Courtesy: X / @USAmbIndia
The proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between India and the U.S. aims to enhance trade relations by reducing barriers and increasing cooperation in various sectors. But negotiations have reached an impasse largely due to the tariffs implemented during Trump's second administration. India is maintaining a firm stance on key issues rather than softening its position.
Courtesy: AFP
The ongoing and violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have multiple reasons, but the most contentious is the demand to abolish 12 legislative assembly seats that are reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad’s civil-military establishment is unlikely to give in to the protestors: these seats allow them to hand-pick winners and control government formation in Muzaffarabad, bypassing local resident voters entirely.
Courtesy: The Jerusalem Post
The ongoing conflict in the Gulf has created tremendous change. Israel is deeply scarred by the October 7 attacks. Iran retains the ability to go nuclear despite U.S.-Israel attacks. China’s assistance to Iran through intelligence and the supply of parts and chemicals for missiles has been noticed. New formations of countries - either interlocutors, participants or victims of the war – are generating an alphabet soup of influencers.
Courtesy: Kenny Holston / AP
President Donald Trump’s May 13-15 visit to China was set against the backdrop of the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Though the agenda was an economic one, Beijing used the occasion to project itself as a stabilising power, urging dialogue between Washington and Tehran. The visit did produce agreements on trade and investment, but the absence of a joint statement and differing priorities exposed persistent tensions. In this tale of two visits, China seems to have trumped the U.S.
Courtesy: Gateway House
The West Asian conflict is raising questions about Iran’s performance. Tehran appeared well-prepared, having expanded its low-cost drone and missile capabilities. It also widened the conflict by targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf. The key lesson is that eliminating leadership does not guarantee regime change. The conflict underscores that modern warfare depends not just on battlefield gains, but also on economic resilience, trade leverage, and technological strength.
Courtesy: AFP
It is important to take an objective review of PM Modi’s visit to Jerusalem and its implications for India’s security. New Delhi will have to demonstrate its strategic autonomy by managing heterogeneous and often contrapuntal relationships and strike a balance in its ties with the U.S. and Israel on the one hand and Iran and the Arab world on the other hand.
Courtesy: Gateway House
The Arctic region is at the crossroads of the dramatic environmental shifts and heightened conflict that are shaping global politics today. In the region, major geopolitical events and enduring rivalries necessitate a logic of competition, yet coordination on transboundary issues remains important. This echoes the challenges facing oceans, ecosystems and planetary problems in global governance more broadly, in which political efforts yield frustratingly incremental, yet indispensable, results.
Courtesy: AFP
The U.S.–Israel war against Iran will alter the geopolitical landscape of West Asia and adversely impact the global economy, including India. Vali Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, analyses the conflict and its implications in an exclusive conversation with Nayanima Basu.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Early indicators of the ongoing war in West Asia point to a conflict trajectory from the rapid decision to the controlled escalation to distributed strike capacity, advanced military integration and mounting regional exposure. Much like Johann Goethe’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice, conflicts initiated based on assumptions of control can acquire a momentum of their own.
Courtesy: Shutterstock
The U.S. and Israel launched precise airstrikes on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and senior leadership. Their aim is to weaken Iran’s nuclear programme and potentially induce regime change, while Tehran’s priority remains regime survival. The conflict’s duration will depend on whether it remains limited to missile exchanges or escalates into asymmetric warfare.