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co-presented by
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
The country’s missiles that are attributed to indigenous development are named after historical characters who primarily invaded or raided the Indian subcontinent, including contemporary Pakistan. The fallout of this rewriting of history reinforces historical grievances and will sow the seeds of conflict
A joint rally last week by the Thackeray cousins was a landmark event. It’s likely to be followed by a joint campaign in local body elections which will be mutually beneficial. Shinde Sena will be hard put to claim the Bal Thackeray legacy. None of these developments however are likely change Maharashtra’s political reality: BJP is in pole position
Bangladesh faces both political and economic challenges. The June budget offered the interim administration a chance to outline a vision, backed by appropriate allocations. Instead, the country got an uninspiring budget which kicked the can down the road
The discovery by geologists potentially puts the country among the top three nations in terms of deposits. India has a long-standing trade relationship with Kazakhstan which is a critical supplier of uranium for its nuclear plants. Moreover, a lasting legacy from the Soviet era is popular goodwill for India on account of its soft power. All the ingredients for a mutually beneficial relationship are in place
Last week, China’s ‘Supreme Leader’ Xi Jinping purged high ranking military personnel. A look at the long list of purges unleashed by Xi leads to the question if it’s a form of insurance against being toppled from within. Is China’s contemporary ‘emperor’ a lonely and insecure man?
In a week’s time the 3-month pause on the US’ unilateral announcement of reciprocal tariffs ends. Agriculture and dairy segments represent India’s 'red lines'. However, US pressure to open up these areas may not subside as it seeks to find an alternative to China’s market
Thinking about supply chains has moved from just-in-time to just-to-be secure following geopolitical turmoil. A risk-based framework for reconfiguring India’s supply chains can address security considerations without jeopardising the country's economic growth
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s approval of the 1975 Emergency proclamation, without Cabinet consultation, has been widely criticised for undermining constitutional norms and raising questions about the President’s discretionary powers and duty
RSSFACTS: The RSS’s work in Northeast India has played a crucial role in bridging ethnic, political, and social divides over the past century
India's aspiration to become a developed country by 2047 hinges on its ability to unlock unprecedented growth, innovation, and capital
India’s approach to trade talks are undergirded by two critical premises. One, concessions are linked to geopolitical context. Two, policy space is a strategic asset and not a bargaining chip. In the case of the US as the administration is prone to flip-flops, India’s insisting on review clauses that lets both sides revisit flash points
Their recent books on the Constitution approach it through political lens. It makes the comparison interesting as their approach is from different ends of the political spectrum. A reviewer concludes that while Madhav takes a dispassionate look at the role of framers, Tharoor is more polemical
NPT divides the world into nuclear haves and have-nots. The have-nots forego the nuclear option under the treaty for safety guarantees. However, from Ukraine to Iran, it’s nuclear weapons owning states which have been aggressors. It makes a mockery of NPT and is bound to catalyse strategic questions by some states on the trade-offs involved in covert nuclear weaponisation
US and Israeli attacks hit key nuclear sites but questions remain over stash of enriched material
RSSFACTS: Fifty years after the Emergency, this account recalls how Indira Gandhi’s authoritarian rule was resisted by the underground movement, with the RSS and Jana Sangh playing pivotal roles in defending democracy
A surge in drone usage in recent conflicts has led to a belief in technological determinism. Seductive as drones and other weaponry are, evidence from the ground in recent conflicts show that getting the basics right makes the difference. Weapons need to be undergirded by strategy
The state government’s decision to issue arms license under a special scheme to indigenous people in some districts bordering Bangladesh is a bad idea. If the Sarma government feels some groups are under threat, it’s the duty of the State to protect them. In a tense atmosphere, marked by distrust between communities, putting weapons in the hands of a small number of people can trigger adverse consequences for Assam’s social fabric
Aerial ‘war of the cities’ pits IDF jets against Tehran’s missile reserves
A traditional advantage of the summit of some of the world’s most influential countries is that shared values have aided forging a consensus and a plan of action, something global multilateral bodies are unable to do. This time, with the US veering towards isolationism the credibility of G7 is at stake. For India, however, a silver lining is that it is necessarily central to any response the G7 wants to craft to counter China
Nilambur, which is a part of the Muslim-majority Malappuram district, is a constituency where Muslim population is just short of the halfway mark. It represents an assembly which the Congress dominated for decades by attracting support across religious identities. In a crucial way, it encapsulates the party’s underlying political base in Kerala. It’s the stability of that base which is being tested this week
Iran’s response to Israel’s attacks shows that it will not back down. The escalation over the last two days’ risks drawing other countries, and not just ones in the region, into the conflict. For India, the immediate risk is a disruption in flow of crude and LNG supplies through the Strait of Hormuz on account of Iran’s retaliatory measures
The fallout on energy markets and the brittle West Asian security situation will depend on the scale and nature of Iran’s response. This conflict is being played out in the backdrop of a breakdown in the longstanding nuclear consensus among major powers, enhancing geopolitical risks. Middle powers such as India, Germany and Japan have a stake in sustaining the current equilibrium and therefore need to step up
RSSFACTS: A US delegation attended RSS’s prestigious valedictory session of third-year camp in Nagpur, signalling rising global curiosity and willingness to engage directly with the organisation, challenging long-held stereotypes in Western discourse.
Bangladesh’s economy is in trouble, with critical economic indicators weakening since the July 2024 ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Political uncertainty looms with the equation between Yunus and BNP turning fractious. More importantly, for many ordinary Bangladeshis, there’s a sense of quiet despair at the lack of political choice and the absence of positive economic developments. An Indian journalist gauges the public mood in Dhaka
It’s almost a year since street protests toppled the Sheikh Hasina regime. The fervour that undergirded the protests and the anticipation of far-reaching change have given way to something akin to weary acceptance. An Indian journalist in Dhaka spoke to a cross-section of Bangladeshis to discern that they yearn good governance
