Rahul Gandhi’s asymmetric challenge to Modi

Narendra Modi became Prime Minister for the third time, but it is undeniable that Rahul Gandhi has risen in the political firmament. After a somnolent start, the 26-party Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (launched on July 18, 2023) redeemed itself by winning 232 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress … Read More

Raisi and Fico: Victims and Symbols of a new world order?

The mysterious death of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other high officials on May 19, 2024, occurs at a defining moment in the first quarter of the twenty-first century. The mysterious death (and suspected assassination) of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other … Read More

Putin’s futuristic cabinet

The cabinet reshuffle is marked by the promotion of a new generation of loyalists who have been given charge of the world’s largest natural resources producer as President Putin prepares for a long war. President Vladimir Putin’s decision to replace Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu with top economist and former First … Read More

Iran vs Israel

The Lebanese Al-Akhbar, affiliated with Hezbollah, has reported that Iran told Washington that it would refrain from retaliation if there is a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel does not attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah Iranian diplomacy is a fine balance between audacity and caution, which is how Tehran … Read More

Atheism in Nepal

A series of weak and short-lived central governments in Kathmandu have enfeebled the Constitution. Evangelism deserves greater recognition as a foreign policy agenda of the US-led West in the post-colonial, post-World War II era. After the massacre of the Nepal royal family (June 1, 2001), Pope Benedict XVI elevated the … Read More

Indian Ocean: The Centrality of Sea Power

The Indian Ocean Conference was attended by the President of Sri Lanka, Ministers from 16 countries including Maldives, officials from 16 countries and 6 multilateral organisations, and delegates from over 40 countries. The centrality of sea power for trade and dominance, as reflected in the growing militarization of the Indian … Read More

New dispute over UNRWA in Gaza

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has become a new dividing line in the US-led Western bloc. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has become a new dividing line in the US-led Western bloc, … Read More

Red Sea conflict signals shift to New World Order

In the Middle East, the Houthis of Yemen, the world’s poorest nation, have blockaded the Red Sea to protest Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip and challenged US power in the region. Seemingly unrelated events signal an irrevocable restructuring of the post-World War II order. In the Middle East, … Read More

Yemen blockade of Red Sea overturns regional chessboard

  Yemen, an unexpected outlier in the current conflict in Gaza, has intervened in the war between a pygmy Hamas and mighty Israel, by shutting down the Suez Canal, throwing international shipping out of gear. Yemen, an unexpected outlier in the current conflict in Gaza, has intervened in the war … Read More

West Africa strives for sovereignty

  African nations are increasingly turning towards Russia and China for complementary skills and services, in lieu of the European nations and the United States, a development that could potentially inaugurate a new chapter for African nations. Showcasing its new-found autonomy after July’s military coup which led to a tense … Read More