US President Donald Trump Meets Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Islamabad’s defiance may complicate Trump’s Abraham Accords ambitions: Difficult Strategic Choices for South Asian Nations and Muslim World

Trump’s demand for Pakistan to recognize Israel threatens to trigger serious domestic backlash inside the country. Public sentiment in Pakistan overwhelmingly supports the Palestinian cause, while religious and political groups strongly oppose normalization with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Rubio’s India Visit: Chinese Discourse Echoes Concerns About Quad and India's Growing Agency in Indo-Pacific

Chinese social media reactions to Rubio’s visit also reflected a degree of skepticism and criticism towards India. Several commentators focused on developmental and infrastructural contrasts between India and China. Discussions surrounding traffic congestion, pollution, aging infrastructure, and even the extreme summer temperatures in northern India were used by some online voices to project what they described as a “dismal” picture of India. 

 

The Reality Behind Putin-Xi Ties: A No-Limits Relationship has its Limits

The Putin–Xi meeting, therefore, should not be interpreted as the birth of a fixed anti-American alliance. Rather, it reflects a flexible alignment whose cooperation is strongest where grievances overlap, but weakest where ambitions collide. Putin and Xi are united more by pressure than by trust. They are aligned in opposing American dominance, but not necessarily in supporting each other’s long-term rise.

Amid Geopolitical Realignment, Russia's Outreach to Islamic World: Putin Underscores Importance of Islam in Russian Society

Though with a Muslim population much larger than most of the OIC member countries, India has not been given its membership due to Pakistan’s objection and, unlike Russia, has not applied for observer status either. However, organisers of the KazanForum invited local Indian Consul General Jeysundkhar, who is based in Kazan, for the special session "Greater Eurasian Partnership: Development Strategy" 

More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs

Argumentative Indian: Aiyar-Tharoor Debate Should Provoke Conversation Rather Than Separation

The Aiyar-Tharoor exchange has at least offered something rare in contemporary Indian politics: disagreement expressed in elegant prose rather than television shouting, screaming and even fistfights. In an age dominated by hashtags, studio debates and instant outrage, two politicians exchanging carefully argued letters feels almost like a throwback to a more civilised era. If Indian politics produced more such literary duels, readers/viewers might even begin to look forward to disagreements.

Will Bangladesh's New Government Shelve the July Charter?

Bangladesh stands at a decisive moment. The July Charter challenges the entrenched dominance that has defined its post-1991 political order. Whether it is implemented, diluted, or quietly sidelined will determine not only the balance of power among parties, but also the credibility of reformist politics in the country’s democratic future. If the BNP continues to delay or dilute implementation, and if tacit understandings emerge between the country’s two dominant parties, the reformist aspirations of the July movement may gradually lose momentum.

Witch-Hunting Persists in South Asia Targeting Vulnerable Women: Needed Stronger Protection Mechanisms

Social scientists argue that witch-hunting is a complex social phenomenon rooted not merely in superstition but in structural inequalities. Scholars studying rural India, including Surinder Jodhka, note that accusations of witchcraft often intersect with caste conflict, gender discrimination, and disputes over property or land. Elderly women, widows, and socially marginalized individuals frequently become easy targets because they lack protection within local power structures.

Cultural Diplomacy and Reviving Bangladesh–India Ties Beyond Political Divisions

At the iftar gathering, attended by civil society members, ministers, bureaucrats and other distinguished guests, High Commissioner Verma emphasised the shared aspirations of Bangladesh and India. He stated that both nations stand at the threshold of a promising future as two vibrant and forward-looking societies. The event served as a platform to strengthen people-to-people connections and diplomatic goodwill between the two neighbours. By bringing together influential members of Bangladeshi society, the gathering reflected a clear intention to foster deeper engagement 

Raw Courage Amid Patriarchal Terror: Where Girls Have to Disguise as Boys to Survive in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The system under the Taliban regime treats girls as disposable items. They take away childhood experiences and destroy personal identities, creating permanent emotional scars. Yet these girls are not victims without agency. They are survivors carrying entire families on their small shoulders. Omid, Parvana, and every unnamed bacha posh are proof of Afghan, and Pashtun, resilience. The world must see them. The Taliban must hear us that no amount of disguises will hide the truth that women and girls are not lesser.

Khamenei's Assassination and a Fractured Iran: Regional and Global Ramifications of a War of Attrition

Khamenei’s assassination terminates an epoch of ideological confrontation, yet inaugurates profound uncertainty. Legally and normatively, it imperils protections for sovereign leaders; strategically and politically, it probes Iran’s institutional fortitude; religiously and narratively, it unveils unifying and divisive societal forces. Diplomatic containment—through intermediaries such as Oman or Qatar—must prioritise the transition's fragility without incitement. Absent such prudence, this strike risks catalysing a wider regional conflagration, where initial tactical triumphs yield enduring strategic costs.

Reimagining a Cooperative South Asia: A Next-Gen Agenda to Revive SAARC

The revival of SAARC will not come from dramatic diplomatic breakthroughs. Instead, it will emerge through incremental cooperation in education, digital infrastructure, disaster response and trade facilitation. Crucially, the future of South Asian regionalism may depend on a generation that increasingly experiences the region not through borders but through shared digital, economic and cultural networks.

US–India Tariff Framework: Trade Concessions Should not Dictate Foreign Policy Choices

Trade adjustments between major economies inevitably reverberate beyond bilateral channels. Bangladesh’s potential tariff advantages in textiles could redirect labour-intensive supply chains. Pakistan, operating within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework, may use India’s perceived alignment with Washington to advance its own strategic narratives. China itself will interpret these developments within the broader context of great-power competition and recalibrate its economic and strategic posture accordingly.

Why Nepal’s Gen Z Succeeded Where Bangladesh’s Failed

A more comprehensive lesson about 21st-century youth politics can be learned from the story taking place between Kathmandu and Dhaka. Gen Z has extraordinary mobilization skills. Protests can grow quickly and upend established power structures thanks to social media networks. But mobilization is insufficient on its own. Successful political transformation requires organization, leadership, and institutional strategy. Nepal’s youth built those structures quickly. Bangladesh’s did not.

Competition for Critical Minerals can be a New Arena for International Conflict

The move by Pakistan in the Security Council is an indicator of increased apprehension among developing countries about the fact that the fruits of energy transition need to be shared more equitably. The Global South has many mineral-rich countries which usually do not get much economic benefit from extraction while bearing its environmental and social costs.
 

Gorkhas are Not Nepalese: Ending the Migrant Myth and the Indian Gorkha Identity Crisis

The valour of Gorkha regiments in the Indian Army is often used by the community as the ultimate proof of their Indianness. Since 1947, Gorkha soldiers have participated in every major conflict, be it Indo- Pakistan wars of 1947,1971,1999 or the Indo-China war of 1962. However, this valor is frequently undermined by the very state they defend, as civil and administrative bodies often treat them as "foreigners" even as they receive gallantry awards. 

Iranian Ship's Sinking Near Sri Lanka: India’s Moral Dilemma

India’s aspiration to be a leading maritime power rests not only on naval capability but on the trust of smaller regional states—from Sri Lanka to Maldives and Indonesia. These states increasingly look to New Delhi as a stabilizing presence in the Indian Ocean. If India appears unwilling to defend diplomatic norms in its own maritime neighborhood, it risks weakening the normative foundation of that leadership.  

Is National Sovereignty in the 21st Century Conditional - Mediated by Hierarchy?

The strikes on Iran are not just another flashpoint in the Middle East. They are a reminder that the rules of the system are applied through hierarchy. Law speaks the language of equality; power writes the terms of enforcement. For smaller states, this is not a philosophical dilemma — it is a strategic one. Their sovereignty is rarely absolute. It must be guarded, bargained, and constantly recalibrated in response to forces beyond their control.

Needed An Independent and Sovereign Foreign Policy for Bangladesh Centred on National Interests

In shaping foreign policy toward India, the people of  Bangladesh expect a relationship based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and fairness. Public opinion often emphasises resolving border-related tensions, preventing cross-border push-in incidents, and ensuring humane management of migration and security issues. There is also a domestic expectation for constructive dialogue regarding political matters, including discussions surrounding the status or repatriation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, if relevant under legal and diplomatic frameworks. 

Defining the End Game: Challenges of Power, Pacts and Faith in the West Asia Conundrum

History offers a consistent lesson: the difficulty is rarely in beginning a conflict; it lies in defining its limits. Sovereignty can be defended. Regimes can be challenged. Alliances can be activated. Yet none of these guarantee clarity about the end state. Without a defined objective and a disciplined exit, events gather their own momentum.