.S. should not see India’s support for Israel as evidence of a broader alignment with Washington, as New Delhi sees the war through a different prism.
November 2023
Three Things to Know About China-India Tensions
US Institute of Peace
While neither side wants escalation, their actions risk exacerbating a classic security dilemma, leading to costly, high-stakes competition.
October 2023
India as It Is
Foreign Affairs
Washington and New Delhi Share Interests, Not Values
July/August, 2023
‘China’s aggression, Russian’s unreliability, convinced India to value US’
Rediff
Dr Markey — currently, a Senior Advisor, South Asia at the Washington, DC think-tank, the United States Institute of Peace — took time out from his schedule to answer Nikhil Lakshman’s questions.
June 30, 2023
Modi’s Trip to Washington Marks New Heights in U.S.-India Ties
US Institute of Peace
The bedrock for cooperation between the United States and India lies in a shared interest in deterring Chinese territorial aggression and challenging the extension of China’s political influence and military presence in India’s backyard.
June 20, 2023
Uncertain Aims on the Line of Actual Control
China-India Brief, Centre on Asia and Globalisation,
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Three years after a deadly brawl between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), relations between Beijing and New Delhi remain in what Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has repeatedly described as an “abnormal” condition. Strangely, at the heart of a dispute that has persisted over decades now lie troubling questions about the basic policy aims of both sides. Whereas until the early 2010s Beijing and New Delhi appear to have understood each other’s priorities, core interests, and redlines sufficiently to manage the border without serious violence, a stepwise uptick in border skirmishing since then—with no end in sight—suggests that they now lack clarity.
May 23, 2023
Five Takeaways from China’s Latest Diplomacy
US Institute of Peace
As the U.S. and China resume high-level engagement, Beijing is pushing for a role as mediator in Ukraine and as a key player amid crises in its backyard.
May 18, 2023
What to Watch in 2023: India’s Pivotal Year on the Global Stage
US Institute of Peace
A “Year of Cognitive Dissonance”: India’s relations with Russia and China.
February 8, 2023
The Persistent Threat of Nuclear Crises Among China, India and Pakistan
US Institute of Peace
Southern Asia’s strategic stability is getting harder to manage because of geopolitical changes and evolving military technologies.
February 1, 2023
The Future of US-India Strategic Partnership in the Face of Southern Asia’s Nuclear Transitions, Orbis
IN REVIEW: Ashley J. Tellis, Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2022)
January, 2023
Another Clash on the India-China Border Underscores Risks of Militarization
US Institute of Peace
December 20, 2022
From Bad to Worse: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and China–India Relations, Asian Survey 62 (5-6): 782-810
December 2022
India and the Ukraine Crisis, FPRC Journal
July 2022
What You Need to Know About the I2U2, US Institute of Peace
July 28, 2022
Beware the Himalayan Heat: China, India, and Pakistan on the Brink, The Diplomat, with Andrew Scobell and Vikram Singh
May 17, 2022
Enhancing Strategic Stability in Southern Asia, US Institute of Peace
May 2022
The Strategic Implications of India’s Illiberalism and Democratic Erosion, Asia Policy, vol 17, no 1
January 2022
America’s Perennial Pakistan Problem, Foreign Affairs
September 9, 2021
What Does the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan Mean for China?, A ChinaFile Conversation
August 26, 2021
India’s Vulnerabilities Leave No Choice but Partnership, China-India Brief #182, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
May 25, 2021
The Strategic Consequences of India’s COVID-19 Crisis, Council on Foreign Relations, Strength Through Peace
April 28, 2021
Preparing for Heightened Tensions Between China and India, Council on Foreign Relations
April 19, 2021
75 Years of India-US Relations, FPRC Journal
March 22, 2021
The best place to test cooperation with China is in Afghanistan, The Hill
March 22, 2021
After the Apocalypse: China, Inkstick
February 11, 2021
Tipping the Geopolitical Balance, iai News
August 19, 2020
China’s Western Horizon as a Framework for Assessing China’s Global Reach, Asia Policy, 15.3,
July 29, 2020
China’s Western Opportunities, Asia Pacific Bulletin,
June 30, 2020
How Is the Coronavirus Outbreak Affecting China’s Relations with Its Asian Neighbors?, A ChinaFile Conversation,
April 26, 2020
How the United States Should Deal with China in Pakistan, Carnegie Endowment,
April 8, 2020
Responding to China’s New Tools of Global Influence, War on the Rocks
April 1, 2020
Why Iran’s Dependence on China Puts It at Risk, Oxford University Press Blog
March 16, 2020
Reviewed Work:
Guardians of God: Inside the Religious Mind of the Pakistani Taliban, Bustan: The Middle East Book Review
Fall 2017
Why the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Will Worsen Tensions in Southern Asia, War On The Rocks
September 28, 2017
The South Asian Vortex,The American Interest
September 13, 2017
Washington Runs Serious Risk in Coercing Islamabad, The Cipher Brief
August 23, 2017
Cipher Brief Expert View: Sharif’s Resignation a Win for Pakistani Military, The Cipher Brief
July 28, 2017
Pakistan’s Proxy Strategy Principal Cause of Mistrust for U.S., The Cipher Brief
July 6, 2017
Pakistan’s Entrenched Deep State, The Cipher Brief
March 22, 2017
Pakistan Needs a Dose of Trump’s Madman Diplomacy, Foreign Policy
January 6, 2017
What Future for the Asia Pivot Under Trump?, Council on Foreign Relations
December 14, 2016
Pakistan’s Influence and Control, The Cipher Brief
Shrewd move: India’s surgical strikes delivered the right messages to multiple audiences at once, Scroll
October 2, 2016
Subcontinental Drift, The American Interest
September/October 2016
Rebalance the Rebalance: China, India, and the United States, Foreign Affairs
July 13, 2016
Behind China’s Gambit in Pakistan, Council on Foreign Relations
May 12, 2016
A Real Force To Be Reckoned With, The Cipher Brief
April 20, 2016
Preparing for Change, The Cipher Brief
March 29, 2016
Stop Writing Pakistan Blank Checks, Foreign Policy
February 16, 2016
The Strange Tale of Sino-Pakistani Friendship, Asia Policy
January 28, 2016
Perspectives on the Contest of the Century: The View from the U.S., The Cipher Brief
January 4, 2016
Why a Nuclear Deal With Pakistan Is Not Realistic, Timely, or Wise, Testimony before House Committee on Foreign Affairs
December 8, 2015
The Sino-Indian Conflict Scenario, The Diplomat
December 2, 2015
It’s Time for a Frank Talk with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Defense One
November 17, 2015
Armed Confrontation Between China and India, Council on Foreign Relations
November 2015
No Time for a Nuclear Deal with Pakistan, The Diplomat
October 22, 2015
The Pakistan Problem: Superficially Normal, The Cipher Brief
October 7, 2015
Buying More Time, The Cipher Brief
August 25, 2015
Taliban in Transition: Three Things to Know, Council on Foreign Relations
August 19, 2015
A New Era for China and Pakistan?, China File
April 23, 2015
Peace Through Strength, Indian-style, Indian Express
January 26, 2015
Down But Not Out: Kerry’s Diplomatic Opportunity in South Asia, Foreign Policy
January 13, 2015
Media Conference Call: Peshawar School Attack, Council on Foreign Relations
December 17, 2014
Behind Pakistan’s Taliban War, Council on Foreign Relations interview
December 17, 2014
A Review of “The Army and Democracy: Military Politics in Pakistan,” Asian Affairs, Volume 41, 2014 – Issue 4
December 12, 2014
The Future of U.S.-Pakistan Relations, Seminar
December 1, 2014
Pakistani Military Cool Amid Political Crisis, Council on Foreign Relations interview
September 12, 2014
India, U.S., and the Bounds of Goodwill, Indian Express
September 4, 2014
The National Security Implications of Pakistan’s Latest Political Crisis, Just Security
August 27, 2014
Why Street Protests Work in Pakistan, Foreign Policy
August 15, 2014
Saudi Arabia’s New Strategic Game in South Asia
July 18, 2014
The Different Taliban Worlds, Council on Foreign Relations interview
July 10, 2014
Planning for Withdrawal in Afghanistan May Be Smart, But It’s Not Wise, Defense One
April 15, 2014
No Surprises in Pakistan, Indian Express
April 1, 2014
In Bad Faith, Foreign Policy
February 19, 2014
Reorienting U.S. Pakistan Strategy: Three Things to Know, Council on Foreign Relations
January 21, 2014
How will the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan affect U.S.-Pakistan relations?, Ask CFR Experts
January 21, 2014
Reorienting U.S. Pakistan Strategy, Council on Foreign Relations
January, 2014
Prospects for Afghanistan in 2014, Council on Foreign Relations
December 18, 2013
Pakistan’s New Army Chief: What it Means for the United States, Los Angeles Times
December 6, 2013
Keeping a Foothold in Pakistan, World Affairs Council of Northern California
December 5, 2013
The State of U.S.-Pakistan Relations
December 4, 2013
Killing of Pakistani Terrorist Is a Possible Turning Point, The Washington Post
November 8, 2013
U.S.-Pakistan Relations, CFR Transcript
October 23, 2013
Let Pakistan’s Taliban Talks Fail Without Us, Reuters
October 22, 2013
What is the impact of growing Pakistan-China relations on the United States and India?, Ask CFR Experts
October 15, 2013
Politics and Indo-Pakistani Normalization, CFR Expert Brief
October 14, 2013
No Exit from Pakistan: America’s Tortured Relationship with Islamabad, Cambridge University Press
October, 2013
Caught In A Tangled Web, Indian Express
September 18, 2013
A Big New Idea for U.S.-Pakistan Relations, Defense One
August 7, 2013
How to Read the U.S.-Pakistani Restart, Council on Foreign Relations Interview
August 5, 2013
A New Drone Deal For Pakistan, Foreign Affairs
July 16, 2013
What should be the key constructs of the U.S. engagement with Pakistan, specially post 2014?, Ask CFR Experts
June 28, 2013
United States Should Remove Barriers to Trade With Pakistan, India, The Washington Post
June 6, 2013
Media Conference Call: Daniel Markey and Cameron Munter
May 15, 2013
Three Priorities for Pakistan’s New Government, The Christian Science Monitor
May 14, 2013
Viewpoints: The Impact of Elections in Pakistan, BBC
May 13, 2013
What if Pakistan’s ‘Old Lion’ Returns to Govern?, Council on Foreign Relations
May 7, 2013
Online Debate: The Civil-Military Equation in Pakistan, Indian Council on Foreign Relations
May 6, 2013
Well, This Is Awkward, Foreign Policy
April 25, 2013
Pakistan Update: Religion, Violence, and Responsibility, Council on Foreign Relations
April 2, 2013
Media Conference Call: Ryan Crocker and Daniel Markey on Pakistani Elections, Council on Foreign Relations
April 1, 2013
How can the United States assist dialogue between India and Pakistan on Afghanistan? Council on Foreign Relations
April 1, 2013
A Pakistani Strategic Shift? Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
March 19, 2013
Pakistan’s Wildcard, Foreign Policy
March 14, 2013
Support Process Over Personalities in Pakistan, Council on Foreign Relations
February, 2013
Is This Time Different?, The American Interest
January 10, 2013
A New ‘Degree of Hope’ for Afghanistan, Council on Foreign Relations
December 19, 2012
The Nixon Test, The Indian Express
October 24, 2012
The Haqqani Network Blacklisted: Three Things to Know, Council on Foreign Relations
September 7, 2012
Eye of the Storm for U.S.-Pakistan Relations
August 21, 2012
The Widening U.S.-Pakistan Rift
June 7, 2012
Afghanistan’s Cross-Border Threat
April 18, 2012
Video Brief: India
March 29, 2012
Gauging Taliban Moves in Pakistan
March 8, 2012
U.S.-Pakistan Relations: The Year Past, The Year Ahead
February 2, 2012
Video Brief: Pakistan
February 2, 2012
Media Conference Call: A Tougher U.S. Tack on Pakistan
September 28, 2011
A Tougher U.S. Tack on Pakistan
September 28, 2011
The Gloves Come Off
September 23, 2011
Managing Instability on China’s Periphery, “Pakistan Contingencies,” Council on Foreign Relations
September 2011
9/11 Lessons: Afghanistan and Pakistan
August 26, 2011
Another Challenge to U.S.-Pakistan Ties
July 21, 2011
How Cuts Affect U.S.-Pakistan Ties
July 11, 2011
Beyond bin Laden, “Islamabad, Washington, and the Long Road Ahead”
May 2011
Next Steps for Pakistan Strategy
May 2011
Can We Trust Pakistan?
May 9, 2011
The U.S. Strategy In Afghanistan And Pakistan
May 4, 2011
Bin Laden Death Heightens U.S.-Pakistan Tensions
May 3, 2011
What’s Next for al-Qaeda?
May 2, 2011
More Tense Times Ahead for U.S.-Pakistan
May 2, 2011
Can We Trust Pakistan?
May 9, 2011
The U.S. Strategy In Afghanistan And Pakistan
May 4, 2011
Bin Laden Death Heightens U.S.-Pakistan Tensions
May 3, 2011
What’s Next for al-Qaeda?
May 2, 2011
More Tense Times Ahead for U.S.-Pakistan
May 2, 2011
U.S.-Pakistan Partnership in Peril
April 14, 2011
“Pakistan,” in Climate Change and National Security A Country-Level Analysis, Georgetown University Press
March 2011
U.S.-Pakistan Intel Ties in Trouble
March 4, 2011
India-Pakistan Renewed Talks Offer Strategic Opportunity
February 18, 2011
U.S.-Pakistan Relations and the Raymond Davis Crisis
February 2, 2011
Review Won’t Alter Pakistan’s Behavior
December 16, 2010
U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan: Report of a CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force
December 16, 2010
Failing Afghanistan
December 3, 2010
Will WikiLeaks Hobble U.S. Diplomacy?
December 1, 2010
Council on Foreign Relations Press Conference: Release Of CFR Report on U.S. Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan
November 12, 2010
U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan
November 12, 2010
U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan
November 2010
Bactrian Gold: Challenges and Hope for Private Sector Development in Afghanistan
November 1, 2010
Solving the Kashmir Conundrum
October 15, 2010
Council on Foreign Relations/Foreign Affairs Back-to-School Event
October 15, 2010
Torrent of Challenges for U.S. in Pakistan
August 20, 2010
WikiLeaks: The Revelations That Aren’t
July 26, 2010
Pakistan’s Gambit in Afghanistan
July 30, 2010
Pakistan’s Shrewd Shift in Dialogue
March 25, 2010
Media Conference Call: U.S. Strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan
February 25, 2010
Academic Conference Call: India-Pakistan Relations (Audio)
January 27, 2010
Terrorism and Indo-Pakistani Escalation
January 2010
Watching Pakistan Teeter
December 29, 2009
Assessing the Afghan Surge
December 2, 2009
Pakistani Partnerships with the United States: An Assessment
November 12, 2009
Media Conference Call: CFR Scholars Return from AfPak Region
October 30, 2009
U.S.-Pakistan Trust Deficit
October 15, 2009
Don’t Waste the Afghan Election Crisis
September 15, 2009
Teaching Notes: Securing Pakistan’s Tribal Belt
August 20, 2009
Pakistan’s Stake in the Afghan Election
August 20, 2009
Measure Progress the Right Way, The Des Moines Register
July 26, 2009
How the Kashmir Dispute Affects Security in South Asia
July 14, 2009
Developing India’s Foreign Policy “Software,” Asia Policy
July 2009
From AfPak to PakAf: A Response to the New U.S. Strategy for South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations Policy Options Paper
April 2009
Building Trust Among Anti-Taliban Allies
May 7, 2009
The Current State of Play: Session I of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on Afghanistan, Pakistan and U.S. National Security
April 21, 2009
Zardari’s War, Foreign Policy
March 2009
India, Pakistan, and the Role of Religion (Audio)
February 11, 2009
The President’s Inbox: The Greater Middle East
January 23, 2009
So You Want to Be a Special Envoy…, Foreign Policy
January 2009
Mumbai: A Battle in the War for Pakistan
December 12, 2008
Preventive Priorities for a New Era, Session II
December 9, 2008
Pakistan’s Militants Trouble New Delhi and Islamabad
December 2, 2008
Afghanistan–A View from the Battleground
November 24, 2008
For Pakistan, a Global Downturn Adds to Woes
November 18, 2008
The Karzai Question, International Herald Tribune
November 17, 2008
Pakistan Postscript, The National Interest
October 30, 2008
Economic Challenges Add to Pakistan’s Woes
October 24, 2008
Testimony – House Oversight and Govt Reform Hearing on Pakistan, “From Ad Hoc and Transactional to Strategic and Enduring”
September 24, 2008
U.S. and Pakistan Must Grieve, then Unify After Marriott Bombing
September 21, 2008
Hotbed of Terror
August 11, 2008
Securing Pakistan’s Tribal Belt, Council on Foreign Relations
July/August 2008
Is a Pakistan Truce Good for the United States?
May 21, 2008
Why Pakistan Plays ‘Lets Make a Deal’
May 8, 2008
Continuing Challenges for U.S. Foreign Policy: Pakistan (Audio)
February 26, 2008
Letter to the Editor: India Watch
February 16, 2008
Daniel Markey on Pakistan
March 24, 2008
Continuing Challenges for U.S. Foreign Policy: Pakistan [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
February 26, 2008
Media Conference Call: Pakistan’s Election [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
February 19, 2008
CFR Scholars Respond to State of the Union
January 28, 2008
Quiet continuity for U.S.-India relations
January 7, 2008
Media Conference Call: Daniel Markey on the Assassination of Benazir Bhutto [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
December 27, 2007
Policy Options Paper–Pakistan
December 2007
Should the U.S. Abandon Pervez Musharraf?
November 27, 2007
Teleconference: The Situation in Pakistan
November 6, 2007
Markey: Crucial To Hold Pakistan Elections on Time in January
November 5, 2007
The Summer of Pakistan’s Discontent
September 20, 2007
No Substitute for American Resolve
August 17-23, 2007
Conference Call with Daniel Markey
July 25, 2007
A False Choice in Pakistan
July/August 2007
Depersonalizing relations with Pakistan
June 6, 2007
Markey: Concerns That Anti-Musharraf Protests Could Spiral Out of Control
May 16, 2007
The Struggle Within: What Pakistan’s Unrest Could Mean for the United States
May 16, 2007
Markey: Complex U.S.-Pakistan Relations
February 26, 2007