“Just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War The Ruse of the Empty City IMAGE CREDITS-FANDOM This is a story from the infamous Chinese classic, “Romance of the Three Kingdom” . In the story, the general Zhuge Liang of Shu kingdom, was in danger of being besieged by the rival Wei kingdom in his fortress at Xicheng. His own forces were very far away to stop this invasion. Zhuge Liang, in order to counter th

India’s foreign policy stands at a turning point assisted by a rapidly shifting global order and the complex dynamics of domestic politics. For decades, India has pursued a foreign policy rooted in strategic autonomy engaging with global powers without full alignment, prioritising economic partnerships and asserting its interests through forums such as the G20, BRICS, the Quad and more. Yet, despite these efforts, there is growing debate among policymakers and civil society a

The colonial subjugation faced by India has created a deep-seated imperative to protect sovereignty and end external domination in all forms including ideological (Chatterjee, 1993). Non-alignment was one such assertion where India chose to remain outside the framework of ideological bipolarity created in the 1960s in the form of Cold War (Ganguly, 2017). The recalibration of foreign policy instruments are a reflection of evolving power structures, making India’s quest for fu

IMAGE CREDITS-FREEWORLDMAPS.NET Out of the “eight plus” wars that President Donald Trump claims to have solved in his second term so far is the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the roots of which go deeper than the collapse of the USSR. The conflict centres around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan, but historically populated by ethnic Armenians. These two countries fell victim to Joseph Stalin’s ‘Sovietization’ in 1920 as two distinct S

“In flickering light, the stories play, War’s grim drama is on full display. A camera’s eye, both fierce and cold, Bears witness to truths and lies untold. When headlines fight and images soar, Our hearts are burdened by so much more.  For in the clash of fact and spin, It’s hard to know what lies within.” Media, the formidable pillar of governance, has been used as well as effectively misused many times to influence people’s mindsets. The flickering frontlines of the media p

AI chips are becoming faster at a remarkable speed. Semiconductor performance improves continuously while regulatory frameworks are static. With the ability to make autonomous, real-time decisions, Nvidia's latest processors are transforming everything from factory floors to the battlefield. Therefore, now India’s semiconductor mission and digital economy goals have become urgent. Recent advancements in AI hardware, particularly autonomous systems that possess the ability to

Can humanity still realign development with ecological limits when climate change is no longer a future risk but a present-day crisis? This question lies at the heart of climate action debates in 2025, a year that has reinforced the urgency of protecting the environment while exposing the gaps between global promises and real life outcomes. Climate action refers to efforts taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapting natural and human systems to the impacts of climat

Interstate river water disputes are one of the most persistent challenges in India's governance system. There is a constitutional and statutory framework under Article 262 of the Constitution and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (ISRWD Act) of 1956, but resolving these disputes often faces long delays, institutional issues, and political problems. A look at recent and ongoing tribunals highlights the reasons for these delays.  IMAGE CREDITS-PINTEREST Unresolved Tribun

Preventive detention is one of the most unusual and contested features of India’s democratic system. Unlike ordinary detention, where a person is arrested for an offence already committed, preventive detention allows the state to detain an individual on the belief that they may commit an act threatening public order or national security. In simple terms, it is detention based on anticipation rather than proof. Its continued use in contemporary India demonstrates that it is f

“She was told her place was within four walls, Her world measured in footsteps from hearth to hall. Yet when war raged and the walls collapsed, She was cast adrift—unprepared, unarmed, yet expected to adapt. The safest haven is home, a place to call one’s own. We all have grown up hearing and experiencing this, haven’t we? But what about those who flee their homes, seeking safety?” IMAGE CREDITS-GENERATIVE AI The world we once considered our home has increasingly become a war

Introduction In a recent decision, the Government of India has announced the implementation of the four labour codes- The Code on Wages, 2019 ; The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 ; The Code on Social Security, 2020 and The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. As such, the new labour codes have rationalised the 29 existing labour laws into 4, and the number of rules that govern labour have come down from 1,400 to around 350, while the number of for

I nternational Relations is indeed a very complex arena to enter into, but what makes it even more complicated is the chest-thumping power politics of wealth, military arsenal and the arbitrary display of hard power. Indeed the following lines present the whole crux of the argument of this theme :-  “International politics is a man’s world, a world of power and conflict in which women are marginalised.” By - J. Ann Tickner IMAGE CREDITS-PINTEREST Wars are what we often consid

The International system is undergoing immense reordering marked by fragmentation, economic coercion and governance contestation. From US-renewed unilateralism under President Trump to intensive power rivalry and regional instability, the recent geopolitical situation, with a significant shift towards technology driven power politics has exposed the limits of the post-cold war order . IMAGE CREDITS:PINTEREST United States under Trump : Recent developments in IR  Donald Trump’

“The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?” - Jeremy Bentham  Political theory has traditionally been anthropocentric, assuming that rights and moral consideration belong solely to human beings. Yet, the growing recognition of animal welfare and the extension of certain legal protections to non-human animals challenge this long-held assumption. This raises a crucial question: Can the political concept of rights be extended to non-human an

On 3 January 2026, the United States of America conducted a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, forcibly removing President Nicolás Maduro and extraditing him to the United States for criminal prosecution. According to the Security Council briefing, the operation was conducted after several months of escalating US military activity in and around Venezuela. Beginning in September 2025, the United States increased its naval and aerial presence in the southern Caribbean

How does it feel to wish, even for a second, for one’s father to be dead? How does it feel to kill or be killed for a loaf of bread? How...

“Human life is marked by a special consciousness, and the conclusion that presses itself upon this consciousness is, in the words of...

Introduction In 2021, when I and my peers were in 10th class, the final exams were cancelled due to the pandemic, and we were promoted to...

That emotions can be anything other than personal, they are rooted in structures that lay outside the realm of the self, they can be...

Bihar, boasting of being the epicentre of many mighty empires and also of spiritual power, now presents a stark picture in contrast to...