The Paradox of the Bomb Nuclear diplomacy poses a deep paradox for India. This is the land of Gandhi and ahimsa, a civilisation that for centuries preached non-violence and became, after Independence, the world’s most persistent voice for nuclear disarmament. And yet, in 1998, India declared itself a nuclear weapon state. How does one reconcile…
The Diaspora as a Strategic Asset With over 35 million people spread across North America, Europe, South-East Asia, Africa and the Middle East, India possesses one of the largest and most influential diasporas in the world. It is also the world’s top recipient of remittances, drawing well over a hundred billion dollars a year. This…
Energy Security and Foreign Policy India draws on a mix of energy sources — coal, oil, gas, hydropower and nuclear — but imports a large share of its oil, gas, coal and uranium. This dependence means that global events directly shape India’s energy fortunes. As the economy opened after the Cold War and growth accelerated,…
The Sea as the New Theatre of Strategy As India and China both turn from the land towards the sea, the coming decades of the Asian century will witness what one scholar calls a ‘clash of the dragon and the elephant’ — a churning of the oceans, or Samudra Manthan, that will reshape the global…
What is Science & Technology Diplomacy? Science and technology (S&T) diplomacy is the use of scientific capability, technological strength and knowledge networks as instruments of foreign policy. Its origins lie in the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union harnessed technology to empower their militaries and pursue strategic goals. The nuclear arms…
Military Power and Foreign Policy As diplomacy has evolved, the twin ideas of national interest and state sovereignty have become central to the conduct of foreign policy. For most states the two principal national interests are security and economic interest, and in an age of geo-economics, both are increasingly pursued through diplomacy backed by capability….
Terrorism as a Challenge to India Terrorism has been among the most persistent threats to India’s security and to the peaceful conduct of its foreign policy. India has been fighting terrorism, particularly in Kashmir, since the 1990s, long before the phenomenon captured global attention. For decades India warned the world about the dangers of state-sponsored…
Understanding National Security National security refers to the capacity of a state to protect its territory, people, institutions and core values from internal and external threats. For a large, diverse and strategically located country, security is not merely the absence of war but the ability to preserve autonomy of decision-making and create a stable environment…
Beyond the United Nations, a dense web of plurilateral, regional and issue-based forums now shapes global order. India engages each through a consistent logic — using multilateral platforms to amplify its voice, protect strategic autonomy, advance the Global South, and hedge against a rising China. A recurring theme is India’s evolution from a rule-taker into…
Genesis — From an Idea to an Institution The United Nations was not an accident of history but the culmination of the Enlightenment idea that international affairs could be conducted through reason, law and cooperation rather than raw force. Three ancestors shaped it: the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which gave the world the sovereign nation-state…
