Shekhar Gupta

1973 and now: How Indira's self-destructive responses are instructive today

An oil shock, monsoon fears, rampant unemployment, and the seeming inevitability of inflation, are common to both eras. Indira Gandhi's self-destructive responses are instructive today

Pakistan history of tactical brilliance, strategic failure

The revisionist history of every war or skirmish is a popular subcontinental phenomenon

A Muslim voter's worth: Poll results show need for new model of secularism

These elections mark the completion of the BJP-secular party divide purely on a Hindu-Muslim basis. The BJP's rivals are increasingly looking like Muslim parties, though their leaders are all Hindus

BJP, West Bengal, Hinduised-nationalism and the X factor in politics

You'd err if you credit or blame the BJP success only on Hindutva. It's more than that. It is Hinduised-nationalism

Disquiet on the Eastern Front: Great Nicobar base key to maritime defences

Historically, and instinctively, India has seen threats emerging from the west and the north, from Pakistan and China

As the left fades from Bengal's landscape, BJP makes a fervent pitch

In West Bengal, the Left is in a dead heat with the Congress for the wooden spoon; Maoism in the tribal heartland has been entombed; and in Kerala, the Left fights double incumbency

Assassination and statecraft: US objectives unmet, Iran grows tougher

American objectives are unmet. They neither have the muscle nor motivation to resume the war. As for Iran, the regime hasn't just survived, it's now led by more radical individuals

India's 5-year opportunity: Stay disciplined in a shifting world order

We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pak sees as its moment in sun

All talk, no walk, China shock: Coal gasification edge becomes clear

China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won't move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest

Navel-gazing, in national interest: India balances both sides in war

It's easy to understand why the government can't speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India's interests will lie with both the winner and the loser

Vishwaguru delusion, mine vs yours: Two flawed takes on India's power

One side thinks India is punching way above its weight.The other thinks Mr Modi has undermined India, and it punches below its strength. Both are wrong

Where 2 billion voters reside: Measuring democracy in the subcontinent

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

Even as Trump humiliates allies, Indian govt must adopt humility at home

Mr 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

When Af is left to Pak: A weak leadership and a muddled foreign policy

If the Pakistanis think they can do better than the Americans, an Indian partisan can again say, go ahead, make my day

Sovereignty, pragmatism, and choices: India balances risks in neighbourhood

The "foreign hand" was always American. Its adversaries, the Soviet Union and its allies, were natural friends

Leverage, time, and the long game: India and Europe find common cause

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

Dear Narendrabhai, can you again restore strategic stability to our east?

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

Budget 2026: Confident yet anxious amid global and domestic uncertainty

The Budget has indeed woken up the sleeping markets, just not the way the government's fans would have expected

In modern war, stopping at the right moment matters as much as striking

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

Pakistan se azaadi: Why the gap with India will only keep widening

The hard fact is that the only area where Pakistan can narrow the gap with India is population. Its growth here is about twice as much as India's