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Representational Photo

A Mediator That Bleeds: Pakistan's Peacemaking Role is Riven by Contradictions

Pakistan is invited to the world's negotiating table. But a mediator's power is not spoken; it is demonstrated. A nation for whose people fuel is unaffordable, whose businesses are collapsing and whose independence is limited by 75 IMF conditions is not resilient. Until cheap energy is a strategic priority, until industrial decline is halted, until economic independence is restored, Pakistan's peacemaking pretensions will be hollow.

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Representational Photo

Will West Bengal State Elections Test India-Bangladesh Ties?

Economic ties are significant for both West Bengal and Bangladesh due to cultural linkages and geographic proximity. West Bengal acts as a gateway for Bangladeshis seeking access to medical facilities, education, and business opportunities. Significant trade also takes place through land ports. Hence, the first response of the BNP-led government would likely be to minimize any chances of a downturn in ties. New Delhi, too, will continue to prioritize Bangladesh, especially at a time when Dhaka has outlined defense modernization plans with likely Chinese help. 

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Sri Lanka president, China's Xi and India's Modi

How Sri Lanka Balanced India and China Ties to Maximise Developmental Gains

The architecture of financial and infrastructural assistance deployed by India and China in Sri Lanka differs significantly. Their infrastructure profiles, however, are not fundamentally competitive and instead represent distinct advantages that Sri Lanka has leveraged for its development. India and China are essential pillars of Sri Lanka's development future and economic ambitions.

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Group photo of Silver Songbirds of Bengaluru with the Sri Lankan choristers from Colombo after the concert on 12 April 2026. Photo via Silver Songbirds of Bengaluru.

Music, Peace Building and a Shared South Asian Moment

“The presence of the Sri Lankan singers “made this not just a local gathering, but a shared South Asian moment,” Nirupama Menon Rao said after the show. “Music does that so effortlessly. It crosses borders without asking for permission”.

The One Big Beautiful Bill is Bountiful and Beastly

On July 4, President Donald J Trump signed his signature piece of domestic legislation, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB).