Michael Kugelman


Michael Kugelman is the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly South Asia Brief. He has been an analyst of the region for nearly two decades.

Articles by Michael Kugelman
A worker stands in front of a section of a cross-border gas pipeline, in Chabahar, Iran.
A worker stands in front of a section of a cross-border gas pipeline, in Chabahar, Iran.
Medical professionals and students participate in a protest after the rape and killing of a doctor in the Indian state of West Bengal in New Delhi.
Medical professionals and students participate in a protest after the rape and killing of a doctor in the Indian state of West Bengal in New Delhi.
An Afghan man is seen from the side as he walks down the street selling Taliban flags, which hang from wooden poles slung over his soldier. Traffic barriers and trees are visible along the side of the road.
An Afghan man is seen from the side as he walks down the street selling Taliban flags, which hang from wooden poles slung over his soldier. Traffic barriers and trees are visible along the side of the road.
People gather to celebrate the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
People gather to celebrate the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
From left: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose before the Quad ministerial meeting in Tokyo.
From left: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose before the Quad ministerial meeting in Tokyo.
Bangladeshi army personnel stand in a line behind barbed wire as they guard the parliament house in Dhaka, Bangladesh, following clashes between police and protesters. The soldiers wear green camouflage fatigues and helmets, and they hold rifles as they look straight ahead.
Bangladeshi army personnel stand in a line behind barbed wire as they guard the parliament house in Dhaka, Bangladesh, following clashes between police and protesters. The soldiers wear green camouflage fatigues and helmets, and they hold rifles as they look straight ahead.
People cheer before a banner with Imran Khan's face on it.
People cheer before a banner with Imran Khan's face on it.
Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin are seen from the chest upward as they stand near each other in front of a yellow wall. Each man has one hand raised to gesture as they lean close to speak to each other.
Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin are seen from the chest upward as they stand near each other in front of a yellow wall. Each man has one hand raised to gesture as they lean close to speak to each other.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid leaves a press conference in Kabul.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid leaves a press conference in Kabul.
A police officer adjusts the crime scene barricade tape at the blast site a day after a suicide attack on a van near the Confucius Institute in Karachi, Pakistan.
A police officer adjusts the crime scene barricade tape at the blast site a day after a suicide attack on a van near the Confucius Institute in Karachi, Pakistan.
Pro-Khalistan activists stage a demonstration demanding justice for Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, on Sept. 29, 2023.
Pro-Khalistan activists stage a demonstration demanding justice for Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, on Sept. 29, 2023.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits on a stage decorated with flowers alongside a row of seated cabinet ministers. Modi's hands are raised as he claps. Greenery is visible beyond the stage.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits on a stage decorated with flowers alongside a row of seated cabinet ministers. Modi's hands are raised as he claps. Greenery is visible beyond the stage.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, riding in a decorated truck, waves to supporters during his roadshow in Varanasi, India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, riding in a decorated truck, waves to supporters during his roadshow in Varanasi, India.
A span of dozens of folding seats of a stadium are seen beneath a mostly clear blue sky. The camera is tilted upward, showing the back wall of the stadium and the roof that hangs over the highest seats.
A span of dozens of folding seats of a stadium are seen beneath a mostly clear blue sky. The camera is tilted upward, showing the back wall of the stadium and the roof that hangs over the highest seats.
Elon Musk arrives to inaugurate a Starlink satellite unit at a community health center in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
Elon Musk arrives to inaugurate a Starlink satellite unit at a community health center in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.