As the contest for influence across Eurasia intensifies, Uzbekistan could become the anchor of New Delhi’s strategy to overcome its geographical handicap. Central Asia has always occupied an unusual position in India’s foreign policy, being strategically important and economically promising, yet thwarted by geographically. Separated from the region by Pakistan and Afghanistan, India has often struggled to translate its historical and cultural connections with Central Asia int

To its west, old relationships in the Gulf are acquiring new strategic and military dimensions. Across the Atlantic, Washington is increasingly using tariffs as an instrument of foreign policy. At the same time, India holds the BRICS presidency in 2026 and prepares to host its summit when the grouping is being watched in the West as a potential challenge to the American-dominated global financial order. Individually, these developments may appear unrelated. Put together, they

India’s decision to pull out of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup for a high-profile friendly with Brazil sends the wrong signal at a time when its Act East policy demands consistency and commitment. On the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day, Indian media carried the news of India’s withdrawal from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup football tournament, as announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) a day before. Justification for the said decision explained that Indian part

Abe understood that India-Japan relations should live in the hearts of ordinary people. Some friendships between nations are built through treaties or trade. Others are built through something deeper — trust, respect, gratitude and emotional understanding. The friendship between India and Japan is one such relationship. Today, Connect India Japan has started a campaign to name a street in New Delhi after the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He remains deeply respected

For decades, the geopolitical narrative between India and Nepal was dominated by a traditional, friction-ridden pattern of interactions. Diplomatic discourse frequently hit roadblocks over sensitive issues, such as complex border disputes, revisions to historical treaties, and Kathmandu’s anxieties regarding economic overdependence on New Delhi. These disputes regularly fuelled political rhetoric and stalled deeper bilateral integration. However, beneath the radar of standard

A new book revisits the contentious case that Israel’s friends wield too much influence in Washington. Yet the roots of America’s attachment to Israel run deeper. Harry Truman's recognition of Israel in 1948 remains an early test of the competing forces that shaped America's relationship with the Jewish state. By now, William Faulkner’s iconic observation in Requiem for a Nun that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past” has achieved gold cliché status, being quoted ad na

In an India-US relationship increasingly tested by geopolitics, a direct line between leaders may do more than a round of public diplomacy. While diplomacy is often imagined in the grand settings of summit tables and choreographed handshakes, some of its most consequential work happens without any of them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent conversation with US Vice-President JD Vance is in this less glamorous sense. Amid the chill pervading India-US relations, the signifi

While India is rewriting its trade strategy, market access will matter only if domestic industry can turn it into investment, jobs and deeper global value-chain integration. After years of cautiously pursuing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), India has signed landmark deals with the United Kingdom and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), while talks continue with several other major economies. The move reflects a broader strategy to deepen integration with global markets,

As India’s ‘Act East’ converges with Thailand’s ‘Act West’, the Northeast is evolving from a distant frontier into the strategic hinge connecting the Bay of Bengal, ASEAN and the wider Indo-Pacific economy. The geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific is witnessing a structural convergence where India’s long-standing ‘Act East’ policy directly aligns with Thailand’s strategic ‘Act West’ reorientation. Historically viewed as separate diplomatic trajectories, these two framew

As unrest engulfs Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, economic hardship, political alienation and a forceful state response are exposing the widening cracks in Islamabad’s governance of the region. Pakistan today finds itself confronting multiple internal crises at once. While the world focuses on its troubled ties with Afghanistan and the long-running insurgency in Balochistan, another front has opened within Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Weeks of sustained protests have exposed a

Supporters from the Tibetan Youth Congress react during a protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Monday against China's new ethnic unity law. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Over 250 Tibetan refugees, activists and members of the Friends of Tibet took out a rally and demonstrated near the Chinese Consulate in Mumbai as part of an international action to protest against China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law (EUPPL). The Tibetans living in Mumbai were joined by other pr

The Quad is evolving from a strategic conversation into a practical partnership aimed at preserving a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific without becoming a formal military alliance. The Indo-Pacific has become the centre of gravity of global geopolitics. Its vast maritime routes carry a significant share of world trade, its waters connect major economies, and its stability determines whether Asia can continue its remarkable economic rise. In this contested space, the Quad - t

Northeast India’s geography and proximity to ASEAN could make it the missing link in India’s bid to become a global manufacturing alternative to China The global search for more resilient supply chains has placed India at the centre of the China+1 strategy, with multinational companies increasingly looking to diversify manufacturing and sourcing beyond China. Yet, one crucial dimension of this strategy remains overlooked: India’s Northeast. Although much is made of western p

India and Indonesia are forging a partnership designed for an era defined by resilient manufacturing, critical minerals and digital connectivity. The age when bilateral ties were judged by trade volumes and ceremonial diplomacy is fading. Today, the strength of a partnership is increasingly determined by who controls critical minerals, builds trusted digital networks and secures resilient supply chains. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Indonesia captured this n

The repatriation of a centuries-old Kartikeya idol from Australia underscores the importance of ‘civilisational diplomacy’ on India’s part. India and Australia have spent the past two decades discovering that they have more in common than cricket, the Commonwealth and a shared affection for the Indian Ocean. What began as a cautious strategic courtship has matured into one of the Indo-Pacific's most consequential partnerships, spanning defence, critical minerals, education,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day assertion last year that "Haq ka pani" will serve Indian farmers marks a decisive shift in India's approach to the Indus Waters. Far from being a departure, it is a long-overdue correction of historical restraint that has disproportionately disadvantaged India while enabling persistent misuse downstream. It signals that India will no longer allow its rightful share of water to go underutilised and wasted while its own farmers fa

India’s BRICS presidency will be judged less by declarations than by its ability to translate ambition into economic cooperation. Following the BRICS Summit, attention has quickly shifted from the bloc’s expanding membership to India’s upcoming presidency. While BRICS now represents a larger share of the global economy than ever before, the question is no longer about whether the grouping matters, but whether it can deliver tangible economic outcomes. India’s presidency prese

As Asia’s strategic map shifts, India and Japan are discovering that their partnership is about far more than balancing China. There was a time when India and Japan viewed one another primarily through the prism of economics. Where Japan supplied capital, technology and development assistance, India offered a vast market and an expanding pool of skilled labour. But that largely transactional relationship now appears to be changing. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s vis

As the Indo-Pacific enters an era of heightened geopolitical competition, India and South Korea are discovering that economic complementarity alone is no longer enough. For decades, India and South Korea have enjoyed cordial relations built upon commerce, investment and the success of Korean conglomerates in the Indian market. Yet, despite flourishing economic ties, the relationship often lacked strategic urgency. That complacency is no longer tenable. The Indo-Pacific has be

Though often grouped together as ‘nationalist strongmen,’ Narendra Modi and Donald Trump reveal strikingly different approaches to power, diplomacy and governance. Politics in the 21st century has become increasingly personalised. Institutions still matter, but voters often view governments through the prism of individual leaders rather than parties or policies. Few contemporary politicians illustrate this trend better than Donald Trump and Narendra Modi. Both have cultivated