US-India Intelligence Relations

Porous Borders, Shadow Wars and Grey-Zone Infiltration: The Geopolitical Rift in US-India Intelligence Relations

The Pannun case in the US, the preceding Nijjar row in Canada, the unyielding diplomatic stances of their respective governments, and the coordinated, adversarial statements issued by the Five Eyes alliance, collectively triggered a quiet but intense counter-intelligence pivot by New Delhi.

India-US Relations: When Objectives Overlap, Perspectives Differ

One of the most durable strengths of India-US relations lies outside the government. The five million strong Indian diaspora has become an extraordinary bridge between the two societies. Indian Americans occupy influential positions in technology, academia, medicine, business and public administration. This human connectivity provides resilience that many bilateral relationships lack.

Cocos (Keeling), Sabang and Car Nicobar: India’s Quiet Maritime Rewiring

India and Australia are not building a grand alliance; they are building useful capacity. Indonesia, through its archipelagic geography, fits into that larger maritime dynamic. Taken together, these developments show how strategy is increasingly made through nodes, not narratives.

China’s Water Threats, India’s Malacca Leverage and Growing Indo-Pacific Contestation

While China's leverage over India runs through an upstream river Beijing controls, India's leverage over China runs through a chokepoint India will now sit astride. The Strait of Malacca is a 930-km passage between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra through which an approximate of  40–50 percent of global trade and 80 percent of China's crude oil imports transit.

More on Geopolitics and Strategic Affairs

Emerging practices in channelising green finance : Global learnings for South Asia

There is  a strong case to develop MVI for all countries of South Asia based on climate  and other vulnerability indicators so that  these countries could  access  and channelise green finance  to fulfil their SDG goals.

Democracy in transition: Bangladesh's political chessboard open to potential permutations and combinations

BNP’s push for early elections, Jamaat-e-Islami’s need for time to rebuild, the ambitions of smaller parties, and the rise of new political forces from the anti-discrimination movement all contribute to a highly volatile and unpredictable political environment. 

The arrest of former ISI chief echoes Pakistan’s continuing politico-military tussle

The reign of the "hybrid government" in Pakistan has ended with Gen Munir's military wresting its socio-economic and political control.  The arrest of the former ISI spymaster has been made into an example for those who dared act against the military. 

A tale of two Indias: The Ambani wedding highlighted the nation's yawning wealth disparity

The contrast between the Ambani wedding and the lives of millions of Indians struggling to meet basic needs is a stark indictment of this inequality. While the former was a celebration of excess, the latter is a grim reality marked by poverty, hunger, and lack of access to essential services.

Battle to dominate global communications: Pakistan should leverage US-China rivalry for national benefit

For South Asia, particularly Pakistan, this fragmentation poses challenges but also opportunities. Pakistan’s strategic investments in its digital infrastructure, supported by both Chinese and Western technologies, could position it as a bridge between these emerging digital spheres. By fostering regional connectivity and digital cooperation, Pakistan can mitigate the risks of fragmentation and ensure that its digital economy continues to thrive in a multipolar world.

Why climate change needs to figure more prominently in Indian political discourse

India needs to have a robust competitive framework where political parties ideate, brainstorm and debate on how to give more teeth to the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC), create bodies like the USA's EPA and ensure all environmental laws, disaster management work in tandem under the Gaia’s hypothesis highlighting the “One-Health Approach”.

The potential of regional social spending in India's soft power projection

Apart from being the largest country in the region in terms of geography and economy, New Delhi’s responsibilities as an important player in South Asia also rest on its efforts to improve the region's social and economic parameters. 

Challenges in building a new Bangladesh: Yunus has his work cut out

India offered unqualified support to Hasina over the last decade or so. For India, it will be a major challenge to see how it builds a relationship when a new democratic government emerges in Bangladesh. China had invested more in infrastructure in Bangladesh in the last decade or so; and the relationship was improving. But it did not interfere in domestic political issues.

The Kamala Harris story personifies rising Indian American aspirations in a changing America

M R Rangaswami, Silicon Vally entrepreneur, angel investor and philanthropist, and a community leader who founded Indiaspora, said: "I never thought in my wildest dreams that we would have an Indian American running for President of the United States but this is now a reality".

Hasina’s legacy: Stellar growth marred by political stagnation, stalled democracy

The considerable economic progress under Hasina's governance starkly contrasts with the stagnation in political reforms. Persistent issues such as limited press freedom, corruption, and inadequate improvements in democracy, rule of law, and human rights have marred her administration’s record

Bangladesh at crossroads: Expectations high from interim government on restoration of democracy

The interim government is led by civilian leadership. However, the extent of military control in this government remains unclear. According to some political observers, even if not officially present, the military will have a significant influence on this government. 

After Olympian rivalry, a lesson in civility from Indian and Pakistani mothers

At a time when unvarnished animus for one another is often the norm in India and Pakistan, not to mention Bangladesh now, the two simple women have offered a lesson in decency, dignity and civility.

The unending agony of Afghan women: Caught in the stranglehold of a deeply patriarchal society

Rural women have said that the physical and sexual security of women was strongly protected under the Taliban regime. The women in Afghanistan are caught in a conundrum. While they resent systemic social repression and denial of gender rights under the Taliban regime, the return of political instability in the country they fear can increase their physical and sexual insecurity.

Rampant smuggling across Afghan-Pak border jeopardising regional security

Smuggling activities along the Afghan border are often linked with militant groups and organized crime. The illegal trade of arms has contributed to the proliferation of the "Kalashnikov culture" across the length and breadth of Pakistan. 

Nightmare returns in Bangladesh: Extremists aim to destabilise country under guise of student protest

Given the nature of these 'student' demonstrations, it is apparent that Bangladesh faces serious danger from a network of underground political activists and extremists aiming to destabilise the country. These issues are putting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership to the test