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

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

China at the crossroads

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

A new agenda for great power status

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

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

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

A renewed Sri Lankan engagement

As the island nation recovers, India's goodwill gesture has helped it regain some of the ground lost to China

The Indo-Pacific power play

The US bolstering its alliances in the region to counter China puts India's strategic autonomy to the test

Reclaiming India's past

Greater focus and investment are required to understand the evolution of India's diverse and inclusive cultural heritage

Is Japan China's future?

China could be staring at the start of a deflationary phase similar to the one Japan experienced in the early 1990s

Fuelling a truly green transition

India should take the lead in establishing a global alliance for promoting hydrogen, whose role as a clean fuel is dependent upon how it is produced

The next step in climate efforts

In the context of the General Assembly resolution, India should not hesitate to make its submission to the ICJ, reflecting its views on climate-change issues

China's RMB project making steady progress

As China steps up efforts to graduate to a leading role in global currency markets, India faces a choice between aligning with the Western-dominated financial system and the Chinese one