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Alpha and what YRF thinks about geopolitics
(The studio's spy universe keeps casting India and Pakistan as a family divided by a few bad men. The trouble is that the real subcontinent has stopped believing in that story.) A poster from the promotions of the film Alpha headlined by Alia Bhatt and produced by YRF. I went to see Alpha because I am an Alia Bhatt fan, and I admired, again, the fact that Hindi cinema’s most bankable female star keeps pushing the boundaries to the extent that she can. But watching the film wa
From hidden deterrence to managed visibility
(Is India taking a new kind of sea-based nuclear turn?) India’s evolving nuclear posture is often described in the language of arsenal size, missile range, and doctrinal continuity. That account is not wrong, but it misses the most interesting transformation that might be now underway. The deeper change is that India appears to be moving from a model of hidden deterrence – where nuclear capability existed but was kept ‘recessed’, de-mated, and largely out of operational view
The Sagrada Familia metaphor
The revitalisation of Sagrada Familia, coming soon after Pope Leo's note on AI and Catholicism, is showing that he is serious about a leadership role for Catholicism in the AI age. Other traditions should note the ambition and the speed. Pope Leo XIV greets faithful as he presides over the Midday Prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia in Barcelona. Photo: Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media via Vatican Pool. The year 2026 has emerged as an unexpected inflection
The Church and Claude
(The Vatican is taking a lead in addressing one of the most critical issues of our time. This is not just a theological act, it is also a geopolitical move.) Pope Leo XIV signing the Magnifica Humanitas in May 2026 where he addresses the challenge of AI. Photo source: Catholic World Report.) The photograph circulated fast. On one side of a lectern in the Vatican’s Synod Hall, Pope Leo XIV in white cassock. On the other, Christopher Olah — thirty-three years old, atheist, co-
Algorithmic warfare: the real 'cockroach' in the room
In a war-torn world, economic uncertainity and desperation is growing. Alongwith it, algorithmic warfare which can trigger mass civilian unrest. Is India prepared? (A social media image from the timeline of the Cockroach Janata Party.) Let us be honest about what we are watching. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has generated more column inches in the past week than most issues that will actually determine India's future. Twenty million Instagram followers in five days. Oppos
Assessing the Iran War 2026 - An Interim Survey
In this article, Ambassador (retd.) Prabhat Prakash Shukla examines the evolving Iran–Israel conflict through the intersecting lenses of nuclear diplomacy, regional geopolitics, and great-power competition, arguing that the current war must be understood as an extension of the October 2023 Hamas attack and Iran’s wider “ring of fire” strategy. Iranian flags hang next to a missile on display during the forty-seventh anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, Februa
Viral revolutions and the digital smokescreen: How online campaigns become tools of narrative warfare
Every few months, India witnesses the sudden rise of a flashy new digital “movement.” It appears out of nowhere, gains massive traction overnight, floods Instagram reels and X timelines, attracts armies of anonymous accounts, and is quickly celebrated by sections of India’s urban internet ecosystem as a revolutionary youth uprising or cultural awakening. But increasingly, when one scratches beneath the surface, an uncomfortable pattern emerges. Follower maps begin showing unu
Why the Nordics need India
Behind the prosperity of the Nordic nations lie deep anxiety of collapsing demographics and the fear of China. Three-wheeler autorickshaws in India with the branding of Swedish furniture major IKEA. (Source: IKEA India website.) On May 19–20, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Oslo for the third India-Nordic Summit — the first visit by an Indian head of government to Norway in over forty years. The two countries elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Green Str
India and Africa: A partnership of equals for a new global era
When leaders from across Africa gather in New Delhi later this month for the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, they will not simply be attending another diplomatic conference. They will be participating in what could become one of the most consequential South-South engagements of the decade. Scheduled for May 28–31, 2026, the summit marks the revival of India’s flagship engagement with Africa after an eleven-year gap. Organized in partnership with the African Union, the forum
Nepal’s China bet meets reality: Why pragmatism is replacing geopolitical fantasy
For years, Nepal’s political discourse was filled with ambitious promises about the transformative potential of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Supporters envisioned modern railways cutting through the Himalayas, highways connecting remote regions, industrial parks attracting investment, and a dramatic shift in Nepal’s economic fortunes. The initiative was portrayed as a historic opportunity that would allow Kathmandu to diversify its partnerships and reduce its dependence
Pakistan’s double game in the Iran crisis
In international diplomacy, credibility is everything. Nations that seek to mediate conflicts are expected to maintain neutrality and inspire confidence among all sides. But recent revelations reported by CBS News have raised serious questions about Pakistan’s conduct during the ongoing United States-Iran crisis. According to the report by Farnaz Fassihi and Margaret Brennan, American officials allege that Pakistan quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to shelter at one o
India’s strategic masterstroke: mastering the Malacca chokepoint
A word that often comes up in Chinese strategic writings whenever Chinese experts talk about their greatest vulnerability at sea: Malacca (马六甲). For China, the Strait of Malacca is a strategic chokepoint that its rivals will one day seek to exploit to strangulate the Chinese economy. This is what Chinese strategists refer to as the Malacca dilemma (马六甲困境). It has quietly driven billions of dollars in Chinese investments in the Indian Ocean all the way from Gwadar to Hambantot
Europe beckons: How Prime Minister Modi’s four nation tour could strengthen India’s energy security and strategic reach
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a significant four nation tour of Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy from May 15 to 20, at a moment when the global geopolitical landscape remains deeply unsettled. Far more than a routine diplomatic exercise, this visit reflects India’s evolving role as a major power that is simultaneously safeguarding its energy needs, strengthening critical technology partnerships, and shaping the economic architecture of a changing w
India’s Buddhist diplomacy and the return of civilisational soft power
Later this month, India will send some of the most sacred relics in the Buddhist world, the holy remains of Lord Buddha’s two foremost disciples, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana, to Mongolia. For millions of Buddhists, these are not museum objects or archaeological artifacts. They are living embodiments of faith, symbols of continuity, and a direct spiritual link to the age of the Buddha himself. The journey of these relics across the Himalayas is far more than a religious event.
The last gasps of Khalistani extremism
The recent blasts outside defence linked establishments in Punjab and the subsequent propaganda released by self styled Khalistani groups should not be viewed merely as isolated security incidents. They are part of a broader pattern increasingly visible across transnational extremist ecosystems: when an ideology loses political legitimacy and public support, it often turns toward symbolic violence, digital propaganda, and criminal networks to manufacture relevance. That is pr
Beyond the Binary: Rethinking Muslim voting patterns in Modi’s India
Recent international coverage of India’s state elections has once again revived familiar concerns about the future of Indian democracy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. A recent Al Jazeera analysis framed the BJP’s electoral gains through the lens of democratic anxiety, asking what Modi’s latest victories could mean for India’s democratic trajectory. That debate is legitimate and important. But much of the international conversation around Ind
The Second Bengal Renaissance
Or how to make Kolkata (Calcutta) the centre of Asia again. An AI-modified version of a painting by Sheikh Muhammad Amir; India; ca. 1840; Opaque watercolor on burnished paper. Soon after independence in 1965, Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew used Calcutta (Kolkata) as a benchmark, aiming for Singapore to eventually exceed the standard of the bustling, established city. While he admired its historic role, his later, often-quoted sentiment was that he intended
India’s Great Nicobar Vision: Strategic depth meets sustainable ambition
India’s maritime future is no longer a distant aspiration. It is unfolding in real time, and few initiatives capture this shift more clearly than the Great Nicobar Project. Announced as a transformative development initiative, the project is not merely about infrastructure. It is about redefining India’s strategic, economic, and geopolitical posture in the Indo-Pacific. At its core, the Great Nicobar Project seeks to strengthen India’s presence in the Andaman Sea and its enga
Mediator or Something Else?
In this article, Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Panigrahi analyzes Pakistan’s self-styled mediation in the United States–Iran conflict, highlighting key inconsistencies and geopolitical stakes. US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026 (in picture: JD Vance with Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and
A new start to Nepal politics: How must India progress?
A new shah in Nepal. (Photo from Balendra 'Balen' Shah's official profile.) A month ago, snap elections in Nepal were held with much hope and curiosity. The results were expected yet surprising. The Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) formed in 2022 won a complete majority, something that Nepal had not seen since the Nepali Congress’s win in 1999. Not only that. Balendra Shah, the rapper turned mayor turned prime minister won nearly 70,000 votes, highest ever in Nepali history, i
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