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
The war in Gaza demands a ceasefire. So does our war on nature. It demands Net Zero. IPCC has written the resolution for this ‘ceasefire’. This is not a metaphor. We are extracting, polluting, and emitting our way to collective suicide by adding fossil fuel on the spreading wildfire.
By outsourcing its defence to Pakistan and, indirectly, to China, Riyadh has loosened its obligations. Freed from Washington’s security leash, the Saudis can theoretically price oil in whatever currency they choose. The fact is that any disruptions in the riyal-dollar relationship would risk global financial equilibrium and undermine investor trust in the greenback.
In broader geostrategic terms, the defense pact is also an indicator of growing apprehensions in the Middle East about the United States as a reliable security guarantor any longer. It is also possible that Washington may have at least tacitly approved of the defense pact.
Nepal's dependence on remittances and decades of corruption, unemployment, and political stagnation came to a head during the Gen Z protests, which cost the lives of 72 people. Their sacrifice must lead to a ten-pillar change that turns vandalism into rebuilding, corruption into trust, and protest into the start of Nepal's renewal.
Shared river systems, shared vulnerabilities, and shared futures mean that India and Pakistan must set aside hostility and cooperate on vital planetary issues. Equally, both must press the world’s richest polluting nations to deliver on promised climate finance. The deluge is already here.
Yet India’s response is neither impulsive nor reactionary—it is rooted in a long tradition of strategic autonomy. From Nehru’s Cold War non-alignment to today’s “multi-alignment,” successive governments have insisted on freedom of action, refusing to let outside powers dictate India’s role in the world. This ethos, born of colonial subjugation, now guides New Delhi’s diversified diplomacy
Apart from these conspiracy theories, one fact is apparent: Digital platforms, particularly those owned by Facebook and Twitter (X), are playing a drastic role in launching, organizing and supporting socio-political movements and revolutions in South Asia where these developing countries, already marked by high-debt dependency, poverty, unemployment, poor governance, corruption, and illiteracy, are heavily reliant on international INGOs, NGOs, foreign aid, funds, and loans.
In June 2025, Sri Lanka’s DFCC Bank broke new ground as the first foreign corporation to list a green bond on India’s NSE International Exchange in GIFT City. The $8 million bond financed solar energy projects aligned with Sri Lanka’s 2030 renewables target. By securing a dual listing in Luxembourg and aligning with ICMA’s Green Bond Principles, DFCC broadened its international investor appeal and demonstrated how green finance can support debt stressed economies.
The game must be allowed allowed to find a way to restore its dignity and balance on the ground.Not only is there a need to check the unregulated commercialization but there is a need for the introduction of regulations that give bowlers a fair chance, have sporting pitches, and fair future tour programs that preserve Test cricket’s relevance.
Changing this dynamic involves rebalancing domestic narratives. In India, presenting Pakistan less as an existential threat and more as a troubled neighbour could lessen the political costs of engagement. In Pakistan, reducing the military's dominance over India policy would open space for pragmatic dialogue.
The events in Nepal and Bangladesh serve as stark warnings: the US Deep State and its Islamist partners are actively destabilizing South Asia, targeting democracies and turning vulnerable nations into vassal states. Nepal narrowly avoided disaster thanks to the courage and foresight of its army, while Bangladesh remains trapped in a jihadist nightmare.
New Delhi should not view cricket ties as appeasement but as investment in peace. By embracing cricket diplomacy, India can show moral leadership, protect its strategic interests and give millions of fans across South Asia a reason to dream of friendship rather than enmity. The ongoing Asia Cup is a good start in that direction. A few handshakes could have made it an even better start.
For India, the situation will remain volatile, as it shares a thousand-mile open border with Nepal permitting free movement of people. The coup in Nepal came as a surprise to India and Indian intelligence agencies, just like the coups in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Muhammad Yunus may bask in the applause of Western elites, but within Bangladesh his regime is a study in failure: illegitimate, incompetent, and dangerous. Nepal, with its army’s timely intervention and youth’s surprising maturity, showed that chaos need not consume a nation. Bangladesh, under Yunus, has shown the opposite: how a nation can betray its own future when it allows passion without perspective to rule the day.
We are well on our way to sealing the ozone hole. But let us ensure that in doing so, we do not ignore the new fissures opening at our feet. The work of healing our planet is never complete—it simply evolves.Let our legacy be that we were wise enough to see the whole board, not just the move we just made. The ozone hole is being sealed, but the deal is not done. The lesson is not over. The action must continue—even in celebration.
