The State Visit of Russian President H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin to New Delhi on December 4-5, 2025, for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, is not merely a routine diplomatic exchange; it represents a pivotal moment in global diplomacy. This summit, occurring against the backdrop of an intensely volatile geopolitical landscape marked by the lingering impacts of the Ukraine conflict, forces a comprehensive reassessment of the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.’ The core dynamic now defining this relationship is a sophisticated act of strategic balancing by India, leveraging Russia’s crucial, albeit redefined, military role against a mushrooming, energy-driven economic dependence.
Category: Analysis
The 26/11 Attacks and the Unfinished War on Terror
On November 26, 2008, ten young men from Pakistan sailed unnoticed through the dark waters toward India’s financial capital, leaving a trail of violence in their wake. They had already murdered the crew of an Indian fishing trawler, the Kuber, and now they were approaching Mumbai’s coastline in inflatable dinghies. Their landing at two separate locations in Colaba around 8:00-9:00 PM marked the beginning of a sixty-hour siege that would claim 175 lives, injure over 300, and traumatise a nation. As we stand seventeen years removed from those terrifying nights, the trail of 26/11 continue to shape geopolitics, counter-terrorism strategies, and the lives of survivors in ways both profound and disturbing.
Nigeria’s Enduring Crisis and the World’s Difficult Choice
A social media post from a world leader can sometimes bring attention to a forgotten crisis. In late 2025, President Donald Trump did just that, threatening to cut off all aid and enter Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if the government continued to “allow the killing of Christians.” The post created a significant shift in international diplomacy, forcing a complex conflict in West Africa onto the global stage. It framed the crisis in stark moral terms: a religious genocide calling for Western intervention. However, the reality in Nigeria is far more complicated, rooted in a history of deep religious and ethnic divisions.
The Caribbean Powder Keg: A Formula for an Unwanted War
Global attention is fixed on the tense standoff between the US and Venezuela, marked by military posturing and combative language. This situation does not resemble a conventional war; rather, it is a precarious confrontation that could escalate into widespread conflict with a single misstep. The Trump administration has deployed an impressive naval fleet to the Caribbean – a collection of destroyers and amphibious assault vessels executing operations against ships labeled as drug traffickers. Officially aimed at addressing narcotics issues, the real motivation appears to be a high-stakes geopolitical manoeuvre that threatens to unsettle Latin America and involve foreign powers.
Has a New Afghan War Begun?
The fragile peace along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has once again collapsed. Destructive cross-frontier shelling in the last week has killed several dozen persons, shelled civilians’ enclaves, and closed border crossing points. What once appeared to most a smouldering controversy regarding militant safe havens has ballooned into military strikes that risk destabilising a troubled region. The controversy is over long-disputed territory: the Durand Line. Pakistan has blamed Afghanistan again under Taliban rule for hosting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants that stage attacks inside Pakistan.
Nepal’s Political Unrest: GenZ Protests and Political Awakening
Nepal, under the shadow of the Himalayas, has witnessed its greatest political upheaval since it became a federal democratic republic in 2008. The September 2025 protests, which were organised by Generation Z activists in large majority, compelled Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to step down from office and initiated a complicated process of government reconstruction. This sudden twist of events is something more than the traditional political crisis: it marks a deep generational change in Nepalese society and politics.
Israel-Hamas Conflict is Deadliest for Modern Journalism
Israel–Hamas war has made a historic impact on media. Following recent events like the assault that killed four Al Jazeera staff in Gaza on 10th August 2025, this article examines why Gaza has become the most hazardous mission in modern journalism, how both Palestinian and Israeli governments restrict reporting, and what institutional safeguard is absent. It further addresses how accusations regarding journalists’ loyalties become increasingly politicised and how reporting by Al Jazeera has become controversial.
Tariffs ≠ Collapse: India’s Trade Journey through Trump-Era Tariffs
When the “America First” trade policy was declared by U.S. President Donald Trump in his previous term, he framed it as a move to protect U.S. workers from what he labeled unfair foreign competition. India, even as a long-time U.S. ally, found itself squarely in the crosshairs. Trump claimed that India charged high tariffs on American products while gaining preferential entry into U.S. markets. Such a disparity, he said, required a corrective measure. The tariffs did not come as a blanket measure initially but were developed incrementally through a series of increments.
The New Face of Africa’s Decolonisation
Empires don’t abdicate softly. Armies withdraw, banners come down, but lips remain. For more than a half-century since formal independence, Burkina Faso—as was a large swath of francophone Africa—maintained French as an official language. It was the language of court, school and the state. Now, with President Ibrahim Traoré (the second youngest head of state in the world), this colonial baggage has been intentionally scrubbed off. French has been reduced to a “working language” while Mooré, Dioula, Fulfulde, Bissa and other native languages achieve official status.
How Long Will the India-China Diplomatic Rekindle Last?
When the American President Donald Trump launched his trade war, both India and China were in his sights. Trump’s officials maintained America was a victim of “unfair trade practices” and thus slapped a barrage of tariffs on steel, aluminium, and a variety of manufactured goods emanating out of India and China. Although Beijing was primary target, India lost duty-free trade privileges under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) in 2019.