The current crisis in West Asia offers us a window. In a world where oil routes can be disrupted overnight by wars India did not start, energy independence becomes a sovereign necessity. Every gigawatt of solar power installed is one step away from the Strait of Hormuz. Every electric vehicle on the road is a barrel of oil India does not have to import. Every rooftop panel is a small act of national self-reliance.
South Asia’s problem is not that it lacks importance. Its problem is that it lacks collective strategy. Each country is trying to survive the new order separately. India seeks global-power status. Pakistan seeks strategic relevance and economic stability. Bangladesh seeks balanced partnerships and export security. Sri Lanka seeks recovery. Nepal seeks space between two giants. The Maldives seeks bargaining power. Bhutan seeks quiet sovereignty. Afghanistan seeks recognition and survival.
The sudden amplification of TTP-related narratives in Bangladesh appears strategically timed. Observers note that between August 2024 and February 2026, there were credible concerns regarding the facilitation—both overt and covert—of visits by Pakistan-linked militant actors into Bangladesh. Yet, these developments did not receive comparable international attention.
Bangladesh’s political future depends on whether the BNP can discipline its own networks before citizens conclude that elections only rotate predators. It must act against extortion, land grabbing, political violence, campus capture, and intimidation, not as public relations damage, but as regime-defining threats.
This twin strategy -- institutionalised engagement with Europe and practical leadership of the Global South -- would broaden India’s repertoire. A strengthened European partnership would sharpen India’s industrial and technological edge; robust South-South initiatives would deepen its diplomatic capital and soft power. Together they would blunt the effect of whimsical shifts in U.S. policy and give New Delhi greater leverage with Moscow and Beijing.
India has thus far shown that it is willing to continue its friendship with Russia and expand relations in diverse areas from defence to energy, from manpower mobility to innovation, from investment and technology exchange to culture and tourism. In short, Putin’s visit was meant to prepare both countries to defy sanctions and explore new areas of cooperation - in Russia’s Far East and Arctic, cooperation in areas of climate change and green energy, and work together to strengthen multilateral forums like the BRICS, SCO and G-20.
The expansion of education in Bangladesh has played a key role in this transformation. Girls are now equal to boys in schools, colleges, and universities and sometimes even ahead of them. Women have proven their capabilities as doctors, engineers, teachers, researchers, and even pilots. This achievement is not just personal; this is the evolution of the mentality of a society.
However. the desire to collaborate regionally has faced many hurdles such as geopolitical tensions arising from the India–Pakistan rivalry and limited SAARC summit activity that has greatly weakened implementation of regional initiatives. The Rapid Response Mechanism remains largely on paper, with no standing regional force or pre-positioned assets. Smaller nations like Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka face financial/technical limitations in aligning with regional standards.
The exposure of a sophisticated white-collar terror network underscores the evolving nature of radicalisation and the need for comprehensive security reforms. Measures that merit consideration include: a)Reinstating long-term President’s Rule in J&K to stabilise governance and security; b) Implementing an organised, sustained deradicalisation programme, particularly among youth and educated professionals; c) Strengthening the permanent presence of the Indian Army in the Valley and increasing the number of cantonments; and d) Ensuring that elections are conducted only when broader community representation is viable, including Kashmiri Pandits, Dogras, Sikhs and other displaced groups
Bangladeshis can be found in the unlikeliest of places in search of gainful 'employment'. Recently two Bangladeshi militants were killed, reportedly in an anti-militancy raid in Pakistan. Two Bangladeshis were also found in the Ukraine war fighting in support of Russia as mercenaries. With financing and patronage, Bangladesh with a vast population of poor devout Muslims can potentially become an unlimited source of Islamic militants and suicide bombers for the rest of the world.
Putin’s 2025 visit to New Delhi was a strategic demonstration of India’s contemporary foreign policy, not a sentimental reunion. For India, multipolarity is a toolkit — a defense built on diverse partnerships, institutional investments, and internal resilience, not an abstract idea. Yet a shield can fail if it is brittle or hollow. To ensure multipolarity remains a durable defense, New Delhi must convert diplomatic goodwill into operational readiness by strengthening domestic supply chains, addressing payment and logistical gaps, and sustaining principled diplomacy that safeguards India’s international standing. Otherwise, multipolarity risks becoming a comforting phrase rather than real protection.
The Mahabharata’s deepest warning is stark and sobering: nations rarely fall because of external enemies alone. They fall because of internal decay. Hastinapur did not collapse under foreign assault. Its destruction was the inevitable outcome of accumulated resentment, festering grievances, unchecked ambition, wounded egos, and a collective failure to address its own fault lines. The gates were opened from within, and once the poison reached its tipping point, war became unavoidable.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh struggles to sustain 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar—the world’s largest refugee settlement—amid a 63% humanitarian funding deficit. Ration cuts have intensified. Following USAID reductions, 48 health facilities were closed or scaled back, according to the International Rescue Committee. Nearly 300 children are diagnosed with malnutrition daily.
The visit has also proved crucial for Putin in terms of international optics where the world’s largest democracy and its prime minister offered sanguine words to him. Although pomp and circumstance often attend such visits, it is not inconceivable that some of that was aimed at sending a signal to President Donald Trump, particularly on the question of his pressure on Modi to altogether stop importing Russian oil as well as a punitive 25% tariff on New Delhi in response to that.
Ultimately, the India–Nepal border dispute is not only about the origin of a river. It is about how neighboring countries engage with shared history, evolving national identities, and shifting geopolitical environments. In a region shaped by growing strategic competition and enduring historical legacies, the conversation around Kalapani and Lipulekh remains a significant chapter in South Asian diplomacy
Amid fragmented supply chains, the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia-China convergence, and escalating US-China tensions, India’s nuclear cooperation with Russia helps hedge against overdependence on the West and ensures Moscow remains embedded within India’s strategic ecosystem. While Russia needs stable export markets, India needs dependable technology and supply chains — a mutual dependence strengthened by sanctions and geopolitical flux.
The Brotherhood’s strategy is global. In India, pro-Palestinian protests have been weaponized by groups including Jamaat-e-Islami, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, ISIS-linked entities, and Pakistan’s ISI to stoke communal hostility and recruit young Muslims into political Islam. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been funneled toward campus radicalization, media manipulation, and political influence campaigns that demonize Hindus and normalize Islamist narratives.
Even reciprocal communal violence is spreading between Bangladesh and India through generative AI tools. Meta AI’s text-to-image generation feature is producing and propagating hate against Muslim minorities in India, which is creating an anti-India narrative in Bangladesh. Similarly, Several AI-generated images were found circulating on X and Facebook showing burning temples and torched bodies of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh
India’s multi-dimensional and wide-ranging relationship with Russia, with strategic issues, defence and energy security as bulwarks, has been one of the critical pillars of its foreign policy, one it will try to ensure remains vibrant and mutually beneficial and supportive during Putin’s visit, despite pressures. If, additionally, it can gain global stature by furthering a peace agreement on Ukraine, New Delhi will consider it a visit well done.
