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 unusual spikes from...

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 will bring...

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 precisely what...