The growing ties between India and Vietnam have always been traditionally viewed in the context of hard power realpolitik in the Indo-Pacific geopolitical landscape. Activities such as joint naval exercises, defense lines of credit, and strategic alignments in the South China Sea are cited as classic examples of pursuing a balance of power. Yet framing this partnership solely as a reactive response to security pressures overlooks its deepest foundation, which is a shared civi

The Indian Ocean is not merely a body of water; it is an amphitheater of trade, commerce, and geopolitical flashpoints. Two thousand years ago, taxes on Indian trade alone accounted for roughly one-third of the total revenue of the entire Roman Empire. The Ocean has never been a background feature; it has always been the main event. And in 2026, with chokepoints under strain, submarine cables contested, and sea beds mapped for their minerals, the Indian Ocean is more conteste

WAS THE CEASEFIRE DESIGNED TO STOP THE WAR? The framing that the US and Iran are “still fighting” despite the Islamabad MOU contains an assumption that contains more than meets the eye. The assumption that the ceasefire was designed to stop the war is largely contradictory; it was designed to manage the war’s tempo while each side pursued objectives that were, to begin with, reconcilable at the negotiating table. Eleven days after Trump and Pezeshkian signed remotely from Ve

“Let a Prince set about the task of conquering and maintaining his state, his methods will always be judged honourable, and he will be universally praised” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince). Politicians are never as idealistic as they appear. One of the central ideas that Machiavelli discusses is that rulers must master the art of appearing virtuous without necessarily being bound by virtue itself. Politics has always been far from coherent with morality. Throughout history

Since 2010, India has cancelled somewhere around 22,500 FCRA registrations, with a further 15,000 or so allowed to lapse without renewal. That is a lot of licences pulled. What almost never gets asked, in the noisier corners of the debate, is what actually happens to the buildings, trusts, and bank balances those licences left behind. Illustration by The Geostrata The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March 2026 and now

The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 did not merely divide territory but set in motion a prolonged geopolitical contest over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Although the Instrument of Accession legally integrated Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union, Pakistan’s invasion and continued occupation of parts of the erstwhile state gave rise to what are now referred to as Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and Gilgit Baltistan, and since then, two cont

E20 is currently one of the most trending topics for debate right now in India. While many have praised the government for reducing dependence on imported crude, supporting local farmers and promoting cleaner fuels, others have raised concerns over mileage and breakdown issues in vehicles. A policy supposed to roll out by 2030 was rolled out 4 years prior in 2026 and has now become a new reality across the country. Illustration by The Geostrata From April 2026, the Ministry

The durian is a fruit that divides people the moment they meet it. It smells strong, looks intimidating, and is loved deeply by those who take the time to get past the smell. Ambassador Gurjit Singh uses this fruit as the title of his new book, The Durian Flavour: India and ASEAN after a Decade of the Act East Policy, and it turns out to be a fitting choice. India's relationship with Southeast Asia, like the durian, is not something that gives itself up easily. It takes patie

India's nuclear energy programme is entering a defining new phase with the successful commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), growing international partnerships, and a renewed policy emphasis on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and private-sector participation. As India is seeking to meet its rising energy demand, fulfil its climate commitments, and strengthen its strategic autonomy, nuclear energy has re-emerged as a long-term development strategy. Illustra

On the morning of May 3, 2026, millions of Indians sat down in examination halls across India to write the NEET-UG examination to fulfil their dream of becoming doctors. Nine days later, the path to this dream was unceremoniously stopped by an all-too-familiar feature of the education system in Indian democracy. Across the SSC exam and state exams, yet another paper leak declared this path closed. Even the National Testing Agency (NTA) declared that the exam was cancelled and

The Chinese industry cannot keep up with Western companies when it comes to manufacturing the most advanced dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). This analysis rests on the assumption that the semiconductor restrictions imposed by the United States limit China’s ability to obtain the latest generation of fabrication nodes – 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm. Such an assumption becomes less and less relevant as time goes by. Illustration by The Geostrata This is the logic that has domina

Lives overturned. Dreams broken. Loved ones lost. This is the story behind the thousands of fire incidents that happen in India. These incidents often make it to headlines but only stay relevant until the next place fumes up. Till then, the conundrum of fire safety infrastructure rests in cold boxes, and when it wakes up, it is already too late. For a country that lost over 7,435 people in 2022 alone due to fire accidents, this should not be dismissed as negligence. Illustra

India's Gen Z and Gen Alpha are shaping the future of our democracy, public policy, and civic engagement. But what issues do they want the government to prioritize? And how do they believe citizens should communicate to bring about meaningful change? Scan to take the survey The Geostrata invites young Indians to participate in "Young India Speaks": a national survey exploring the priorities, concerns, and civic communication preferences of India's youth. 🗳️ Your responses wi

The Green Revolution in India, which was pioneered by Agricultural Scientist Dr MS Swaminathan and introduced during the second of the five-year plans, was a turning point in the nation’s agricultural production capacity. The country, which had earlier struggled to produce enough food for its own citizens and had to deal with frequent famines and shortages, was now self-sufficient, in a dramatic turn in fortunes. Illustration by The Geostrata A significant contributor to the

From Cold War espionage satellites to tools of geopolitical dominance, Earth observation satellites have undergone radical changes. Information obtained through satellites today becomes crucial for shaping national security, economic, and military strategies. The war between Russia and Ukraine is one example where classified state information acquired via satellites can now be seen by everyone around the world. With the increasing tension between the USA and China, countries

Think of CBAM as a carbon toll booth at Europe’s border. It applies a carbon tax to certain goods imported into the EU, ensuring that imported goods, particularly those at the greatest risk of carbon leakage, face similar carbon-related costs to those produced within the EU. The framework works in two steps. First, EU importers must measure and report the carbon emissions embedded in the goods they bring in. Then, from January 2026, they will be required to pay. Illustration

Artificial Intelligence was created as a niche field that used to focus mainly on research and on creating machines that were capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence. Early innovators thought of AI as a tool that would solve complex problems, automate repetitive work, and enhance human capabilities. Illustration by The Geostrata For decades, the development of AI was limited to just laboratories and specific industries and focused on improving eff

In FY26–27, India's real GDP is expected to grow at a staggering 6.6%, making it one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world. The global confidence in India's growth story remains exceptionally high, with New Delhi widely regarded as a primary driver of global economic expansion. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is expected to account for an impressive 17.2% of global economic growth in 2026, outperforming major economies in terms of econo

India never truly planned to urbanise at all, and that is exactly why it finds itself with over 500 million people living in towns and cities that it never truly decided to build, or at least properly planned to. No sector in Indian policy demonstrates the gap between policy intent and administrative reality quite like urban governance. The fundamental issue in the sector, in simple terms, is that Indian cities have been given far too much responsibility without the actual po

In contrast to most economies that industrialised, which moved from agriculture to manufacturing, then to services, becoming the dominant part of output, India has taken on the middle, manufacturing-intensive, stage of development. Services today account for 50-55 percent of GDP (the Economic Survey 2025-26 puts the share of services in GDP in H1 FY26 at 53.6 percent of the gross value added), but manufacturing has stubbornly remained at 15-17 percent of GDP for three decades