Snapshot — Key Facts & Milestones Full form Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Established 6 June 1997, via the Bangkok Declaration (originally “BIST-EC”) (Nepal MoFA) Members Seven — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand (bimstec.org) Secretariat Dhaka, Bangladesh (established 2014) Sectors Seven priority sectors, one lead country…
Snapshot — Key Facts & Milestones Founding treaty The Rome Statute, adopted on 17 July 1998 Entry into force 1 July 2002, after the 60th ratification (UN) Seat The Hague, the Netherlands (icc-cpi.int) Nature The world’s first permanent international criminal court Core crimes Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression States…
Snapshot — Key Facts & Milestones Founded 15 June 2001, in Shanghai (MEA) Predecessor The “Shanghai Five” grouping, formed in 1996 Members (2025) Ten — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran (2023) and Belarus, the 10th, admitted in 2024 Secretariat Beijing, China Security organ Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent Official…
Snapshot — Key Facts & Milestones Full Form Association of South East Asian Nations Established 8 August 1967, through the Bangkok Declaration (asean.org) Founding members Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand (five states) Membership (2025) Eleven — the “ASEAN-10” plus Timor-Leste, admitted as the 11th member in October 2025 (asean.org) Legal framework The ASEAN…
Why BRICS Matters Few groupings capture the churn in the global order quite like BRICS. What began as a catchy investment-banking acronym for four fast-growing economies has become an eleven-member coalition that, on its own account, represents roughly half of humanity and about 40% of the world economy. For an aspirant, BRICS is a live…
Why India–Malaysia Matters Few relationships blend the ancient and the modern quite like India and Malaysia’s. Long before diplomacy, monsoon winds carried Indian traders, scripts and temple builders to the Malay Peninsula; today, that same corridor carries semiconductors, digital payments and defence exercises. Malaysia sits at the heart of India’s Act East Policy — commanding…
Historical Background Geopolitical Cooperation Defence Cooperation Geo-economic Cooperation People-to-People and Cultural Relations Challenges The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to New Zealand, the first in 40 years, marked a historic turning point, with both countries elevating their relationship to a Strategic Partnership and launching a Roadmap to 2030. Key Outcomes of the Recent Visit in 2026…
Understanding Foreign Economic Policy Foreign economic policy is the way a state pursues its economic interests in its dealings with the world — through trade, investment, aid and integration. In India’s case, it has been shaped, above all, by ideas and crises. A state develops national interests that always carry an economic component, and the…
Soft Power as an Instrument of Statecraft The preceding sections set out the material instruments of Indian diplomacy — security, economy, energy, technology, the sea. This one addresses the instrument that rests on attraction rather than capability: the ability to shape others’ preferences through culture, values and example rather than coercion or payment. For India…
The Environment as an Instrument of Foreign Policy The environment is the quintessential global issue: activities that harm nature in one state make every other state vulnerable, so solutions can only be found at the global level. But environmental priorities collide with economic ones, which makes climate negotiation deeply political — and therefore a theatre…
