Welcome to the inaugural issue of SA Perspectives, a monthly publication focusing on human rights and democracy in South Asia. As a new year dawns and we embark upon this journey together, the editorial team wants to share our reasons for launching this journal. At the same time, we also want to encourage our readers to share their perspectives on critical issues facing South Asia and the world in 2023. We do so knowing that modern technology has made it increasingly possible for those with something to contribute to the public debate to do so. At the same time that technology has made it easier to share perspectives with a global audience, however, we realize that governments around the world have redoubled their efforts to control access to information and opinions.
Nowhere is this more true than in a region near and dear to our hearts: South Asia. In these pages we intend to share perspectives on developments throughout South Asia (and welcome contributions from readers in these countries). We do so both to leverage our considerable experience as observers and participants in South Asia’s political development and also to shine a light on this region at a critical time, with elections and other challenges coming to the forefront.
We hope to inform South Asians at home and abroad and also the region’s many friends and well wishers and to provide an outlet for them to escape an increasingly oppressive media environment in the subcontinent.
We realize that the proliferation of information fosters increased competition for the time and attention of media consumers. Rather than seeing our readers as simply consumers of a product which we provide, we believe that our success (and our unique value) will depend on stimulating a real dialogue between us and our readers and contributors. We welcome perspectives from all sides, including with those with whom we disagree. We are committed to creating a level playing field upon which all ideas can compete equally.
If you are interested in seeing where this goes, and evaluating whether we are capable of living up to the ideals outlined above, you can sign up for future editions of this publication at https://www.saperspectives.net. You can also reach the editorial staff directly at info@saperspectives.net. We welcome your feedback on the mission statement outlined above as well as strategies we can pursue to help achieve our stated objective.