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By:

Rajiv Shah

22 September 2025 at 8:32:23 pm

New Alliances, New Pressures, New Fault Lines

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 reveal a larger...

New Alliances, New Pressures, New Fault Lines

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 reveal a larger geopolitical churn in which alliances, energy, trade, currencies and economic coercion are becoming interconnected. India finds itself almost at its centre. The emerging Saudi Arabia–Türkiye–Pakistan security equation deserves particular attention. Saudi Arabia brings enormous financial and energy influence; Türkiye possesses considerable military strength, NATO experience and an expanding defence industry; Pakistan brings a large military establishment and nuclear capability with the open support of Washington. Any arrangement containing a collective-defence commitment naturally acquires significance beyond ordinary diplomatic cooperation. Alongside it, another strategic convergence has gradually developed among India, Israel and the UAE. It would be incorrect to describe this as a formal military alliance. Yet geopolitics does not operate through defence treaties alone. India's extensive defence and technology relationship with Israel, its rapidly expanding economic and strategic partnership with the UAE, and the UAE-Israel relationship following the Abraham Accords have created considerable common ground. I2U2—bringing together India, Israel, the UAE and the United States—added another institutional dimension. Thus, without necessarily becoming opposing military camps, two interesting strategic formations are visible across West Asia: Saudi Arabia–Türkiye–Pakistan and the looser India–UAE–Israel convergence. Balancing Challenge India faces a similar balancing challenge. The Gulf is not a distant geopolitical theatre for New Delhi. Nearly nine million Indians live and work there. India's energy security, investments, trade and remittance flows are closely connected with the region. The proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor also requires relative stability across this geography. Polarisation in West Asia can therefore rapidly become an Indian economic and strategic problem. There is another question Indian planners cannot ignore. If a future India-Pakistan confrontation escalates, how would any collective-defence commitment involving Pakistan be interpreted by Saudi Arabia and Türkiye? It would be alarmist to assume that either country would automatically enter a conflict against India. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has substantial economic and strategic interests in maintaining good relations with New Delhi. Nevertheless, defence planners are paid to examine possibilities before they become crises. While these equations develop in India's neighbourhood, economic pressure is emerging from Washington. The US Senate has voted 86–11 for legislation intended to increase pressure on Russia by targeting major purchasers of Russian energy. The measure could authorise tariffs reaching 100 per cent against goods from countries continuing large-scale purchases of Russian oil and gas, with India among those potentially exposed. China is powerful enough to shrug off similar challenges from the West." However this does not mean that America has already imposed a 100 per cent tariff on India. Further legislative steps remain necessary, and presidential waiver provisions are important. But the overwhelming Senate vote carries a political message that New Delhi cannot dismiss. Tariffs are no longer merely tools of trade protection; they have become instruments of geopolitical coercion. Washington's argument is understandable: revenues from Russian petroleum help sustain Moscow's economy during the Ukraine war, and reducing those revenues increases pressure on Russia. But in that case what about European countries who too were/are customers of Russian oil? India's question is equally legitimate: who should determine where India purchases the energy required by more than 1.4 billion people? If Russian crude remains commercially advantageous and helps contain domestic energy costs, New Delhi cannot reasonably be expected to make every energy decision according to another country's geopolitical priorities. Strategic partnership cannot become strategic obedience. This is where BRICS enters the larger picture. India holds the BRICS presidency in 2026 and will host its leaders at an unusually sensitive moment. BRICS is no longer merely the original grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Its expansion has considerably increased its demographic, energy and geopolitical weight. More importantly, discussions around BRICS increasingly touch a sensitive nerve in Washington: alternative payment mechanisms, local-currency trade, development finance and the possibility of gradually reducing dependence upon the dollar-dominated international financial system. The BRICS Summit this time is poised to take some decisive steps which may affect western interests especially US. (The writer is an advocate, legal, geopolitical and public policy analyst. Views personal.)

Multiple deaths expose Anandnagar MIDCs’ poor roads

Ambernath: The Vaibhav Hotel junction in the Anandnagar MIDC area of Ambernath East has increasingly turned into a dangerous traffic spot, with several accidents reported over the past year and repeated complaints from citizens about poor and incomplete traffic planning. While accidents have occurred at multiple locations across the region, official data shows that a total of 29 accidents have been reported in Ambernath, Badlapur, and Ulhasnagar areas, raising serious concerns about overall traffic safety and administrative negligence.


The Anandnagar MIDC junction near Vaibhav Hotel sees heavy daily traffic, including MIDC workers, school and college students, ambulances, and heavy vehicles. Despite this, the junction still lacks basic safety infrastructure such as zebra crossings, stop lines, and proper dividers. Although a traffic signal has been installed, local residents say it has proved to be an incomplete and ineffective measure in the absence of essential road markings and pedestrian facilities.


Due to the lack of clear road markings and pedestrian crossings, both motorists and pedestrians are often confused about where to stop and where to cross, leading to frequent traffic chaos and a higher risk of accidents. Locals claim that several serious accidents, including fatal ones, have occurred in and around this area, but the authorities have failed to take decisive and comprehensive action.


According to information received from the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office, a total of 29 accidents have been reported across the region 4 in Ambernath East, 12 in Ambernath West, 3 in Badlapur East, 2 in Badlapur West, and 8 in the Ulhasnagar Camp No. 5 area. This data, citizens say, highlights the wider problem of inadequate and unscientific traffic planning in the region.


Apart from the Vaibhav Hotel junction, locations such as the Ambernath East–West flyover, the road in front of ITI, Matka Chowk, Jambul Road, and Forest Naka are also increasingly being identified as accident-prone due to poor planning, insufficient signage, and incomplete work.


In several places, roads have been dug up for signal-related work and temporarily covered only with metal plates, with the work remaining incomplete for days. This has created obstacles for motorists and further increased the risk of accidents.


While Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Suyog Pawar, President of Siddharth Multi-Purpose Social Organisation, said, “There are serious shortcomings in traffic management in the Anandnagar MIDC and Vaibhav Hotel area. Instead of limiting measures only to installing a signal, essential facilities like zebra crossings, stop lines, and dividers must be completed immediately. This will certainly help reduce accidents and improve public safety.”


Meanwhile, attempts to contact Ambernath Municipal Council Chief Officer Umakant Gaikwad and City Engineer Rajesh Tadvi for their response were unsuccessful, as both officials did not answer calls.


Citizens are now asking a direct question If innocent lives are being lost due to faulty and incomplete traffic planning, who is responsible the municipal administration or the traffic department? Residents say that instead of taking temporary steps after accidents occur, the authorities must implement proper and scientific traffic planning to prevent further loss of life.

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