Shyam Saran

India's foreign policy dilemma: Balancing global ambitions & domestic needs

India's growing global role clashes with its domestic challenges. Navigating foreign policy requires a balance between global responsibilities and the imperative of social and economic development

Zhou Enlai: Chen Jian's book on Chinese Premier a study in contradictions

This is one of the most informative pieces of history writing on contemporary China and will remain a reference work for a long time to come

BS@50: How India thrived in adversarial environment in the past 50 years

India at 77 stands as a country that has held its own, showing a remarkable capacity to manage an essentially adversarial external environment

India's China conflict and a JP angle in championing the 'Free Tibet' cause

In 'Muslim, Trader, Nomad, Spy', Sulmaan Wasif Khan writes about China's occupation of Tibet in 1950 and its attempts at assimilating an unfamiliar territory peopled by a strange mix of ethnicities

Why it'll be a good idea for India to try connecting with Kamala Harris

Over the years, India has enjoyed bipartisan support in the US and this asset must be kept intact and nurtured through across the board political and civil society engagement

Anatomy of a massacre

The Damascus Events is a fascinating narrative of the interplay between geopolitical, social, economic, and technological transformations that culminated in two catastrophic wars of the 20th century

China at the crossroads

Geopolitical equations as seen by China do not, as yet, seem to justify a more accommodating posture towards India

In the shadow of the mighty Annapurna

The unusual charm of trekking to Mardi Himal in the rainy season

A new agenda for great power status

India needs to recalibrate its economic approach, focusing on trade, manufacturing, and the informal economy

Deconstructing India's national security system

Milan Vaishnav's book is a treatise on India's national security apparatus, highlighting the challenges and the positive role it plays against difficult odds

Geopolitical challenges for next govt

When our gaze shifts from the domestic to the external after the polls, the challenges would have multiplied

India's West Asia security dynamics

Despite its stakes in the region, its policy doesn't aim for long-term regional stability

Myanmar and regional security

The civil war in the country has spilled over into India and the time may have come to review our tacit support to the junta

Nationalism and democracy

In a thriving democracy, free and fair elections are vital, but so is strengthening constitutionally empowered institutions

China's geo-economic pivot

Amid economic troubles, China's changing geopolitical outlook opens the door for renewed engagement with India

Taiwan's elections and the Indo-Pacific

The diplomatic responses to Lai Ching-te's victory underscore the challenge and importance of maintaining the status quo in the region

India's China policy and Cold War dynamics

Former diplomat Vijay Gokhale's latest work, delves into the complex geopolitical landscape of 1949-59, exploring the intricacies of India-China relations, and the lessons learned

Lessons from 2023 and pointers for 2024

In an era of AI and geopolitical transformation, we may find ourselves feeling nostalgic about 2023 as the new year unfolds

Henry Kissinger: Flawed genius who will be missed more in China than the US

Kissinger acknowledged India's civilisational impulse and remarkable assimilative power while retaining its identity, but he remained in thrall to China

Saudi Arabia's cyber diplomacy

In a deeply polarised arena, the kingdom is carving out its niche in global cybersecurity cooperation