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Monday, February 23, 2026
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Between Political Lines

For Trump, India matters only for Indo-Pacific security

Donald Trump’s security doctrine speaks of something that scholars used to discuss, but defence policy documents rarely did.

Did English language create captive minds? PM’s Macaulay reference is only half-truth

Macaulay’s intervention led to a colonial mentality in several sections of India. But because of English language, it also led to a lot of unintended consequences.

Moderate Democrat victories signal a bigger shift than Mamdani. The party is bouncing back

New York is America’s most cosmopolitan outpost, not its heartland. One must look at what happened elsewhere in the US on 4 November.

Bihar beyond Buddha and Mandal—why the 2025 polls are critical for Indian democracy

It is not often noted, but in the North, Bihar is the only state where the BJP has not come to power on its own. The party's desire to turn Bihar into UP should not be ignored.

America under Trump — more than democratic backsliding, less than a right-wing revolution

The attempted revolution faces three structural limits, and is likely to falter.

Pakistan is getting new friends. Conflicts with India will only grow

Pakistan is likely to enjoy closeness with the US, China and Saudi Arabia. This is different from its relative isolation of recent years.

Charlie Kirk assassination is telling us something about American democracy

Most observers say that the degree of polarisation in the US today is much greater than in the '60s, with the political elite so deeply divided that bridges may be harder to build.

China will be more central to India now. Though an anti-US unity is premature

Even with the option of EU markets, China will have to be a significant part of India’s economic policy. But the difficult security relationship is an important complication.

Indian foreign policy is in free fall. Can we balance national pride with new power reality?

Unless dramatic reversals take place, the core of India’s foreign policy, which, at least since 2000, has focused on the US, Pakistan, China, and Russia, stands on the verge of collapse.

India’s export basket has no irreplaceables. It’s a vulnerability in Trump’s power politics

Tariffs have been used in the past by countries like Japan and South, to promote or hinder industrialisation. The surprise in Trump’s tariff argument is two-fold.

On Camera

Kerala beef story is more activism than accuracy today. We prefer buff anyway

BJP’s opposition to beef changed the way it’s seen in Kerala and across India. The meat has become more activism than accuracy.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

India eyes 6th generation FCAS, looks at tying up with France for possible collaboration

Initial talks held on the possibility of India entering the programme that was started in 2017 between France, Germany and Spain to ensure European sovereignty in defence and security.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.