Gateway Features
India’s foreign policy priorities in 2025
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Today, foreign policy is a hot issue in India’s media, academia, and civil society. The frequency of op-eds on international affairs in national dailies, the proliferation of think tanks, and the domination of diplomatic discourse on social media indicate that the appetite for foreign policy-related developments has greatly increased. This is mainly due to two factors. The nation’s economy is growing along with its international profile, and its leadership is proactive in projecting its ambition to be a leading power read more
Russia enhances African engagement
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The global buzz is all about China in Africa, but another major player has also been positioning itself strategically in that continent: Russia. Russia has significantly expanded its relations with African countries through assertive diplomacy and strategic partnerships. A recent landmark event in this development was the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, held in Sochi on November 9-10, 2024. The forum addressed critical areas such as agriculture, defence, education, energy, investment, healthcare, mining, science, and political cooperation read more
Iran’s Jews in the crosshairs
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Iran has an indigenous Jewish community of about 9,000 persons. This is the largest Jewish diaspora in the Middle East outside of Israel. Ever since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, a proxy of Iran, Iran’s Jews have actively participated and been very vocal in protest marches, official letters, and interviews, loudly denouncing the actions of the State of Israel in the current war. This is to be expected as they have always publicly hewn to their government’s line read more
In Memoriam: My friend Ratan
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For over 40 years, I would call Ratan Tata on the 28th of December, his birthday, and he would answer in his inimitable dulcet voice. Ratan never made a big fuss of his birthdays, in much the same way that he lived his life. Instead, he would prefer to spend his birthdays at his beach house and, in his later years, at home, enjoying a quiet dinner with his sisters. The only fuss he would allow were flowers and so read more
Research
Divergent global reactions to major crises such as those sparked by the war in Ukraine and NATO’s Afghanistan withdrawal have widened the chasm between Western countries and emerging middle powers. This survey, conducted among nearly 1,000 experts from India, Brazil, South Africa and Germany, examines key foreign policy priorities in these countries, and reveals that despite differences, dialogue is possible.
Foreign Affairs
China’s expansionist nuclear programme aims to bolster its capabilities, so much so, that Beijing's predictions boast 2500 new warheads by 2030, thus rivalling the American and Russian arsenals. As the dragon quadruples its nuclear propensity, heralding the world to something greatly unstable – a tripolar nuclear system; nuclear peace seems a quite convoluted goal.
Book Reviews
The current global focus on terrorism and the threats from nation-states, seem as it is a recent phenomenon. In fact terrorism has been present for the last century, still has the capacity to return and to shock with its brutality. India is no stranger to these acts and Germany has just suffered another attack on a Christmas market. A new book recalls the terrorism of 50 years ago and identifies how it became entangled in the politics of the Cold War.
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