COMMENTARIES
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AfD and the Implications of a German Far Right Foreign Policy
Ashutosh Nagda · 14 Oct, 2026 · #5917 · Commentary
Three German states went to the polls in September, and in two of them, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the largest party. AfD’s surge—from second place in last year’s federal elections to now being first in the two st...
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Why BRICS Matters to its Members
Tapan Bharadwaj. · 12 Oct, 2026 · #5916 · Commentary
BRICS, an intergovernmental grouping of eleven emerging markets and developing countries, concluded its 18th Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on 13 September. BRICS represents nearly half the world’s population, about 40 per cent of global GDP, an...
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Three Points of Significance from China’s July 2026 Politburo Meeting
Srikanth Kondapalli · 31 Aug, 2026 · #5915 · Commentary
On 30 July, the 21-member Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) met to discuss the country’s economic problems. The meeting was chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The Politburo has decided to hold the Fifth Plenary Session of the ...
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Strategic Space
US-Saudi Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Expanding Nuclear Latency in West Asia?
Manpreet Sethi · 31 Aug, 2026 · #5914 · Commentary · Column
This article is about the US-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement announced in July 2026. But the story starts elsewhere, half a century ago, when the US and Iran were good friends. As part of the Atoms for Peace programme and the US Atomic Energy ...
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China’s Pathway to Self-Reliance in Technology
Swati Sood · 20 Aug, 2026 · #5913 · Commentary
On 12 March 2026, China’s National People’s Congress approved the 15th Five Year Plan (2026-2030). The Plan warns against a global environment in which supply chain vulnerabilities are being weaponised, trade routes are blocked, and market acc...
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East Asia Compass
Key achievements of the Japanese PM’s Visit to India
Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra · 09 Jul, 2026 · #5912 · Commentary · Column
India–Japan relations are special—Japan is the second country after Russia with whom India has annual bilateral summits. The two countries established this format in December 2006, when their relationship was elevated to a ‘Strategic and Glo...
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The Challenges of Sustaining Peace in India's Former Red Zones
Rishika Choudhary · 06 Jul, 2026 · #5911 · Commentary
On 30 March 2026, Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that “India is now Naxal-free.” Days later, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) formally communicated to nine states that no district in the country falls under the Left Wing Ext...
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Xi-Trump Meeting: How China Controlled the Narrative and Set the Agenda
Tapan Bharadwaj. · 29 Jun, 2026 · #5910 · Commentary
US President Trump’s state visit to China from 13-15 May, widely viewed as high on symbolism and low on substance, nonetheless had important signals for the world. The visit indicated the beginning of a reset in US–China bilateral ties, though...
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Special Commentary
The War in West Asia: A Stress Test for India’s Multi-alignment?
Muneer Ahmed · 12 Jun, 2026 · #5909 · Commentary
The ongoing US-Israel war on Iran has created one of the most stressful diplomatic scenarios India has dealt with in West Asia. Among others, it complicates India’s two most vital yet parallel relationships with the US and Russia. India is simul...
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Strategic Space
Iran at NPT RevCon 2026
Manpreet Sethi · 10 Jun, 2026 · #5908 · Commentary · Column
The 11th Review Conference (RevCon) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) took place in rather challenging circumstances from 27 April-22 May 2026. Much before the delegates convened in New York, it was feared that the Co...
