Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.
Trump has ushered in the age of humiliation. His method is to push around America’s friends rudely and publicly. He knows none of them can afford to fight back.
The Pakistani political leadership is weak and devoid of any intellect. Its diplomacy is entirely India-China-US focused and suffers from a presumptive view of Afghanistan as a vassal.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
By next weekend, Bangladesh will have an elected government. This is India’s moment to reboot broken ties by moderating the ‘ghuspethiya’ rhetoric in poll-bound West Bengal and Assam.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.
Pakistan not only has zero chance of catching up with India in most areas, but will inevitably see the gap rising. Its leaders will offer its people the same snake oil in different bottles.
The CPI(M) and Congress barely made it to the headlines. While newspapers have written about the two parties, they have been almost completely ignored by television news.
By pairing Indian drone engineering with Japanese semiconductor expertise, the two firms aim to develop more advanced autonomous systems tailored to both defence & commercial use.
American objectives are unmet. They neither have muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime didn’t just survive, it’s now led by more radical individuals.
As an Indian, I hope USA and Iran come to a durable peace agreement. Ensuring Iran does not become a nuclear weapons state. An end to sanctions, conditions created for Iran to develop its oil and gas reserves. Monetise them in good time before the age of renewables makes them much less valuable. 2. The I2U2 template has not served India’s economic interests in West Asia well. Reciprocal damage to valuable productive assets can lead to a situation where even the continued employment of ten million Indian guest workers comes under threat. 3. The nature of India’s relationship with Israel is such, it does not need to be publicly advertised. Israel is now facing global isolation, moral opprobrium for its actions in Gaza and elsewhere. Including in Europe, Global South almost universally. Better for India to be more discreet.
Regime has survived. But are Iranian people surviving? I don’t think so.
As an Indian, I hope USA and Iran come to a durable peace agreement. Ensuring Iran does not become a nuclear weapons state. An end to sanctions, conditions created for Iran to develop its oil and gas reserves. Monetise them in good time before the age of renewables makes them much less valuable. 2. The I2U2 template has not served India’s economic interests in West Asia well. Reciprocal damage to valuable productive assets can lead to a situation where even the continued employment of ten million Indian guest workers comes under threat. 3. The nature of India’s relationship with Israel is such, it does not need to be publicly advertised. Israel is now facing global isolation, moral opprobrium for its actions in Gaza and elsewhere. Including in Europe, Global South almost universally. Better for India to be more discreet.