SCO and BRICS in a Fractured World: India’s Balancing Act in Multipolarity

Against the backdrop of ineffectiveness of the UN in diffusing West Asia and Eurasia conflicts, failure to adopt a global pact on plastic pollution, and over and above all, the rise of unilateral trade protectionism, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has concluded its two-day (August 31 - September 1) high-profile 25th Summit in Tianjin, China.

AVILASH ROUL

MLM: Thadiyantavide Nazeer: Lashkar-e-Taiba-Linked Ideologue Recruiting in India From Prison

September 07, 2025

Thadiyantavide Nazeer is a key Islamic extremist associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and India’s homegrown jihadist group, Indian Mujahedeen (IM), and has been under arrest since 2013. Nazeer has managed to use his time in prison to radicalize others and was at the center of a cell of radicalized individuals who served time at Bengaluru’s Central Prison.

•Nazeer gained notoriety for his involvement with a series of bombings in the mid-2000s. He was an adept recruiter at this time.

ANIMESH ROUL

Musk, Trump and the Future of Free Speech on Social Media

The debate over free expression on social media today straddles politics, technology, and civil liberties. When Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on October 27–28, 2022, he declared his ambition to transform the platform into a global forum for candid discussion. One of his earliest and most controversial actions was restoring the account of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had been permanently banned in January 2021 following the Capitol riots.

URVIKA SHARMA

Weaponising victimhood: How Khalistanis, Islamists exploit the liberal West

July 13, 2025

In mid-June 2025, ‘Pro-Khalistan’ group Sikhs for Justice supporters packed Calgary’s City Hall square, waving Khalistan flags and chanting “Kill Modi politics” while demanding that India be “Balkanised” as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G7 summit nearby (Global News, Canada, June 16).

ANIMESH ROUL

Climate Refugees in South Asia: Protection Under International Legal Standards and State Practices in South Asia

Review by Urvika Sharma (July 01, 2025): In Climate Refugees in South Asia: Protection Under International Legal Standards and State Practices in South Asia (Springer Nature, Singapore, 2019),  Stellina Jolly and Nafees Ahmad consider the legal invisibility of communities as well as individuals forced to relocate due to climate-related disasters a subject that is both timely and distur

TM: Rising Islamist and Anti-Hindu Sentiment in Bangladesh in Wake of Pahalgam Attack

June 26, 2025

Bangladesh’s political and religious landscape has witnessed a sharp sectarian turn since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her flight to India in August 2024. What began as protests over job quota reforms soon escalated into a broader civil uprising. Exploiting the ensuing power vacuum, factions that include Islamist groups have expanded their influence, propagating anti-Hindu sentiment nationwide.

ANIMESH ROUL

Neglected Hazard, Growing Threat: Why Coastal Erosion Demands an Early Warning System

In 2022, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched the ‘Early Warning for All’ (EW4ALL) initiative, aiming to provide universal protection against hydro-meteorological, climatological, and related environmental hazards by 2027 (WMO, 2022). This initiative has advanced the global agenda on anticipatory action by emphasizing the need for user-centric early warning systems, thereby enhancing human security.

BISWANATH DASH

Missiles, Misinformation, and Minds: Why India Must Build Information Warfare Infrastructure

The May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict offered a sobering demonstration of how modern wars are no longer confined to physical battlefields alone. Alongside precision strikes and conventional military operations, both countries engaged in a fierce struggle for control over public perception, media narratives, and psychological advantage. The widespread use of misinformation and disinformation across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube transformed the conflict into a full-spectrum hybrid war.

ANIMESH ROUL