“The very ‘rules of war’ have changed. The role of nonmilitary means of achieving political and strategic goals has grown, and, in many cases, they have exceeded the power of force of weapons in their effectiveness.” ~ General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Illustration by The Geostrata The concept of warfare has been evolving, from ancient times to the current state of advanced technology-driven warfare. In the past

Besides relying on force, totalitarian rulers use visuality, symbolism, and tightly supervised public spaces to operate their rule. Building designs operate as one of the enduring means for the functioning of government power. The physicality of buildings and the environment of a community last and endure for more than the period of office of the leaders who built them, and they can implement their rule by controlling what is physically present. Illustration by The Geostrata

In September 2015, Saudi and Emirati forces were coordinating airstrikes together over Yemen. In December 2025, Saudi Arabia was bombing ships sent by the UAE. That reversal, one of the most dramatic shifts in Gulf politics in a generation, did not happen because of a single dispute or a single miscalculation. It happened because two countries that once needed each other have spent years building incompatible visions of what the region should look like, and those visions have

The architecture of global finance has rested on two interconnecting pillars for decades: the US dollar and the SWIFT messaging network. SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) connects over 11,500 institutions in more than 200 countries and handles around 44 million messages a day. It does not move money itself but coordinates the instructions that enable cross-border payments. All while the dollar sits at the centre of this system as the dominant

If nations were not distinct and unique, the world would be a single large family devoid of border disputes, ethnic strife, and prolonged conflicts. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Israel, although exhibiting substantial divergence in modern-day approaches and politically contrasting in nature, orientation, and direction, are born of a similar foundation. Illustration by The Geostrata Both Israel and Pakistan were created with the explicit purpose of securing a haven fo

Persistent coverage across oceans, deserts, border regions, transportation corridors, offshore platforms, agricultural zones, and remote industrial locations is something that Space-Based IoT has long promised but terrestrial connections are unable to completely provide. However, there is a structural barrier in the industry. When many low-power devices try to connect to the same network simultaneously, traditional satellite IoT systems have trouble. Illustration by The Geos

On 15th May, 2026, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is set to implement the most significant overhaul of its Drug Regulatory Framework in over two decades. Beijing signals a departure from its generic orientation of chemical drug production. This article analyses the technical mechanisms of the “Regulations for the Implementation of the Drug Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China” (State Council Decree No. 828), the global pharmaceutical and geopolitical dri

“As the global dynamics evolve, the neighbourhood around New Delhi has gained momentum to strengthen and modernise its democratic systems.” After the 2022 regime change in Sri Lanka, two other nation-states, Bangladesh and Nepal, have now undergone the same by establishing new governments. This political shift in India's neighbourhood has brought the opportunity for New Delhi to reset its ties and emerge as a more trusted partner in the subcontinent. Illustration by The Geost

Energy security has become one of the key priorities of states worldwide due to geopolitical tensions, supply chain issues, and ongoing market instability. The consequences of this for a rapidly developing country like India, with over 1.4 billion people, are significant, as the country needs to achieve more than just having access to energy, i.e., to have consistent, dependable, and resilient access to energy to support continued economic growth and meet the demand requireme

India’s journey into the nuclear race is a unique chapter in modern geopolitics. India’s desire for scientifically independent developments caused the country’s “nuclear quest” to grow along two parallel lines: the use of nuclear energy for the economic development and growth of a large population, and creating a strong nuclear deterrent to guarantee the independence of the country. Illustration by The Geostrata As the world addresses the climate change emergency and is deali

On 12 December 2026, thirty years of structured water diplomacy between India and Bangladesh will formally expire as the Ganga Water Treaty, signed in 1996, is set to lapse. It started gaining momentum with the recent political changes in Dhaka, renewing debates over water sharing, taking it to the spotlight with urgency not seen in decades. Illustration by The Geostrata The renewal of this treaty is not merely a hydrological question. It is a barometer of the India-Banglades

For decades, Pakistan maintained its fundamental belief, which held that the Muslim Brotherhood of the Gulf would support Pakistan during any conflict with India over Kashmir. The financial connections to Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Doha served as economic lifelines for Islamabad. The Gulf states functioned as moral protectors in Islamabad's strategic vision. The Gulf would support the ummah when the moment arrived. The moment arrived, but the Gulf states did not respond. Illustra

On 12 April 2026, Hungary, for the first time in sixteen long years, welcomed a new government to the seat of power. In a watershed moment in Hungarian politics, around 79.5% of Hungary’s electorate turned out to vote in a monumental exercise of democracy. Viktor Orbán, the man who had dominated the seat of power since 2010, was defeated by Peter Magyar by a landslide margin of 138-55. Illustration by The Geostrata This change in governments is not a mere change in ruling par

Wages are a perennial issue in the Indian market, and this was exemplified during the recent labour unrest in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, during the month of April, which brought attention back to India's changing labour laws and the difficult realities of putting them into effect. What started as a protest over pay problems slowly turned into tense fights in some parts of the industrial area. There were reports of injuries and damage to public property, including cars being set on

China’s revival of its Mao-era “Third Front” strategy represents one of the most consequential shifts in contemporary geopolitics. Originally conceptualised by Mao Zedong in 1964, the Third Front aimed to relocate critical defence industries deep into China’s mountainous interior, particularly in provinces such as Sichuan, Gansu, and Ningxia, to shield them from external attack. Over 15 million people were mobilised to build secret factories in remote terrains, forming what w

The Popular opinion today is that the 2026 Middle East conflict between Israel, Iran, and the U.S.A has fundamentally destabilised the world’s largest oil importer, China. Contrary to this opinion, Beijing is rather successfully converting this systemic threat into its strategic advantage. While its regional peers in Asia face existential supply risks, China’s decade-long engineered resilience, anchored by 1.3 billion barrels of strategic petroleum reserves and alternative pi

In a significant push towards gender-equitable caregiving, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Parliament to frame a comprehensive law on paternity leave as a part of the social security benefit scheme that aims to protect a father's income, employment, and family well-being when he takes time off from work after the birth of or adoption of his child. This comes in the course of hearing a petition that was seeking maternity leave in case of adoption and opened up a la

The Pacific Ocean is the Earth’s largest and deepest ocean, covering one-third of the Earth’s surface, housing the most varied array of algae & animals, and navigating trillions of dollars in trade annually. Yet, out of all the activities that take place here, the most interesting might just be the ongoing recalibration of power, as one pacifist nation’s actions quietly start a new era. Japan, in the legacy of WW2, is a war-renouncing nation. Illustration by The Geostrata Th

Lauded for its diversity by the world, India hosts 6 major religions, over 50 recognised tribal faiths, and hundreds of other smaller indigenous traditions within its territory. As a way of preserving this myriad of faiths, personal laws have prevailed in the fabric of our legal structure since colonial times . Acting as a set of regulations governing private matters on grounds of religion, its need, and subsequent impact on national unity and complications in legal admin

“There are no permanent friends or allies, only permanent interests.” This quote by Lord Palmerston significantly underlines the fragile nature of relationships in the geopolitical arena, which is increasingly becoming more dynamic and complex in structure. The approach of one size fits all has become obsolete, and nations are embracing a more fluid framework in their pursuit of diplomatic outreach. Illustration by The Geostrata The 27-country European Union is the U.S.’s la