Courtesy: BERNAMA
Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025 is pivotal. It will have to steer ASEAN toward regional peace, stability, and prosperity while reinforcing its centrality. All this during a time of heightened geostrategic rivalry, economic deglobalisation, rising protectionism, and nationalist trends.
Courtesy: X
The first plurilateral meeting attended by new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the Quad, a day after assuming office. The meeting reinforced the commitment to the Indo-Pacific but with the change in government, the Quad's trajectory in 2025 remains a question. Part of the answer lies in its past interactions, while the rest depends on how the U.S. and India will approach China.
Courtesy: Reuters
India and the U.S. have a big agenda, bilaterally and geopolitically, to discuss when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump meet in Washington on Feb 12-13. Trade, China and migration are central points of discussion. So will ensuring that Trump allies with India on its neighbourhood as an area of common concern. The big election win in New Delhi will strengthen Modi’s negotiating hand.
Courtesy: Newsweek
U.S. President Donald Trump is back for a second term, and India and the U.S. together have much to gain from it. The bilateral has grown tremendously over the decades, with technology, scientific and trade ties deepening and expanding. Also, both countries have a common interest in addressing the ascent and bullying tactics of China.
Courtesy: X (@rashtrapatibhvn)
India hosted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on a four-day state visit and as chief guest for its 76th Republic Day. The bilateral is now going beyond civilisational commonalities. Tourism, trade and connectivity are central themes, as is defence and maritime security cooperation with India. A robust India-Indonesia partnership can help both nations achieve shared goals in the Indo-Pacific.
Courtesy: Gateway House
India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in December 2022. The ECTA is the first of a unique, two-part trade agreement that will bring India into global trade regimes in a calibrated manner. For Australia, with its global trading knowledge and pragmatic approach, gaining first-mover advantage in India’s large market is a major win. This case study explains the elements of ECTA.
Courtesy: Indian Express
On January 20, when the U.S. gets a new president, he will face a world of changed alliances. China at the high table and newly aligned with Russia, which is separated from its European cousins, two wars and a G2-leaning global economy. Will Donald Trump revert to the days of ‘détente’ or continue the ‘neocon’ policies in vogue, to maintain U.S. hegemony?
Courtesy: Wikipedia
The lessons of 2024 are a compass for navigating geopolitical currents in 2025. Global conflicts have doubled over five years and ever-changing realities are challenging traditional foresight. With several elections due regionally this year, political fissures within and new foreign diplomacy without, will make the Latin American path one of hard decisions.
Courtesy: The Diplomat
Managing ties with the U.S., China, Russia, and those within its South Asian neighbourhood will be India’s key foreign policy priorities in 2025. For India to be a principal player in the region and beyond, it must skillfully weave national security, economic, and diplomacy into its strategic calculations.
Courtesy: NBC News
Since the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been positioning itself strategically in the African continent, strengthening bilateral ties and addressing regional security issues. It is leveraging economic, energy, agriculture and military ties and investments in order to be seen as serious a counterweight to the U.S. and the European Union’s presence in the continent.