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
Workers are seen at the construction site of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya, India.
Workers are seen at the construction site of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya, India.
About a dozen people stand in a line outside of a polling station in Thimphu, Bhutan. The woman at the front of the line stands beside a tree and looks ahead with a serious expression while a worker in a bright orange uniform shirt and hat leans closer to speak to her.
About a dozen people stand in a line outside of a polling station in Thimphu, Bhutan. The woman at the front of the line stands beside a tree and looks ahead with a serious expression while a worker in a bright orange uniform shirt and hat leans closer to speak to her.
People walk past election posters in a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
People walk past election posters in a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Posters for election candidates hang over a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 26.
Posters for election candidates hang over a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 26.
People wave Indian flags as they celebrate the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon in New Delhi on Aug. 23.
People wave Indian flags as they celebrate the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon in New Delhi on Aug. 23.
Commuters ride past a truck painted with a portrait of Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Aug. 16.
Commuters ride past a truck painted with a portrait of Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Aug. 16.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd as he stands in a float during a campaign event. Modi wears a black vest with a scarf and hat in the orange-and-green colors of the Indian flag. The float is also decorated with orange flowers and photos of Modi, and he is flanked by security officers and other members of his party.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd as he stands in a float during a campaign event. Modi wears a black vest with a scarf and hat in the orange-and-green colors of the Indian flag. The float is also decorated with orange flowers and photos of Modi, and he is flanked by security officers and other members of his party.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the media in New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the media in New Delhi.
Motorists ride past an upcoming residential project from Adani Realty in Mumbai on Feb. 2.
Motorists ride past an upcoming residential project from Adani Realty in Mumbai on Feb. 2.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar speak to the press before talks at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Sept. 28.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar speak to the press before talks at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Sept. 28.
Afghan refugees arrive on green trucks in a mountainous landscape.
Afghan refugees arrive on green trucks in a mountainous landscape.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Behind them are Canadian and Indian flags.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Behind them are Canadian and Indian flags.
People in hijabs hold up placards and a big sign that reads PALESTINE.
People in hijabs hold up placards and a big sign that reads PALESTINE.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a conference in Tel Aviv on July 6, 2017.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a conference in Tel Aviv on July 6, 2017.
Babar Azam of Pakistan plays a shot during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup warmup match between Pakistan and Australia at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India.
Babar Azam of Pakistan plays a shot during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup warmup match between Pakistan and Australia at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India.