On December 25 of this year we will mark 25 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many in Russia and the West were optimistic about the seeming imminent integration of Russia into a Western-led liberal democratic global order. The United States, in particular, fresh off its ‘victory’ in the Cold War, could hardly restrain its triumphalism as it stood astride the world as the sole superpower.

• Andrew C. Kuchins
• November 2016
• Strategic Analysis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran is important in many ways. It came at a time when India is seriously contemplating activation of its ‘Look West’ policy and banking on Iran as a ‘gateway’ and provider of a corridor to Central Asia and Afghanistan. The visit sought to revitalise India–Iran bilateral relations which has passed through an uncertain phase during the last decade.

• M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi , Ashok K. Behuria
• September 2016
• Strategic Analysis

The results of the most recent Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections in Iran indicate that Iranians are increasingly unhappy with the conservative establishment in the country. The Reformists or moderates and pro-Rouhani group of ‘Hope’ secured a majority in the Assembly of Experts and also won more seats than their rival conservatives or Principlists in the Majlis or parliament. The elections for the two bodies were held on February 26, 2016.

• M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi
• July 2016
• Strategic Analysis

The article examines the influence of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) members that acts as an important condition of success for implementation of the three-pillared Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle in case of Syrian conflict. Analysis has revealed two distinctive features of the BRICS’s positions. Firstly, BRICS has placed particular emphasis on there being a reasonable prospect of success before supporting intervention.

• Christo Odeyemi
• March 2016
• Strategic Analysis

Since assuming the throne on January 23, 2015 following the death of King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia’s new monarch, King Salman, seems to have set about the task of shaking up the ultraconservative kingdom. The punishment or pardoning of Raef Badawi became the litmus test of the new Saudi monarch’s reign as the blogger’s sentence coincided with the last days of the ailing King Abdullah and King Salman was compelled to face his personal past as promoter of Islamic fundamentalism abroad.

• Sandhya Jain
• May 2015
• Strategic Analysis

This article aims to delve into the patterns of convergence and divergence of interests among three key regional players in the Middle East: the Russian Federation, Turkey and Iran.

• Hossein Aghaie Joobani , Mostafa Mousavipour
• March 2015
• Strategic Analysis

The long conflict between Israel and Palestine took a turn for the worse after the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in June 2014.

• G. Balachandran , Aakriti Sethi
• March 2015
• Strategic Analysis

President Barack Obama has detailed his strategy to degrade, defeat and ultimately destroy the Islamic State (IS) (the IS is also referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS]) currently considered the most threatening of the various terrorist groups operating primarily in the Middle East. Fundamental to the success of the strategy is military action aimed at degrading the combat capabilities of the fighting elements of the IS.

• Sanu Kainikara
• January 2015
• Strategic Analysis

After nearly 30 years in power, the Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt, considered by many to be the strongest in the Arab world, collapsed suddenly in February 2011 after a mere 18 days of street protests. In this article, we try to explain the puzzling collapse of the Mubarak regime using regime transition theory. We argue that the Mubarak regime’s collapse came about as a result of four key developments, none of which were sufficient to cause the regime’s collapse, but when coalesced together exposed the regime’s lack of coercive and persuasive powers, thereby hastening its demise.

• Kirsten Henderson , Rajat Ganguly
• January 2015
• Strategic Analysis

This article examines Iranian contentions on three issue areas that exemplify the politicised nature of its interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These include access to military facilities, information credibility and the ‘nuclear activism’ of US-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv
• September 2014
• Strategic Analysis

Xi’s visit to Riyadh builds on the strong economic engagements between China and Saudi Arabia.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• January 05, 2023
• Issue Brief

Russia’s partial mobilisation has also had regional domestic repercussions, especially so in the Central Asian Republics.

• Jason Wahlang
• November 24, 2022
• Comment

The end of the ceasefire in Yemen without any substantial political understanding between the government and the Houthis heightens the risk of escalation of violence.

• Prasanta Kumar Pradhan
• November 10, 2022
• Comment

The Eastern Mediterranean offers India strong prospects for import of natural gas, given strong bilateral relations with regional countries, including Egypt, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• November 01, 2022
• Comment

The I2U2 is a promising initiative with immense potential for cross-regional cooperation.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• September 05, 2022
• Issue Brief

Iran is focussing its diplomatic energies on advancing its ‘neighbourhood policy’ and long-term cooperation with China and Russia.

• Deepika Saraswat
• July 29, 2022
• Comment

Lebanon is yet to witness the formation of a new stable government, two months after parliamentary elections.

• Jatin Kumar
• July 18, 2022
• Comment

The change in Turkey’s foreign policy approach in West Asia underlines a desire on part of Ankara to eschew confrontationist politics.

• Md. Muddassir Quamar
• June 14, 2022
• Comment

The Orban government’s foreign and domestic policies will continue to be under the EU’s scanner, as it seeks to ramp up pressure on Russia for precipitating the worst security crisis that Europe is witnessing after the Second World War.

• Swasti Rao
• April 21, 2022
• Comment

With the war in Ukraine moving towards an uncertain resolution, there is a danger that the influx of heavy weaponry and foreign fighters could bring in a new set of imponderables into an already vicious and escalating conflict.

• Adil Rasheed
• March 28, 2022
• Comment