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

Trade finance is the financial instruments and services used to facilitate global trade in order to fill the gap between the dispatch of goods and the receipt of payment. It mitigates the risks associated with exports and imports through techniques like export credit, guarantees, insurance, and letters of credit, while facilitating cross-border trade. Illustration by The Geostrata Ports, highways, and manufacturing facilities receive policy attention, but for firms to compete

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

India is pursuing two policy objectives that are at odds with each other. The first is the construction of deep, subsidised, protected domestic manufacturing capacity. This has been extensively expressed through the PLI (Productivity-linked scheme) across 14 sectors and quality control orders on steel, aluminium, chemicals, and electronics. Along with this, high tariffs to protect sectors till they are competitive, in addition to the strong push for self-reliance demonstrated

Beijing has witnessed two high-stakes summits. U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit from the 13th to the 15th of May, 2026, which resulted in a transactional framework of "constructive strategic stability,” stood in stark contrast to the arrival of the Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 19th of May to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship. Illustration by The Geostrata By hosting these rival leaders in rapid succession, China dem

The ever-growing trend of bilateral FTAs in the global economy today can provide lessons to New Delhi amid its own push for the same. One such example would be Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has been restructuring its EU FTA since 2025. The agreement focuses on adding value to the Malaysian semiconductor industry and on moving from assembly to chip design and fabrication. Trade access is being used as leverage to secure technology and R&D investment. Illustration by The Geostrata Th

A MARKET CATCHING FIRE India, however, is changing its journey. The subcontinent of a billion people is no longer shifting gears to the growls of petrol engines, but to silence. India’s 2025 total retail sales of electric vehicles exceeded 165,000 units, with battery electric vehicle sales reaching 176,500 units, a 77 per cent increase for all categories of vehicles in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Illustration by The Geostrata Two-wheelers and thr

Recently leaked Pakistani military reports revealed some shocking facts. As per the reports, Pakistan is seeking to fulfil its dream of building nuclear missiles beneath the sea as well as building nuclear submarines and requested China’s assistance in 2024, which China outright rejected. To entice China, Pakistan offered it extensive access to its Gwadar port, but China still refused. Illustration by The Geostrata This move by China clearly shows that, regardless of being al

At an elevation of over 4,500 metres, the Tibetan Plateau stores more freshwater than anywhere on the Earth outside the polar ice caps and It's the origin of ten of Asia's most consequential rivers like Brahmaputra, Mekong, Yangtze, Yellow, Salween, Indus, Irrawaddy, Ganges tributaries, Amu Darya, and the Tarim rivers which are collectively sustaining the lives and livelihoods of nearly two billion people across China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cam

Fentanyl is frequently called the border crisis between the United States and Mexico, but the forces keeping it alive come from much earlier in the production chain. Synthetic opioids are made through chemical reactions that require precursors, which are then sold across the border areas in legitimate commercial networks. The scale of the crisis reflects the durability of those upstream supply structures rather than episodic trafficking events. Illustration by The Geostrata I

THE RISE OF FOREIGN-OWNED GCCS AND THE QUIET DECLINE OF INDIA'S IT GIANTS The story told about Indian IT is a story of disruption. Artificial intelligence, the argument goes, is automating the work that built a $224 billion export industry, the code-writing, the testing, the legacy migration, and the national champions that built it are scrambling to adapt. That story is true. It is also incomplete in a way that matters. Illustration by Geopolitics Next The more significant s

Operation Sindoor, which India launched last year in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, marked the defining moment in India’s counterterrorism response. In that 88-hour-long conflict, India redrew the lines of deterrence, making the harbours of terrorism know that no sanctuary of terror across the border is safe and India has the capability and resolve to destroy and hit everything. Illustration by The Geostrata Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery famously remarked, “

“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

“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

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

The European Union-India Free Trade Agreement (EU-India FTA), signed on January 27, 2026 after more than two decades of negotiations represents an inflection point in both trade and geopolitical priorities of the two partners. Cover by The Geostrata Using data from the WITS and COMEXT databases, this study employs a partial equilibrium model to estimate the expected change in EU exports of motor vehicles (HS-4 8703) and components (HS-4 8708) to India, outlining the expected

Recent developments in India-China relations suggest a careful but deliberate attempt at stabilisation, after years of deep strain following the 2020 border crisis. The appointment of Vikram Doraiswami as India’s new Ambassador to China, positive signalling from Beijing, and evolving economic policy choices in New Delhi together reflect a pragmatic recalibration. Illustration by The Geostrata This is shaped by both geopolitical and economic compulsions. This emerging approach

Historically, various forms of governments have emerged, ranging from coercive– authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorial, despotic, fascist, autocratic, to participative models like democracy. Somewhere between the spectrum lie forms of governance like monarchy, oligarchy, kleptocracy, and the very recent ones like broligarchy. These terms may sound similar and at times used interchangeably, but their essence does differ- Same, Same but Different! Illustration by The Geostrat

The Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) is an important step in India's demand redressal and grievance settlement system, in which demands are fulfilled without any harm caused to the national integrity. The FNTA is a carefully curated response to decades-long calls from Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) for more political recognition and developmental justice in eastern Nagaland. Illustration by The Geostrata It came about after talks between the Un

Embedded in our history, scriptures, and sciences, the transgender community has made an indelible mark on what we proudly deem to be our culture. Composed of Hijras , eunuchs, Kothis, Aravanis, Jogappas, Shiv-Shakthis etc, the community finds its roots tracing back to the Vedas, Puranas, and other significant oral and written traditions like the Ramayana. Illustration by The Geostrata The community is often referred to as ‘napunsaka,’ which means someone with the inability