Some things to Reconsider

 When the history of Indian diplomacy under Narendra Modi is eventually written, it may be remembered not for its strategic breakthroughs, but for its theatrical excesses, its silences in moments of crisis, and its worrying penchant for personalisation over institutional prudence. Modi’s foreign policy, by design, was never meant to be quiet or cautious. From the grand gestures of “Namaste Trump” to his surprise visits to Pakistan, it has been high on drama and low on deliverables. It has sought headlines, not long-term relationships. Unfortunately, in foreign affairs, style without substance often invites consequences. Let us begin closer home. In 2015, when a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, India was the first responder. This was an admirable and expected act by a regional power. However, what could have been a reaffirmation of India’s neighbourhood leadership quickly descended into a public relations disaster. Kathmandu’s citizens and civil society accused India of using ...

  https://theprint.in/national-interest/op-sindoor-is-the-first-battle-in-indias-two-front-war-a-vicious-pawn-in-a-kings-gambit/2650009/   Op Sindoor: More Chest-Thumping, Less Thinking Let me begin with categorical disagreement—not gentle dissent, but full-throated, Sumo wrestler style takedown—of the “received wisdom” that now saturates prime-time India: the punditry of “TV Generals” and the breathless prose of what I call “cookie-pusher editors,” more trained in literary flair than geopolitical nuance. Case in point: the recent article titled “Op Sindoor is the First Battle in India’s Two-Front War. A Vicious Pawn in a King’s Gambit.” Dramatic? Certainly. Factual? Barely. The idea that China’s aggressive calculus came into India’s view only after Op Sindoor is laughable. For decades, China has not merely operated in isolation—it has built a playbook around proxy warfare. This is not new. It is not even controversial. It’s doctrine. North Korea is the textbook ex...