Courtesy: Gateway House

4 March 2026

Unfolding Geopolitics Episode 29 |War and uncertainty in Iran today

The assumption that the Iranian public will rise up against its religious and political leadership, seizing the opportunity provided by Israel and U.S. strikes against Iran, may not prove true. Iran’s civilisational structure is resilient, and its educated population may not like being dictated to by the West. Raja Karthikeya, a former international civil servant based in Tehran, examines the escalating U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, its regional and domestic implications and the tenacity of Iran’s political system amid external pressure.

Courtesy: Reuters

25 February 2026

Macron, Modi, Lula: the emerging troika

BY Rajiv Bhatia

A new troika is on the rise: India, France and Brazil, led by Modi, Macron and Lula. They were present at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 20, representing the three largest democracies in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Can their mutual understanding and global influence bring prosperity and resilience to their economies and strengthen their cooperation in addressing global challenges?

Courtesy: Ingram Pinn

19 February 2026

Managing multipolarity in a multilateral world

BY Lt Gen S L Narasimhan

Multipolarity indicates who holds power, while multilateralism is about how states choose to cooperate. In today’s world, power is diffusing and interdependence is deepening simultaneously. A multipolar world creates fluid alignments and strategic competition, but multilateralism manages interdependence through rules and institutions. The world is becoming both, simultaneously, requiring states to manage competition, preserve cooperation, and stabilise an increasingly complex global landscape. That is easier said.

Courtesy: DD News

29 January 2026

The European pivot to India

BY Rajiv Bhatia

By signing the EU-India Free Trade Agreement on January 27, the ties that bind India and the European collective have been re-energised. They are now set to reach new heights, while overcoming past hesitations and divergences.

Courtesy: Getty Images

22 January 2026

Can NATO survive without Article 5?

BY Lt Gen S L Narasimhan

The U.S. demand for Greenland for security purposes, has alarmed Europe enough for talk of Article 5 of NATO’s collective defence agreement to be put on the discussion table. But can NATO survive without Article 5? And can Article 5 survive without the U.S. defence cover for Europe?

Courtesy: BBC

15 January 2026

Venezuela and the Donroe Doctrine

BY Frank Schell

U.S. action in Venezuela has resurrected the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine which sought to prevent foreign interference in the Western Hemisphere. Originally intended to keep European colonial powers away, it has been reinterpreted over the years beyond that. Donald Trump has reasserted and updated it to the “Donroe Doctrine,” to revitalise U.S. regional hegemony – and through it, some reduction of Chinese and Russian influence.

Courtesy: News on Air

8 January 2026

2026: India’s foreign policy challenges

BY Rajiv Bhatia

In the shifting sands of contemporary geopolitics, terms such as ‘fluid multipolarity’, ‘multiplexity’, ‘tripolarity’, and ‘bipolarity with multipolar characteristics’ are replacing the old dogmas and orders. But what is driving the world today? How does India plan to protect its vital interests in the current age of ongoing polycrisis? The road ahead is challenging, marked by risks and uncertainty.