Central Asia & Caucasus Data

The Union Budget 2026-27 has allocated 200 billion rupees (US$2.2 billion) to the Research, Development and Innovation fund, signaling a possible renewed commitment to scientific development. However, only 30 billion rupees ($331 million) of the previous budget’s allocation has been utilized, or about 15%, underscoring the notion that India’s R&D crisis is not a matter The post India’s R&D crisis isn’t a money problem appeared first on Asia Times.

United States Forces Korea (USFK), established in 1957, maintains deterrence and strengthens the US-South Korea alliance on the Korean Peninsula. Through continuous training, intelligence sharing and capability development with South Korea’s military, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, USFK provides the United States with a rapid-response contingency against North Korea, as the peninsula remains the The post Envisioning US Forces Korea’s role in a Taiwan war appeared first on Asia Times.

The US signaled its support for NATO troops in Ukraine last month after Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, praised the principle of security guarantees for the first time shortly after France and the UK committed to deploying troops there in the event of a ceasefire. This sequence was analyzed in detail here. A recent Financial Times report, published The post Has Russia agreed to a US-enforced ceasefire plan for Ukraine? appeared first on Asia Times.

On February 9, just 72 hours before a transformative general election in Bangladesh, a high-level delegation from Dhaka will gather in Washington to finalize a trade agreement that could fundamentally reshape the country’s economic trajectory. While domestic critics have characterized the timing as a calculated move by the interim administration to secure international legitimacy on The post Why US-Bangladesh rushed through a pre-election trade deal appeared first on Asia Times.