Power in international politics is often misunderstood and seen through the lens of military strength, weapons, or economic pressure. Yet in the modern world, power works through two major forms: hard power and soft power. Countries don't just “exist” anymore; they compete for "influence." India today stands at a unique crossroads where both forms of power are rising simultaneously. It is not merely becoming stronger; it is becoming more visible. The challenge is not only to

WHAT HAS HAPPENED? At 10 a.m. on 13th April 2026, US moved in to block the Iranian ports, a critical maritime chokepoint, after failed talks with Iran to open the trade route for the US. The blockade went into effect on 15th April 2026. The blockade is applicable to all ships, without any distinction, that engage with Iranian ports and terminals, including the Gulf of Oman. As of 19th April, the entirety of the Iranian coastline remains blocked. The move to reassert control o

Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister Balendra "Balen" Shah has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India, marking the first significant diplomatic move by Nepal's government. This visit arrives at a moment of transition, notably after the ‘2025 Nepalese Gen-Z protests’, which resulted in resignation of former PM KP Sharma Oli and formation of an interim government. This transition is not merely of government, but also of generation and of governing pri

The world held its collective breath this past weekend as delegations from Washington DC and Tehran descended upon the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, yet the cocoon of the fanciest hotel was not enough for the talks and marked a fundamental blow to nascent hopes of finding an offer to this crisis. These talks had huge consequences; they were the highest-level talks between US and Iranian officials since the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and it's hard to overstate how

Introduction With technology constantly evolving, diplomacy has also evolved. From newspaper articles to television broadcasts and now to social media posts, politicians have often leveraged the opportunities provided by new technologies to further their agenda. This is most clearly illustrated by Trump's reliance on Truth Social as the primary medium for sharing official communications about the war in Iran. Such communications have varied widely, from congratulatory message

Introduction: For years, India’s energy sector has been built on a quiet calculation and now the calculation is under severe stress. The Strait of Hormuz, which is a 33-kilometre- wide chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s traded energy passes, has become the center of India’s gas security. New Delhi has sent our Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri to address this growing concern. He landed in Doha on April 9, f