Courtesy: PIB
Africa has been increasingly drawn into conflicts and faces difficulty in preventing or managing them. At the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit to be held on May 28-31, India can announce assistance to the continent in capacity-building in training, logistics, and technology. India-Africa defence industrial cooperation, particularly in affordable equipment and maintenance capabilities tailored to African conditions, will align with its evolving needs.
Courtesy: Gateway House
history, the Palestine issue, the creation of Israel, and strained U.S.-Iran ties. India’s former ambassador to India, Saurabh Kumar, witnessed the hope of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and its collapse. Unfulfilled hopes have led to reignited tensions. The U.S.-Israeli objectives of regime change are still unmet, and Iran’s survival marks a strategic outcome, despite its domestic economic and military strain. Ambassador Kumar discusses Iran and the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
Courtesy: FB / @The Statesman
India’s Vice President C. Radhakrishnan visited Sri Lanka from April 19-20, reaffirming Colombo’s importance in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and MAHASAGAR vision. While ties remain stable, legacy issues persist: Tamil demands for devolution, illegal fishing disputes, and the stalled Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement. The hope is for these to be resolved within Sri Lanka; till then, the unresolved challenges will continue to test the depth and durability of the bilateral.
Courtesy: Gateway House
The centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh underscores its enduring influence on India’s foreign policy. Over a century, it has shaped thinking among policymakers, intellectuals, and the diaspora. Its influence rests on civilisational confidence, strategic multi-alignment, and a dharmic framing of global engagement. While not a formal institution of diplomacy, the RSS shapes the broader ecosystem within which India’s foreign policy operates.
Courtesy: Reuters
Outcomes of the Neighbourhood First policy (NFP) are often mixed, shaped by actions on both sides. Recent engagements with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Nepal suggest an opportune moment to recalibrate NFP, enhance its effectiveness, and bridge perceptions of India as an “elder brother” rather than a “big brother.”
Courtesy: Reuters
A new government will be sworn into office in Myanmar in April to run a ‘hybrid democracy’ in which military and civilian representatives will share power. It is Myanmar’s second experiment with this system. The West is rethinking its positioning on Myanmar and now seeking ‘calibrated engagement.’ India, too, should reassess its two-track diplomacy and develop a nuanced policy and an early outreach to the new leaders.
Courtesy: X/ @bdbnp78
Bangladesh’s new government has been in power for two months now, and the challenges are immense. Yet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is trying to balance a plethora of issues: energy shortages, an under-performing economy, a major constitutional reform, addressing corruption and introducing transparency and accountability – all the while putting “Bangladesh First.”
Courtesy: PTI
The visit of Bangladesh's foreign minister Khalilur Rahman to Delhi was an intermediate stage in the journey towards a full India-Bangladesh reset. The two countries have much to gain through deeper cooperation and more to lose if they drift. It’s time to focus on a common future by initiating bold trade and economic policies and linkages to counter vested interests that work to keep them apart.
Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office
The West Asia conflict has disrupted global stability, impacting ASEAN economies and diplomacy. As chair, the Philippines balances its alliance with the U.S. and regional neutrality, while Indonesia and Malaysia reflect domestic support for Arab states. With energy shocks, remittance risks, and inflation rising, ASEAN’s limited influence is evident. Has ASEAN once again been drawn into a vortex of crises beyond its control?
Courtesy: AFR
The Persian Gulf conflict has already impacted India’s oil imports and financial security. However, India has not created meaningful options to protect itself from oil shocks over the last decade – and such shocks will continue. Now is the time for India to make equity investments in oil and gas companies in stable economies like the U.S., Canada and Australia, to protect itself from future energy crises.