Courtesy: Manuel Elías
The process of choosing a new Secretary General of the UN, to assume office on January 1, 2027, has begun. The UN Security Council is central to this and has just held its first straw poll on the seven candidates in the fray. Three have done well – all from countries with positive ties to the current U.S. administration. India must keep a close eye on the developments.
Courtesy: PTI
There is a positive reset in India-Canada relations, and this is being strengthened through cooperation in security, trade and education ties. Both countries believe in the strategic value of the Indo-Pacific, and both have been at the receiving end of rough geopolitical treatment by the U.S. They see their salvation in putting the past behind them and deepening bilateral relations.
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: ASEAN
The Manila meetings of ASEAN, held amid continuing crises in Ukraine and West Asia, have demonstrated that ASEAN centrality has not gone out of fashion. Neither the U.S. nor China, despite scepticism about ASEAN's effectiveness, wishes ASEAN institutions to disappear. India, Russia, Japan, Australia, the EU and the UK likewise continue to use these meetings as valuable platforms for Indo-Pacific engagement.
Courtesy: India's World
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party will complete six months in office in August. His country faces multiple crises, with the Gulf War straining Bangladesh’s economy. In a sharp departure from previous practice, Rahman chose China for his first state visit even as anti-India rhetoric continued in Dhaka. It shouldn’t surprise, says Bangladesh’s departing High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, speaking exclusively to Gateway House’s Nayanima Basu.
Courtesy: Council on Foreign Relations
The absence of panic in the energy markets despite the renewed U.S.-Iran fighting indicates a well-supplied oil market in the longer term. That means stability for energy short countries like India in the long term. In the short term, however, India will be impacted by other disruptions, such as the increased use of sanctions.
Courtesy: IndiaSpend
The northeast state of Mizoram is home to 40,000 Chin refugees from Myanmar. It’s a natural refuge because of the close ethnic and family ties that bind them to the indigenous Mizo. But it is putting a strain on a poor state with a population of just 12 lakhs. Civil society organisations and the state government provide humanitarian aid. Despite the bonhomie between the host Mizo and the Chin, some issues persist.
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: Gateway House
The global steering wheel has come loose, replaced by more fluid, pragmatic, and regional frameworks. The Emerging Middle Powers Report 2026 illuminates the shifting postures and throws up some surprises: trust in the U.S. is receding, non-alignment is increasing, regionalism is more important, and divergences from the mainstream are clear. Can Middle Powers be more than just bridges to overcome differences?
Courtesy: X/@narendramodi
The Modi-Prabowo summit is a shared commitment to enhance strategic cooperation between two major Asian powers. This is necessitated by the dominance of China and the weakening U.S. pledges to regional security. Bilaterally, there has been political progress but limited economic engagement. The key now is to step up the trade and investment pillar, with energetic follow-up action for a strong trajectory.