See the cover of my forthcoming book, Smaller South Asian Countries. The book spotlights the 5 smaller states bordering India in South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, & Sri Lanka, and analyzes their ties w/India, China, & US, among other topics. Pre-order @bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social!

🔎Ports, Power, and Political Access: China’s Strategic Grip over Sri Lanka Can China's engagement with Sri Lanka be characterized as being focused on development or long-term political and maritime strategy? www.isdp.eu/publication/... @nilanthis.bsky.social @tabitarosendal.bsky.social

Silk Cage Webinar Report-VI: Ports, Power, and Political Access: China’s Strategic Grip over Sri Lanka - Institute for Security and Development Policy

This Silk Cage webinar report covers various experts opinion on China's strategic influence and grip over Sri Lanka.

isdp.eu

Pleased to participate in the @isdp-sweden.bsky.social webinar on Sri Lanka's relations with China alongside a distinguished panel. See a summary of my theoretical framework (p.10) on how Sri Lanka as a smaller state manages India-China competition: www.isdp.eu/publication/...

Silk Cage Webinar Report-VI: Ports, Power, and Political Access: China’s Strategic Grip over Sri Lanka - Institute for Security and Development Policy

This Silk Cage webinar report covers various experts opinion on China's strategic influence and grip over Sri Lanka.

isdp.eu

Pleased to speak with Junaid Kathju of @scmpnews.bsky.social about Bangladesh's relations with China: www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

Bangladesh draws closer to China in ‘political chessboard’ to balance India ties

Dhaka’s pursuit of closer defence and trade cooperation with Beijing could further complicate its complex ties with New Delhi, analysts say.

scmp.com

My latest for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social on Iran serving as a catalyst for potential shifts in US strategy toward the Indian Ocean, as in 1979. Thanks to @danielflitton.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

1979 all over again? Iran and US Indian Ocean strategy transformed

The last time Iran shocked Washington, it built 50 years of US presence.

lowyinstitute.org

I'm looking forward to speaking about Sri Lanka-China relations and Indian Ocean security for smaller island states at the August 31 webinar hosted by @isdp-sweden.bsky.social in Stockholm, organized by Dr. Jagannath Panda. Register: www.isdp.eu/event/silk-c...

Silk Cage Series – Webinar VI: Ports, Power, and Political Access: China’s Strategic Grip over Sri Lanka - Institute for Security and Development Policy

Webinar on August 31: Silk Cage Series – Webinar VI: Ports, Power, and Political Access: China’s Strategic Grip over Sri Lanka

isdp.eu

Pleased to speak with @khushboorazdan.bsky.social at @scmpnews.bsky.social about the Chagos Islands/Diego Garcia, Mauritius as a small state, US-India dynamics in the Indian Ocean, and the idea of purchasing IOR territory: www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

A military base, a displaced people and Trump’s China fears: Burnham’s Chagos test

Britain’s new prime minister’s first challenge may lie in the Indian Ocean where the future of a US-British facility remains unresolved.

scmp.com

I spoke to @khushboorazdan.bsky.social at @southchinamorningpostrss.newsmast.social.ap.brid.gy about surprising US activism in the Indian Ocean region over the past year, despite the longstanding US pursuit of security burden-sharing with India in the IOR. www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

How Trump’s Iran ‘own goal’ is hitting US strategy to contain Chinese influence

An Indian-backed port long seen as a counterweight to Beijing is now caught in the crossfire of the US war against Iran.

scmp.com

Pleased to comment on India's Great Nicobar project in Nayan Seth's informative article for the @southchinamorningpostrss.newsmast.social.ap.brid.gy: www.scmp.com/news/china/d... cc @eastwestcenter.bsky.social

What India’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ near Malacca means for its China ties

Uncertainty over Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran conflict has New Delhi moving on US$10 billion plan to transform Great Nicobar Island.

scmp.com

My new piece for @eastwestcenter.bsky.social on US relations with Bangladesh and Nepal under new governments. We've seen early and active US diplomacy, and there are opportunities for economic and defense cooperation going forward. #SmallerSouthAsian countries www.eastwestcenter.org/publications...

New Governments, New Opportunities: US Relations with Bangladesh and Nepal Three Months In

New Governments, New Opportunities: US Relations with Bangladesh and Nepal Three Months In by Nilanthi Samaranayake

eastwestcenter.org

Thrilled to begin my stay at the @giga-hamburg.de Institute for Asian Studies in Germany as a visiting researcher. I'll focus on the study of Indian Ocean security & smaller states. I'm also interested in understanding Germany's interests in the IOR & South Asia. giga-hamburg.de/en/the-giga/...

GIGA Institute for Asian Studies | Research & Analysis

Explore GIGA's Institute for Asian Studies, your source for in-depth research, analysis, and insights on political, economic, and social trends in Asia.

giga-hamburg.de

Pleased to be back on A'ndre Gonawela's Burn Bag podcast to discuss recent developments among Smaller South Asian (SSA) countries & in Indian Ocean security. Of note, my forthcoming book will examine the SSA countries and their relations with these large powers. URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1NB...

Video of @eastwestcenter.bsky.social webinar: My thoughts on US relations with both Nepal and Bangladesh after elections and areas of cooperation. Check out the other speakers as well: Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Zillur Rahman, and Aparna Pande. www.eastwestcenter.org/events/after...

After Elections in South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, and a New US Approach Amid Regional Uncertainty and Competition

Join the East-West Center in Washington for a webinar on March 31 titled, "After Elections in South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, and a New US Approach Amid Regional Uncertainty and Competition".

eastwestcenter.org

Nilanthi Samaranayake@nilanthis.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Join @eastwestcenter.bsky.social's 31 March webinar! We'll examine recent elections in Nepal & Bangladesh, plus implications for relations with the US amid regional uncertainty. With Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Zillur Rahman, Aparna Pande, Nicholas Hamisevicz, & me. www.eastwestcenter.org/events/after...

Join @eastwestcenter.bsky.social's 31 March webinar! We'll examine recent elections in Nepal & Bangladesh, plus implications for relations with the US amid regional uncertainty. With Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Zillur Rahman, Aparna Pande, Nicholas Hamisevicz, & me. www.eastwestcenter.org/events/after...

After Elections in South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, and a New US Approach Amid Regional Uncertainty and Competition

Join the East-West Center in Washington for a webinar on March 31 titled, "After Elections in South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, and a New US Approach Amid Regional Uncertainty and Competition".

eastwestcenter.org

Quoted in The Sunday Morning by Asiri Fernando about the Iran conflict, Sri Lanka's supply chain resilience, the Colombo Security Conclave for Indian Ocean regional resilience, & the Sri Lanka Navy's command of CTF-154 in Combined Maritime Forces in the western IO: www.themorning.lk/articles/Oil...

Maritime chokepoints: Sri Lanka needs to act on lessons learnt

The latest conflict in West Asia, particularly with the closure of the critical energy choke point, the Strait of Hormuz, has once again highlighted Sri Lanka’s vulnerabilities to supply chain disrupt...

themorning.lk

My new article for CMS examines the disconnect between the US call to allies and partners to pursue burden-sharing, and surprising US *burden-shouldering* in the Indian Ocean over the past year: Yemen, Iran, India-Pakistan, & maritime interdiction ops. centerformaritimestrategy.org/publications...

US Burden-Shouldering? Surprising Activism in the Indian Ocean - Center for Maritime Strategy

The current US military operation against Iran in the Indian Ocean region—including most recently a submarine torpedo attack—has not come out of the blue. Since its early months, the second Trump admi...

centerformaritimestrategy.org

Quoted on Sri Lanka's diplomacy & maritime security work post-IRIS Dena kill & crew interned: “The situation is more difficult now because Sri Lanka already has so much on its plate; focusing on economic recovery after its 2022 default and Cyclone Ditwah last year” www.examiner.media/dena-sinking...

Dena sinking: to investigate, or not?

After the US torpedoed the Dena, Sri Lanka had to decide on letting the Bushehr dock. Amid a whirlpool of competing considerations, Sri Lanka took nearly two days to grant the ship entry. The commerci...

examiner.media

My new piece for @defensenews.bsky.social on Diego Garcia. The outlook for the Chagos treaty is uncertain in the latest UK-US discussions, but the US needs to maintain access to the Indian Ocean base despite the form of the UK-Mauritius dispute resolution. www.defensenews.com/opinion/2026...

Diego Garcia base access: Getting past the misinformation

Opinion: There have been many twists and turns over the years in this dispute, including Trump’s differences with Starmer over Greenland and Iran.

defensenews.com

My gratitude to the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) for the invitation to participate in a roundtable discussion on "Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific: US Strategy and Bangladesh's Strategic Engagement in the Bay of Bengal" last month in Dhaka.

I participated in the Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Northeast Indian Ocean Regional Dialogue in Bangladesh. I spoke about smaller IOR countries engaging the US on its priorities (e.g., business and security burden-sharing) and US strategy toward the IOR. Thanks to Dr. Emadul Islam for the invitation.

I spoke with Junaid Kathjoo of @scmpnews.bsky.social about Bangladesh's international outreach & India's approach to Sri Lanka, Maldives & BD. Discussed my framework for Smaller South Asian states which manage their powerful neighbor while engaging India's competitors. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

Pakistan and China have been drawing closer to Bangladesh and Myanmar in areas such as defence and trade at India’s expense, analysts say.

scmp.com

Pleased to speak with Mohammad Asif Khan of the @bsindia.bsky.social about Indian Ocean island countries, India's maritime capacity building, and smaller states' pursuit of a wide range of development options including China. www.business-standard.com/blueprint-de...

I enjoyed speaking at @stimsoncenter.bsky.social webinar on an eventful 2025 in Smaller South Asian (SSA) countries: Nepal's political upheaval, Sri Lanka's cyclone, Bangladesh's new foreign policy, Maldives-India ties, & SSA entrepreneurial ties with a new US admin: www.stimson.org/event/south-...

South Asia 2025: A Year of Shocks and Shifts • Stimson Center

Regional experts unpack one of the most eventful years in recent history for South Asia, where the geopolitical landscape underwent rapid, often unexpected, transformation.

stimson.org

I discussed challenges facing smaller Indian Ocean countries & offered ideas for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, & Maldives to consider in the Bay of Bengal and wider IOR amid US calls for greater burden-sharing. Thanks to Emadul Islam and Sasakawa Foundation for the invite www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K8P...

A live event organized by the Ocean Policy Research Institute at the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion

YouTube video by Global Ocean Forum

youtube.com

I'm looking forward to speaking about Indian Ocean security and island states for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation virtual seminar. Thanks to Dr. Emadul Islam for the invitation. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Nepal is the third of 5 #SmallerSouthAsian countries neighboring India to protest and oust leaders (Bangladesh in 2024 & Sri Lanka in 2022). I examine structural factors that contribute to domestic instability: economic transition in international orgs & strategic competition btw India, China, & US

The Lowy Institute@lowyinstitute.bsky.social · last yr.

“Without looking beyond the headlines, the structural conditions that contribute to domestic turmoil may be missed,” writes Nilanthi Samaranayake in The Interpreter. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/outside-story-helps-explains-turmoil-nepal-bangladesh-sri-lanka

Pleased to be interviewed on Nepal, Bangladesh, & Smaller South Asian countries in recent pubs: -In June on Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Opportunities by FPRC Journal: drive.google.com/file/d/1vsZ9... -In Sept on Nepal by Saurav Raj Pant: binduoped.com/2025/09/14/n... #SmallStates

Nepal’s Foreign Policy Options as a Small State

The interim government’s foreign policy toward international partners will ideally enable the transition process.

binduoped.com

New Indian Ocean pub: I contributed an essay to Asia Policy's book review roundtable on Darshana Baruah's must-read on #IndianOcean security. Thanks to the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) for the invitation. All 6 roundtable essays are free to download: www.nbr.org/publication/...

I enjoyed speaking at the ORF-CSIS #JakartaFuturesForum2025 on the panel, Securing the Blue Commons: Cooperation for an Indo-Pacific Maritime Order. I discussed a multipolar Indo-Pacific & space for agency amid the US pursuit of greater burden-sharing. #IndianOcean cc @eastwestcenter.bsky.social

Looking forward to the #JakartaFuturesForum2025 next week, organized by Observer Research Foundation, CSIS Indonesia, and the Indian Embassy in Jakarta. Details: www.orfonline.org/forums/jakar... cc @eastwestcenter.bsky.social