Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) constitute over 95% of formal enterprises in both ASEAN Member States and India, serving as a critical engine for employment, innovation, and inclusive economic growth. Despite their significance, MSMEs continue to face deeply rooted structural constraints ranging from financing gaps and limited technological capacity to regulatory fragmentation and exclusion from regional value chains. Illustration by The Geostrata The COVID-19 pa

Security and strategy have been the guiding principles in today’s geopolitical scenario. The ASEAN, or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has been at the forefront of ensuring a secure and stable world. At the core of it lies a critical region, the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific has been witnessing an evolving nature of geopolitics and is significant for regional groupings like ASEAN and QUAD. Illustration by The Geostrata The QUAD, comprising the United States, India, A

The relationship between India and ASEAN goes way far, beyond trade and strategy, rooted in centuries of cultural exchanges and shared heritage. India and ASEAN both recognise and underscore the importance of people-to-people diplomacy, and how it is becoming an important element of state-led initiatives as both regions continue to negotiate a multipolar world. India-ASEAN relations are often narrated through a simplified filter: India is seen as a counterbalance to U.S. inte

India's trade policy since independence has been rooted in self-sufficiency and protectionism, which makes India's trade remarkably different. The first three and a half decades after independence were governed by very high tariffs, tight import restrictions, and a complex 'licence raj'   system to encourage young Indian industries, while protecting many sectors. Illustration by The Geostrata This self-sufficiency encouraged domestic manufacturing, but at the same time, it ha

As the world has been becoming increasingly influenced by digital infrastructure, a rising trust gap is developing around global tech ecosystems. Countries are becoming increasingly cautious about the excessive use of Western or Chinese platforms  due to data colonisation, spying, and economic blackmail. Illustration by The Geostrata The concept of digital non-alignment has gained popularity: as geopolitical fault lines become more pronounced, the concept of developing sovere

In an ever-evolving, unpredictable world order, a moderate, realistic and flexible country has several opportunities to shape and influence it. It has been observed that opportunities in the international system do not wait for long. There is no true democracy in the global arena. Illustration by The Geostrata A middle-income country like India, which does not hold commanding formal positions at the high tables of bodies like the UN, must try to take the initiative in fields

India's maritime policy is experiencing a robust transformation that now emphasises technological innovations, smart diplomacy, and regional leadership. India is expanding its reach from coastal defence to the entire Indo-Pacific region through contemporary definitions of maritime power grounded on Artificial Intelligence and multilateralism. Cover by The Geostrata India's maritime policy reflects its maritime aspirations, with doctrines like SAGAR and the Indo-Pacific Oceans

In a region where history echoes with rivalries and challenges like terrorism and maritime conflicts that threaten peace, India stands...

Strait of Malacca, formally known as Melaka, is a waterway linking the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea in the...

“You can change your friends but not your neighbours,” quoted by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is a truism in international relations....

Since the 1950s, the South China Sea has been an extremely political and volatile source of conflict in maritime security. Occasionally,...

During the recent cycle of 18th general elections, National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),...

Over recent years, popular media and discussions have dubbed India an emerging major power. Enthusiastically, journalists and scholars...

Quad is the informal name of the groupings of India, Australia, the US, and Japan, as one of the ideal examples of a ‘balance of power’....

India and China are leading powers in Asia, trying to outmanoeuvre each other. China's recent ascent to prominence as a global force has...

One of the pillars of our foreign policy has been an attempt to ‘Decolonise Multilateralism’. Discussing and reforming the 21st-Century multilateralism towards a more inclusive global commitment. Today India's voice carries strategic weight globally due to her enhanced economic power, political stability, and nuclear-capability. Illustration by The Geostrata Multilateralism however, needs to acknowledge current global crises viz. power shifts, geopolitical rivalries, zero-su

“We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” ~ Carl Sagan "We have achieved a soft landing on the moon; India is on the moon,” were the...

The term Decolonization in its literal sense refers to the process whereby the colonized countries gained independence from their...