Courtesy: Foreign Affairs

15 January 2026

How Strong are The Strongmen?

BY Stephen Kotnik

Not long ago in the sweep of history, countries that had once been buried behind the Iron Curtain, and even some Soviet republics, were transformed into members of the solidly democratic club. Some of those that weren’t, such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, experienced mass revolts against rigged elections and corrupt misrule amid widespread public yearning to join the West. Free trade was again celebrated as an instrument of peace; Kant’s “democratic peace theory” enjoyed a revival.

Courtesy: Gateway House

15 January 2026

Reviving U.S.-India high school exchange programmes

BY Nina Robinson

The U.S. and India are tied together through many elements, but the most significant are students. Over 300,000 Indian students study in U.S. universities, but barely 1% of that number comprises U.S. students studying in India. One way to bridge that gap is to revive high school exchange programmes, which have lately stalled due to funding shortages. India can pick up some of the slack.

Courtesy: BBC

15 January 2026

U.S. foreign policy: Venezuela and beyond

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: Somaliland Presidential Office

15 January 2026

Somaliland recognition is an alternative diplomacy ecosystem

BY Ambassador Gurjit Singh

Israel recognised Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025. Somaliland has existed as a de facto state for over three decades. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Somaliland’s “right of self-determination”. This aligns with Israel’s evolving Red Sea and Iran-containment strategy, emerged since the 2023 Gaza war and Houthi attacks. However, for Somaliland, the recognition remains symbolically powerful but diplomatically incomplete, an opening rather than a breakthrough.

Courtesy: High Commission of India, Colombo

15 January 2026

Leveraging Indian aid for cyclone hit Sri Lanka

BY Ganeshan Wignaraja

Cyclone Ditawah has put a serious dampener on Sri Lanka’s rosy post-budget economic outlook. Sri Lanka can help itself by using available national resources, but India can help too, by partnering with multilateral development banks to manage the post-Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction implementation strategy. It can also share its experience of implementing gradual economic reforms and policy planning under Niti Ayog to support Sri Lanka’s efforts.

Courtesy: Gateway House

8 January 2026

Afghanistan vs. Pakistan = advantage India

BY Nayanima Basu

The ongoing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad regarding the closure of trade routes could significantly alter the trade landscape in South Asia. This strain can benefit India. The export and import of merchandise goods between India and Afghanistan are expected to experience significant growth, provided New Delhi moves swiftly.

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.

Courtesy: Gateway House

8 January 2026

India-Oman CEPA: what it means?

BY The Gateway House Podcast

India and Oman signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on December 18, 2025. The agreement reflects India’s approach to engaging with trusted partners while rediscovering its historic trading ties. Ambassador Anil Wadhwa explains what CEPA means for India: it is less about becoming a global gateway and more about anchoring a strategic economic partnership in a geopolitically sensitive region.