BRICS
Politics
Shocks to shields: How India fortifies itself against a turbulent world
Hedging comes at a cost, but it is a price India may have to pay as it gets constricted by US transactionalism, two-front security pressure, Pakistan’s strategic rehabilitation and China’s institutional penetration of South Asia. Academic Hao Nan analyses the situation.
Hao Nan
02 Mar 2026
Economy
India counters Trump pullback with FTAs, e-rupee
India has long been working hard at diversification, with recent high-profile gains like the EU-India FTA. With its efforts to widen the use of the e-rupee and increase BRICS interoperability in digital currencies, it may be upping its game. ISAS academic Amitendu Palit shares his views.
Amitendu Palit
20 Feb 2026
Politics
Caution and calculus: How India sees China in 2026
As India heads into 2026, it balances diplomacy and vigilance with China. Past strategic moves have fostered a trust deficit, making Delhi cautious even as both nations seek engagement and regional influence, says Indian academic Rishi Gupta.
Rishi Gupta
20 Jan 2026
Politics
Why Anwar wants BRICS — without really joining it
Malaysia’s decision to join BRICS demonstrates its longstanding adherence to strategic equidistance. It also bears Anwar Ibrahim’s personal imprimatur, say academics Isabelle Chua and Francis E. Hutchinson of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Isabelle Chua, Francis E. Hutchinson
22 Dec 2025
Economy
The SCO development bank: China’s answer to Western financial hegemony?
China’s push for an SCO development bank aims to offer Eurasia a non-dollar, low-conditionality alternative to Western finance. But governance challenges, funding gaps and divergent interests may stall its ambition before it takes flight. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May discusses the issue.
Genevieve Donnellon-May
29 Sep 2025
Politics
Venezuela exposes the limits of China’s global power
China’s limited response to Venezuela amid Trump’s deployment of naval vessels to the southern Caribbean in the crackdown on drug smugglers makes clear that Beijing cannot (yet) provide an alternative to Washington’s hegemony. Italian commentator Emanuele Scimia discusses the issue.
Emanuele Scimia
29 Sep 2025
Politics
The new Asian chessboard: Modi navigates China, Japan and a ‘wobbly’ US
By deepening relations with Japan and signalling openness to dialogue with China, India may be saying that equality remains the key strategic goal and it does not like to be pushed, says Indian analyst Rishi Gupta.
Rishi Gupta
09 Sep 2025
Politics
Xi’s long game vs Trump’s deals: A clash of global futures
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, embody radically different styles and visions for global order. Their diverging paths, from Xi’s long-term statecraft to Trump’s transactional populism, risk a bleak future if ideological divides persist. US academic Zhu Zhiqun examines this quagmire.
Zhiqun Zhu
09 Sep 2025
Politics
How China is shaping India without confronting it
Amid China and India’s seeming rapprochement, China’s structural penetration into South Asia has become increasingly visible this year. Beijing is no longer nibbling at the region’s edges, but laying a wedge, says academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
21 Aug 2025
Politics
China’s global south dilemma: Ally, leader or outsider?
As the debate on China in the global south versus China and the global south continues, hard realities mean it may be difficult for the “global south” to act collectively. Chinese academic Zha Daojiong ponders the issue.
Zha Daojiong
13 Aug 2025