Soumyajit Kundu

India’s recent amendment to Press Note 3 (PN-3) has sparked a wave of commentary suggesting a diplomatic thaw with China. The popular phrase “Dragon–Elephant Tango” that has been popularised, especially by the Chinese media, captures the mood apparently. Yet, beneath this surface narrative lies a more complex reality, one driven less by sentiment and more by strategic compulsion in an increasingly uncertain world order. Let us dig deep into it. A Shift Triggered by a Changing World Part of...

When the constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787, one of its fundamental tenets was the doctrine of features it showcased was the principle of ‘Separation of Powers’. With time it became the fulcrum of Democracy. The Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, for the first time in history, started working independently yet keeping checks on each other to deter concentration of power in the hands of any one vertical. Article 1, 2 and 3 which carefully delineated the...

The Middle East has never been a quiet land. Empires have marched across it, prophets have risen from it, and great powers have repeatedly tried to bend it to their will. In 1918, they carved up the Ottoman Empire. Oil transformed its deserts into prize territory. Israel’s creation redrew its political map. The 1979 Iranian Revolution electrified its ideological battles. And in 2003, the American invasion of Iraq once again shook its foundations. Each was called a turning point at the time....