Welcome to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief.
The highlights this week: Nepal’s catastrophic flooding underscores the need for regional cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans a trip to India with a delegation of 400, and an international court of arbitration rules against India on the Indus Waters Treaty.
Flood Disaster Should Spur Cooperation
A week after catastrophic flooding in Nepal along the border with Tibet, the death toll continues to mount. More than 1,100 people have died, according to government figures, with nearly 4,000 still missing. The floods, triggered by a glacier collapse and landslide, are to this point Nepal’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2015 earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people.
Even as Nepal’s government conducts rescue and recovery operations and other countries send aid, it’s worth considering how the tragedy might shape future national and regional policy. These floods will no doubt provide strong incentives for Nepal to work more closely with its neighbors to try to reduce future threats.
