“Trump's shadow looms large over BRICS as Modi hosts Putin and Xi in Delhi.” The BBC ran this headline on September 11, just a day before the summit officially opened in New Delhi. Before the declaration was signed, before the leaders sat down to negotiate a consensus, Washington had already entered the story without being invited. BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration on the first day of the summit. Illustration by The Geostrata Within days, Russia was

Well before 1945 the most sought-after steel in physics was produced, much of it from old warships and shipwrecks. Not as strong or lasting as modern steel. What makes it valuable is something it never had. The first nuclear tests changed the atmosphere. Artificial radionuclides were released into the atmosphere and spread around the world; steel produced subsequently can contain low concentrations of these nuclides. For ordinary purposes, the difference is meaningless. Illus

Recently, on September 30, 2026, Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War, during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, announced the establishment of the Autonomous Warfare Command, or “AutoWarCom”. Illustration by The Geostrata In a way, the announcement marked an institutional pivot in modern military affairs. By establishing a dedicated four-star command equipped with “service-like authorities", the U.S. Department of War is restructuring its forces to overcome modern military

The islands known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan have regained importance after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the disputed territory. Russia has also conducted large-scale military exercises around the islands, which have provoked protests from Japan. Illustration by The Geostrata The renewed tensions over the islands come at a time when Russia’s military posture in the region is drawing greater attention from Japan

Recent reporting from Taipei Times regarding the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) operational planning highlights a fundamental paradigm shift away from traditional, high-attrition amphibious landing models towards systemic urban paralysis, grey-zone coercion and multi-domain encirclement. Illustration by The Geostrata Moving beyond the classic Joint Island Landing Campaign, PLA strategists are actively refining an operational framework termed “All-Domain Megacity Inc

Nobody voted for Palantir to run immigration enforcement. Nobody elected the NSO Group to decide which migrants get surveilled. And nobody asked Clearview AI to scrape over 60 billion publicly available images into a facial recognition database and then license it to immigration investigators operating in contexts where algorithmic error has no formal accountability mechanism. Illustration by The Geostrata Yet here we are. Across the United States, the European Union, and a g

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 conqueror shall always endeavour to add to his own power and to weaken that of the enemy." - Kautilya, Arthashastra, Book VI In April 2026, the world witnessed another display of unapologetic power when the Dragon decided to cloak the mouth of the Scarborough Shoal with fleeting barriers and ships. What comes as a shock is how this act contradicts the UNCLOS and the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling that the shoal is well within the Philippines' Exclusive Econo

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

The lawsuit against Meta, filed by 42 states , points to a shift in digital transparency and accountability for big corporations and tech companies. As the misuse of social media platforms and their effects on mental health and behaviour of individuals comes to light, the lawsuit highlights the systematic misuse of resources and information by Meta to best suit their agenda. Illustration by The Geostrata The US Court Filings allege that Meta had purposefully hidden internal

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

Syria has experienced a shift in power with new actors emerging. The larger shift comes from how global powers view ongoing events in the country. Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power in Syria as part of a dramatic political transition. In addition to signaling the end of Syria's previous leadership, his ascent has drawn attention from all over the world due to his remarkable personal development of Ahmed al Sharaa, from being an al-Qaeda militant commander to a Syrian ‘revoluti

India’s multi‑vector foreign policy in 2025 reflects a refined combination of adaptability and strategic depth in an increasingly complex world. In this new order, India carefully balances among the United States, China, and Russia while maintaining its strong influence within its South Asian neighbourhood. Illustration by The Geostrata The identified strategy, based on the belief in strategic autonomy, allows New Delhi to maneuver in unforeseen crises and take opportunities

Trade conversations between the United States and India often focus on tariffs and technicalities, but the two giant trading partners share a much larger concern . This is especially true in agriculture. Illustration by The Geostrata The US relies on large, export-oriented farms, whereas India’s agricultural sector is composed of millions of small farmers who require steady prices to survive. What looks like a policy conversation on paper becomes an argument about defending t

‘The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without even fighting’- Sun Tzu, The Art of War. The Asian dragon and its growing relevance in global affairs have persistently dictated the geopolitical sphere and shaped global policies. From dominating global supply chains to an established hegemony in rare earth resources, China is no longer just an active player in a rapidly evolving global order, emerging at the helm of affairs. Illustration by The Geostrata As the geopol