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
The Smackover Formation in south Arkansas and east Texas holds vast reserves of lithium — the critical mineral powering electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and data centres. If successfully tapped, those reserves could drastically reduce America's dependence on China. Arkansas has a stable, proven, predictable regulatory and statutory framework and familiarity with the production process. Policymakers in India would be wise to follow developments closely.
Courtesy: Gateway House
The most significant election of the five states going to the polls in India in April is that of West Bengal. The state, once India’s trading hub and entrepreneurial centre, now lags its counterparts. The big battle is between the regional Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, both of which have pulled out their big guns and are wooing the state’s voters as never before.
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: Gateway House
The Scottish imprint on India, starting in the British era, is visible even today. Roger Jeffery and Friederike Voigt explore historical ties between Scotland and India, drawing on their recent visit to Mumbai, its Scottish heritage, and their new book, Perceptions of Empire: Edinburgh’s Engagement with India. They dwell on how shared histories in education, trade, missionary activities, and institution building can inform a deeper engagement between Indians and Scots.
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: @DrJaishankar/X
South Korea and India have much in common – both are Indo-Pacific players, oil importers and business-oriented economies. Yet, despite the ubiquitious and successful presence of Korean companies in India’s markets, the political relationship has been weak, and underperformed. The recent state visit by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to India along with a slew of economic and strategic agreements signed, is an effort to recalibrate the relationship.
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.