India undoubtedly has one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the world. However, one must stop and start asking the question of why almost 9 out of 10 startups fail in India. The answer would provide you with a typical checklist of bad unit economics, copied business models, and businesses that scaled and invested capital before finding adequate product-market fit. Illustration by The Geostrata Every single reason is true, but it is not the primary reason. All thes

The Geopolitical architecture of the Persian Gulf is undergoing a profound realignment. For over half a century, the security doctrine of the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rested on a foundational, military-centric arrangement: the host states provided territorial basing access and recycled petrodollars into Western financial markets and weapons systems, while the USA provided the deterrent shield against external threats. Illustration by The Geostrata Thi

In 1987, Soviet political scientist Georgy Arbatov told off his American counterparts, saying, “We are going to do a terrible thing to you. We are going to deprive you of an enemy.” The West laughed off the warning, but it should have known better. If there was ever something that held the entire NATO alliance together, it was the common threat of the totalitarian regime beyond the Iron Curtain. Once that threat lost its plausibility, the fractures that had only been masked b

The multi-front conflict in the Middle East has brought about a significant geopolitical change, one that is going beyond headlines of price surges and shipping disruptions. The tactical confrontation is in the spotlight, but a much more fundamental structural realignment is taking place in the region of Eurasia. This battle has unwittingly catapulted Asia's two superpowers into a high-stakes, asymmetrical game of chess. In New Delhi, the battle is considered mainly a problem

Minamitorishima is Japan's easternmost territory, the only island east of the Japan Trench. It is a coral atoll of roughly 1.5km2, covered in trees, grass, and little else besides a species of gecko and large colonies of seabirds. It is administratively part of Ogasawara, a municipality governed as part of the Tokyo metropolis. From the nearest inhabited Japanese island, it is still over 1200 kilometres away. Under international law, every island generates a 200-nautical-mile

“We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” In the case of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Türkiye and a number of other Gulf states and even NATO, abrasive US policies threaten to shake these eternal interests and inflict collateral damage. Illustration by The Geostrata Signed in Mecca on 7 August 2026, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement brings Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan

In the last few years, especially after COVID-19, the world order has been fragmented with strategic uncertainty and gradual erosion of persisting traditional security arrangements. The post-Cold War liberal international order, which often relied on stable alliances, multilateralism, and most importantly of all, predictable, responsible leadership by major powers, is being transformed into a more contested landscape. Cover by The Geostrata Amid such global flux, countries an

The perception of biological threats as marginal biosecurity issues had been prevalent for decades. States feared accidents, lab security issues, and disease monitoring. The premise of such a way of perceiving biological threats was that biological capability presupposed rare assets – money, knowledge, equipment – that remained rare and thus visible. This is no longer the case. The same developments that have led to genetic cures for cancer and sickle-cell anaemia have made p

The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan on August 7, 2026, has generated significant sensationalism. Commentators have labelled it an "Islamic NATO," pointing to its collective defence clause modelled on NATO's Article 5. However, rigorous strategic analysis requires moving past declarative intents to examine the material, geographical, and industrial realities governing the signatories. Illustration by The Geostrata Rather than

Trade via the Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district between India and China was opened on August 1, 2026, after putting an end to a gap of six years in cross-border trade through this route. The diplomatic dialogue between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was one of those diplomatic endeavours that helped restart the border trade route. Illustration by The Geostrata State representatives issued official Khataks, and

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

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

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

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

The Golden Dome Missile Defence Initiative is a plan to create a new missile defence system announced by the United States in 2025. It is similar to Israel's Iron Dome, but much bigger and is sought to be even more effective. Unlike the Iron Dome, which is primarily designed to intercept short-range artillery projectiles, the Golden Dome aims to defend the entire United States against a wide spectrum of aerial threats. Illustration by The Geostrata It will integrate ground-ba

In July 2025, construction formally began on what will become the largest hydropower project in human history. Located at the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, the Medog hydropower station is planned to generate 60,000 megawatts of electricity once operational, roughly three times the installed capacity of China's Three Gorges Dam and approximately equal to the entire annual power output of the United Kingdom. Illustration by The Geostrata The projected annual gener

The Indus Waters Treaty has been placed in abeyance by India, bringing about fresh worries over Pakistan's water security. However, the failing nation's fragility goes beyond the upstream geopolitics; it is also the result of decades of institutional sluggishness, under-investment and the failure to transform assured access to water into lasting economic resilience. Illustration by The Geostrata 2022 should have been a memorable summer for Pakistan, as it had excess water. Ra

For years, world energy politics had been centred around crude oil and the actions of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). But in recent decades, as the world shifts from fossil fuel to cleaner energy, the geopolitical balance is shifting from the oil wells to the mineral mines. And the most severe geopolitical tug-of-war is now taking place over key metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, which play a vital role in electric vehicle (EV) battery pr

For China, the nine-dash line is a strategic tool for reaffirming the controversial maritime claim in the South China Sea. This grey zone between international law and state power is not merely a regional territorial issue but an enhanced test of international order's stability. Illustration by The Geostrata In this era of national interest and frequent conflicts, the significance of international institutions is being critiqued for their effectiveness. UNCLOS is one such ins

India produces some of the world’s most talented and capable engineers. Its universities file patents at a pace that would make most countries envious. IIT Madras alone generated more than one patent a day in the year ending March 2025. India is home to over 100 unicorns and ranks as the world's largest startup ecosystem. Some of the most successful technology companies in the world are run by Indian origin engineers. And yet somewhere along the way India lags behind. Illust