Opinion News - Page 25
America matters, but it’s not indispensable for the world
The world will move beyond the US, and Donald Trump would be solely responsible. Trump has failed to realise that despite America's power, there are alternatives available to those who seek them
Turning rhetoric into reality: Sergio Gor’s defining challenge as US envoy
Sergio Gor’s key task is rebuilding trust and translating his rhetoric into action in strained bilateral relations
Old ties, new imperatives: How India-Arab relations are pivotal to responsible multipolarity
India’s deepening engagement with the League of Arab States reflects a strategically calibrated partnership spanning defence, trade, connectivity, diaspora ties and cultural diplomacy in a multipolar world
Budget 2026: Reforming the state, not just the economy
In 1991, India liberalised markets because the state had run out of money. In 2026, it must reform the state because the economy has outgrown it
India-EU summit sends strategic signal to the US — but will it be received?
Through their 16th summit, India and the EU reaffirmed their foreign policy independence and strategic autonomy from the US, while still hoping their messages would prompt Washington to pay greater attention to and respect their concerns—though whether it will remains uncertain
All is not well in Beijing: How Xi’s grip on power is being tested like never before
For the first time since consolidating absolute authority, Xi Jinping appears politically isolated—presiding over a powerful military stripped of its most experienced generals and a party shaken by fear, purges and mistrust
Two billion people, one global order: How India-EU mega trade deal is a game changer
The EU will scrap all tariffs on 90 per cent of Indian goods, and within seven years, this will be extended to 93 per cent
One year of Al Sharaa: Syria’s fragile transition amid ethnic tensions and international pressures
Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa’s main problem has been the integration of rival ethnic groups like the Druze, Kurds, Alawites, and Christians, who have their historic grievances and fear Sunni Arab domination
For US, India is both an ally and adversary
Not only will India in the 2050s be the world’s largest democracy but also the world’s largest economy.
US Sutra | America is at war with itself: Minnesota is just the tip of the iceberg
The shooting of Alex Pretti on January 24 in the ongoing Minnesota siege has once again foregrounded the deep divisions in the American state and society.
Venezuela and India’s red line on Bangladesh: What Delhi should learn from Trump’s raid
India defined its red lines by pulverising terror bases in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Now it is time to set a red line on Bangladesh
Trump’s Board of Peace: A new world order without the United Nations?
The White House, bypassing the UN, has invited more than 60 countries to join the Donald Trump-headed Board of Peace in Davos
A strategic confluence: Why the India-EU trade deal matters
The India-EU trade deal is less about romance than realism. Like the sangam, it brings together two currents that need each other more than they admit
How Xi Jinping’s power grab spells global looming crisis
As Xi Jinping amasses unprecedented power through relentless purges, China risks internal chaos and global instability in an era of one-man rule.
Xi’s China: When too much control becomes a systemic risk
China’s future depends on whether Xi Jinping's centralised model can reintroduce internal correction mechanisms, tolerate limited decentralisation, and restore administrative flexibility before demographic and economic pressures peak
Kim Jong-un’s nuclear deterrence: Trump can attack Iran, not North Korea
In a war with the US, North Korea stands to lose everything. The military asymmetry between the two nations would make the situation more volatile with Kim Jong-un likely to make a pre-emptive nuclear strike
Germany recognises the China challenge — but still hesitates
In today’s geopolitical environment, realism delayed is realism denied. Germany learnt that lesson the hard way with Russia. The question now is whether it has learnt it in time with China
Gaza Peace Board: Why India must reject Trump’s offer
India should not contribute to the further erosion of multilateral norms. Historically, it has maintained a balanced position on the Palestine–Israel question, grounded in its belief in the viability of a two-state solution; it must now adhere to this position firmly and consistently
77th Republic Day: How India is biding its time, carving a geo-strategic space in an uncertain world
India is moving from adaptation to actively trying to influence the global agenda, using its unique position as a growing economic power and democratic voice for a multipolar, inclusive world order
The Oscars don’t reward cinema, they ratify the narrative of the moment
Awards function less as arbiters of cinema than as archivists of institutional mood. They tell us what the industry wished to reward in a particular year—what anxieties it sought to soothe, what narratives it needed to elevate, and what discomforts it chose to avoid
Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi show progress, but final deal remains contentious
For the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion, the US, Russia and Ukraine have launched high-level trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, set to continue on February 1, combining rare diplomatic momentum with entrenched deadlock on core issues
Look beyond FTA: A chastened, humbled, pragmatic Europe could be a great strategic partner for India
Trump’s attempted Greenland grab was one abuse too many even for the collective docility of a self-pitying continent
Discovering Rann: Festivals, heritage and cultural treasures
There is no better time of the year to visit Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch than in winter, with the surrounding places offering a rich blend of history, culture and fun
India-EU trade deal: Europe’s bet to hedge a Trumpian world order
Europe’s response to a rattled global order and the fracture in transatlantic ties has been clear, coherent, and deliberate: diversify risk, deepen partnerships. India sits at the apex of that strategy
How Yunus is locking Bangladesh into a Sino-Pakistani power trap
Bangladesh risks becoming another case study – a nation that traded long-term sovereignty for short-term political consolidation. The Sino-Pakistani axis does not merely sell weapons or build dams; it exports a model of control, leverage, and quiet coercion
How India-Israel ties go far beyond Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
Neither the Gaza conflict nor any externally driven peace architecture alters the foundational logic of India-Israel cooperation, which rests on capability, reliability, and shared security experiences rather than ideological alignment
How US is ‘rediscovering’ Japan to check China
The US is ‘rediscovering’ Japan to pit it against its ancient enemy: China, which has not forgotten what Japan did to it in the 1940s
How Trump’s Gaza Peace Board mocks the UN
Donald Trump's Board of Peace will function more like an imperial court than a multilateral diplomatic body. While Trump said that the board would work ‘in conjunction’ with the UN, critics view it as a US-led rival to the Security Council
How Trumpian disorder is all about a new world order
Donald Trump is preparing the US as a dominant core, not as a constrained leader. His destruction of the old order is not a retreat; it is a clear positioning of American dominance
US Sutra | Dealing with Trump: What India must and must not do
As an emerging power with global ambitions, India must develop the analytical sophistication and diplomatic flexibility to engage effectively with leaders and systems that don’t conform to established patterns