Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) , a trade agreement linking ten ASEAN countries with five of their key Free Trade Agreement partners, is one of the largest trade blocs in the world.    Illustration by The Geostrata The RCEP treaty is significant due to its representation of nearly a third of the world’s gross domestic product , encompassing a population of over two  billion  people and an estimated $5.2 trillion  in total exports. Despite its scale and s

India, also known as Bharatvarsh, was the land that once stretched all the way from Kandahar and Ghazni in the northwest (present-day Afghanistan) to present-day Southeast Asia. A land that had flourished as a hub of knowledge, science, and culture turned into a region marred by nearly 800 years of continuous conflict. Illustration by The Geostrata Geography placed India at the crossroads of continents, commerce, faiths, and empires, from the bone-chilling mountain passes of

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s sweeping electoral victory has inevitably triggered a familiar question in New Delhi’s strategic circles: what does a BNP-led Dhaka mean for India? Illustration by The Geostrata The concern is not hollow , as memories of strained ties during the earlier BNP rule remain fresh in the minds of experts and people alike. But geopolitics rarely allows countries the luxury of nostalgia. Today’s world, where alliances are changing at an unpreceden

India is set to host two key summits in 2026, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and the BRICS, assuming crucial geopolitical significance across the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. New Delhi’s active role in the BRICS underscores India's outreach to the Global South, working towards a multipolar world order. The QUAD, on the other hand, has a diversified agenda ranging from maritime security to developmental partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. Illustration by

“Our lives don’t matter,” a Hindu farmer said in a reported account. "The situation is horrific," added a Hindu community leader, "we are not receiving any support from anywhere." Innumerable testimonies  like these, along with chilling images that surfaced across Bangladesh of Hindu men beaten and set on fire by rabid mobs, have laid bare how a brutal, systematic persecution  of religious minorities  is taking place under the country’s current political dispensation.  Illust

"Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems” Dr S. Jaishankar (Indian External Affairs Minister) The world today has been confronted with the strange reality of trade protectionism and aggressive tariff policies, which stem from the thought of intrinsic economic development amongst multiple countries, starting with the US. What was earlier seen as protectionism and reignit

Global heritage recognition has been regarded as an unquestionable honour for many years. The highest level of protection for a cultural site or tradition is thought to be a UNESCO designation, an international award, or widespread media coverage. Acknowledgement is celebrated as a combination of pride, validation, and preservation. Beneath this joyous story, however, is a more subdued and unsettling reality: rather than protecting heritage, global recognition frequently puts

Southeast Asia’s geopolitics and cultural diplomacy have become essential tools in the 21st century for establishing relationships that go beyond political strategies and economic interests. The relationship between China, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the best example to understand the point of culture in International Relations. Illustration by The Geostrata Southeast Asia has been considered where East and West civilisations met, India an

India occupies a strikingly paradoxical position in the energy transition game. It is simultaneously among the world’s fastest-growing producers of energy and one of the most inefficient users of its own generation capacity. Over the past decade, India has expanded its renewable energy footprint at an impressive pace, diversified its thermal base and articulated ambitious climate goals in tandem with the Paris Agreement. Illustration by The Geostrata Yet, these great feats co

India and the European Union, after almost two decades, finally, on January 27th of 2026, concluded their negotiations for a free trade agreement, which has been, by the European Commission President Ms Ursula von der Leyen, more popularly called the “Mother of all Deals.” Cover by The Geostrata The announcement came shortly after the successful 16th India-EU Summit in New Delhi, attended by Indian PM Narendra Modi alongside the European Commission President H.E. Ursula von d

For India, Bangladesh has never been just another neighbour. Geography would have made that impossible, but history sealed it. The two countries share memories of 1971, which still shape political instincts on both sides, and there are dense economic and social ties; this means that developments in Bangladesh are seldom distant events for New Delhi. Illustration by The Geostrata They are experienced, discussed, and in many cases privately fretted about. For most of the last d

As the first month of 2026 comes to a close, the global economic establishment is less a coherent system and more a fragmented mirror of competing interests. With the EU – India summit less than a week away, the atmosphere is charged with unprecedented urgency. As the EU President Ursula von der Leyen touches down in India alongside other European leaders for Republic Day celebrations on January 26, the long-anticipated India – EU trade deal stands on the precipice of finaliz

The relations between India and the European Union (EU) have evolved. In recent years, the two sides have extended through successive climate cooperation initiatives to develop collaborations in energy efficiency, climate mitigation, renewable energy, transport systems and beyond.  Cover by The Geostrata Since the inception of the Clean Energy and Climate Partnership (CECP) in 2016 and the announcement of the EU’s ‘India Strategy’, the two sides, in response to improving the

Power is rarely exercised in isolation; it goes beyond laws and policies and into the realm of persuasion and perception. Authority ultimately remains in the hands of the leader and their ability to evoke, persuade and mobilise collective imagination. Illustration by The Geostrata Long before the advent of social media, politics unfolded on streets and marketplaces where the audience was not just passive observers but active members in shaping a narrative and leading to a rev

Languages are disappearing around the world at an unprecedented pace. UNESCO’s   Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger (2023) estimates that a language dies roughly every two weeks, a quiet death that erases an entire way of viewing and understanding the world. Each time a language dies, we lose more than just the words; we lose a cultural universe of myths, songs, humour, and history. Illustration by The Geostrata In India, a country with what is usually described as lin

South Asia is characterized by a geopolitically volatile environment within contemporary global power dynamics. Once viewed as an arena where India’s influence was unquestionable, it is now marked by political uncertainty, regime shifts, never-ending hostilities, security tensions, and competitiveness, along with external influence, particularly China. Collectively, these developments have changed the landscape of South Asia into a contested domain rather than a collaborative

“When the state whose Babasaheb Ambedkar gave India its constitution, stumbles, it's truly a time to do political course correction.” The election season of the year is back in full swing, and this time the boiling pot is Maharashtra. The state with the highest urbanisation index is currently undergoing the process of electing all its urban local bodies in the form of municipalities and municipal corporations. Illustration by The Geostrata It is these elections that matter fo

NATO-India relations have evolved significantly into a global defence and political importance. In an ever-evolving global trend marked by realignment and cataclysmic effects of globalisation, the participatory framework of partnerships with non-member states from different geographical regions shapes the democratic and security interests of nations beyond the transatlantic community. Cover by The Geostrata The relations between NATO and India go back to the events of ‘9/11’,

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.   Cover by The Geostrata Although the Instrument of Accession legally integrated Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union but Pakistan’s invasion and continued occupation of parts of the erstwhile state gave rise to what are now referred to as Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, and s

Greetings, everyone, We are happy to launch the 2025 edition of the Geomaga. In a way the year 2025 has been a year of national security. From Operation Sindoor against Pakistan to strikes on Myanmar and from technological advancements in the defence sector to the renewed focus on self-reliance, these are the broad spectrum of issues that have dominated the popular intellectual discourse throughout the year. Cover by The Geostrata In this edition of the Geomaga, we have inclu