Publication

Iraq held its parliamentary election on 11 November 2025, the sixth after the US-led invasion of 2003.

• Tabassum |
• |
• Issue Brief

Myanmar’s elections are designed to legitimise control rather than transfer power.

• Om Prakash Das |
• |
• Issue Brief

Prime Minister Vajpayee not only led India across the nuclear rubicon overtly but also worked to secure international legitimacy in the nuclear domain.

• Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak |
• |
• Issue Brief

Deteriorating ties between Pakistan and the Taliban are shaping an emerging regional split vis-à-vis Afghanistan.

• Deepika Saraswat |
• |
• Issue Brief

The February 2026 New Delhi AI Impact Summit is expected to reorient the global conversation on AI from principles to their practical, tangible impact.

• Ajey Lele , Meghna Pradhan |
• |
• Special Feature

Gen-Z has reconfigured the violent extremist landscape globally, with its implications often amplified by the digital ecosystem.

• Saman Ayesha Kidwai |
• |
• Issue Brief

This article examines India’s comprehensive journey towards sustainable development, demonstrating the deep alignment between its national priorities and the global development agenda even before the advent of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The article highlights the nation’s significant achievements in critical areas such as poverty reduction, health, financial inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Acknowledging persistent challenges in achieving all targets, we identify key areas requiring focused intervention for future progress. Ultimately, India’s distinctive development model, characterized by its immense scale, profound diversity, and global engagement, serves as a valuable blueprint for sustainable development in the Global South and beyond.

• D. Padma Kumar Pillay , Srishti Slaria |
• May-June 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

India’s Neighbourhood First Policy (NFP) is a touchstone of its foreign policy, aimed at promoting peace, stability, connectivity, and cooperation in South Asia to enhance India’s regional and global influence. It is a defining subset of its overall foreign policy. While the groundwork for this policy was laid during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, through enhanced regional engagement, it was given emphatic currency by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the shape of the NFP, and formally launched in 2014. The NFP reflects India’s strategic imperative to cultivate a cooperative periphery, counterbalance external influences (especially from China), and project India’s influence within Asia and beyond. This Essay traces the origins of India’s approach to the neighbourhood from the pre-independence colonial period, its evolution under Jawaharlal Nehru and subsequent Congress and non-Congress governments, critically analyses the functioning of the NFP under the Modi government, and suggests ways in which India can retain its influence in the neighbourhood.

• Ashok K. Behuria |
• May-June 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

The issue of the Taiwan Straits lies at the core of tensions governing the relationship between two great powers: the United States and China. Amidst the economic and technological developments of China came a strong wave of aggressive military modernization that took the world by surprise. This development, as was speculated, had its spillover effect and saw force posturing and power projection across the Indo-Pacific region.

• Khyati Singh |
• May-June 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis

Indian Traces in Korean Culture: The Legend and Beyond, by Renata Czekalska, is probably the first of its kind in the context of India–Korea cultural relations and examines the cultural diffusion between the two countries from the ancient period to contemporary times. Although a few book chapters and journal articles on India–Korea cultural relations were published in the past (Tikhonov Citation2014; Pankaj Citation1988), a full-fledged book on this issue has indeed been rare. In this regard, this book is definitely a worthy addition to the available literature on India–Korea relations. While political scientist Huntington (Citation1996) wrote about the ‘Clash of Civilizations’, this book has tried to highlight the cultural exchanges that have been taking place between the nations since ancient times, particularly between the distant lands of the Indian Subcontinent and the Korean Peninsula. The legendary Silk Road played a pivotal role in the transmission of Indian cultural traditions, and Buddhism spread into the Eurasian landmass through these ancient highways (Behera Citation2002). In the modern period also, the cultural exchanges between Europe and Asia continued as a number of Asian nations fell under the European colonial occupation and dominance. While the Indian Subcontinent became a colony of the European powers, Korean Peninsula came under the imperialist control of an Asian power. Despite having lost their independence to the foreign powers, Indians and Koreans continued to develop their interest about each other. The thoughts of Indian thinkers and scholars, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Sarojini Naidu found acceptance in Korea. On the other hand, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India felt amused by the non-violent Korean freedom struggle against Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945). The cultural influence of India through legends, philosophical thoughts, religious scriptures, political values, literature and popular culture on Korea has been well articulated in the book.

• Ranjit Kumar Dhawan |
• May-June 2025 |
• Strategic Analysis