India’s World | Dissecting the Cyber Aspect of Operation Sindoor

While heightened cybersecurity alertness from both the government and the private sector has certainly helped, it is the cyber strength built over the years that has primarily ensured the resilience of the Indian cyber landscape.

By Lokendra Sharma and Karthik Bappanad

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The Indian Express | BRI’s debt trap and China’s expanding footprint

When Beijing’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) marked its decadal milestone in October 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “Viewing others’ development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one’s own life better or speed up one’s development.” However, instead of mutually-beneficial interdependence, China today has managed to make 140 countries highly asymmetrically dependent on it for economic investment and trade. Many of these dependencies are a result of the over $1.175 trillion worth of construction contracts and non-financial investments Beijing has undertaken under the BRI. Now, analysts suggest that loans to the tune of a whopping $35 billion may be up for repayment in 2025, and most countries affected are financially vulnerable, developing economies.

By Anushka Saxena

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Moneycontrol | India needs a new nuclear dream

Homi Bhabha’s three-stage nuclear dream of the 1950s has helped the country in indigenising PHWRs and developing nuclear weapons, but has not met the promise of limitless power through thorium utilisation. India needs a new nuclear dream that focuses on five areas — from doubling down on PHWRs to pursuing direct thorium utilisation, and drawing in the private sector by tweaking nuclear liability law

By Lokendra Sharma

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Deccan Herald | Hydropolitics a new reality for Pakistan

The Jhelum and Chenab rivers, where Pakistan previously enjoyed greater rights under the treaty, represent over 45,000 sq km of basin area with mean annual flows exceeding 45 million acre-feet.

By Swathi Kalyani

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The New Indian Express | Luanda Meets Lutyens: How India is going beyond energy to deepen ties with Angola

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FirstPost | China’s duplicity on display during the India-Pakistan conflict |

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By Sriparna Pathak and Amit Kumar

IndianExpress | Protracted conflict between India and Pakistan will mean tough choices for Russia and China

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By Amit Kumar and Manoj Kewalramani

The National Interest | 'Indian Threat', '1962 War': How Chinese 'Experts' Are Batting For Pak Over India (Copy)

India and Pakistan are embroiled in hostilities in the aftermath of a terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22. India’s military response is the result of Pakistan’s military-jihadi complex perpetrating terrorism and discord in Kashmir. With Operation Sindoor, India has set a new normal by expanding the scale of its response to terrorism. This includes moving beyond Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and terror camps and sites to striking targets closer to military installations across Pakistan. 

By Anushka Saxena

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Deccan Herald | Maritime Trade in Volatile Weather

India must invest more in weather monitoring systems to safeguard and leverage its maritime commerce

By Swathi Kalyani

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The Hindu | Redrawing the not-so-pretty energy footprint of AI

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly eased access to art and reduced the time and the effort required to complete certain tasks. For example, ChatGPT-4o can generate a Studio Ghibli-inspired portrait in seconds with just a prompt. But this ease comes at a significant energy cost that is often overlooked — one that has even led to Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) melting. As AI tools advance, this environmental impact will continue to become more detrimental, making this an unsustainable technology. How can AI be developed sustainably? And can leveraging nuclear energy, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMR), be a possible alternative?

By Anwesha Sen & Sourav Mannaraprayil

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NDTV | 'Indian Threat', '1962 War': How Chinese 'Experts' Are Batting For Pak Over India

In the aftermath of the terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun commented that Beijing firmly opposes all forms of terrorism. And yet, China's posturing around the state of India-Pakistan relations has largely stuck to three assertions, which express its implicit support for Pakistan's position. 

By Anushka Saxena

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ThinkChina | Xi’s purge: Can a divided army fight?

The absence of CMC Vice-Chairman He Weidong raises questions on the stability of the Chinese PLA. As Beijing continues to emphasise “actual” combat preparedness and turn the heat on Taiwan, there is little scope for a military that cannot win a conflict it promises to.

By Anushka Saxena

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Moneycontrol | China's thorium reactor is a wake-up call for India

India should pursue direct thorium utilisation in parallel to the three-stage nuclear power programme as it’s only the first stage which has been mastered so far. Also, there’s a need to diversify reactor designs to complement the current set of pressurised heavy water reactors

By Lokendra Sharma

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The Hindu | India’s AI compute conundrum

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced the launch of a continuous empanelment process for AI compute providers, which allows firms to apply on an ongoing basis to supply AI compute and related services. While this may seem like a good move in the short term, the process impedes market dynamics and creates bureaucratic hurdles for both providers and users of compute infrastructure. Allowing markets to function freely and offer services that meet consumer needs is necessary for long-term sustainability.

By Rijesh Panicker & Bharath Reddy

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Indian Express | China is turning the heat on Taiwan

Since the inception of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Lai Ching-te’s presidency in Taiwan, China’s policy signalling vis-à-vis the island has become much harsher and more aggressive. China’s stance on Taiwan has taken a more urgent and assertive turn in recent months. The unveiling of the new Shuiqiao amphibious vessels at Zhanjiang port in Guangdong, coupled with heightened activity and aggressive posturing by the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command — including the recent Strait Thunder 2025A exercises — signals a sharpened focus on readiness and control. At the same time, internal probes into top military figures such as Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice-Chairman He Weidong, former Political Work Department head Miao Hua, and Eastern Theater Commander Lin Xiangyang have effectively dismantled what was known as the “Taiwan-Fujian” faction within China’s military leadership. Adding to the sense of impending conflict, some outlets, citing unnamed intelligence sources, have suggested that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could occur within six months — further fueling anxiety and speculation.

By Anushka Saxena

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South Asian Futures Fellowship | Cybersecurity Cooperation in South Asia: Measures That Can Work In A Geopolitically Fraught Region

South Asia faces rising cyber threats and shared vulnerabilities, worsened by low cyber awareness and growing internet use. Despite the cross-border nature of these risks, regional cooperation remains limited due to political tensions. Drawing from EU and ASEAN models, two solutions are proposed: a joint regional mechanism for non-strategic cyber incidents and a consensus-based cyber advisory body.

By Lokendra Sharma

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India’s World | “It’s the economy, stupid”: Unpacking insights from Indian tech geopolitics survey

Although Bill Clinton may have never said it publicly, the maxim “it’s the economy, stupid” has often been associated with his successful 1992 presidential campaign against incumbent George H. W. Bush. The maxim highlighted the primacy of economic considerations for American voters. Three decades later, this phrase aptly captures how Indians believe the country should navigate high-tech geopolitics. According to the Takshashila Institution’s recently released report “Technopolitik: A Technology Geopolitics Survey,” economic considerations have a bearing on how Indians think about national power, supply chain security, the space sector, atmanirbharta (self-reliance), and tech talent migration.

By Lokendra Sharma and Avinash Shet

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Hindustan Times | Reimagine PMRF scheme to energise R&D ecosystem

By Avinash Shet

In this piece, I argue that PMRF is an initiative with potential but has limited reach. By involving industries in funding research spearheaded by government research labs and PSUs and ensuring balanced support across institutions, PMRF can evolve into a more effective tool. Integrating PMRF into the Ausandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) could further enhance its impact and strengthen the research ecosystem.

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Indian Express | In global trade war, China is unlikely to blink first. It has options to counter Trump

By Amit Kumar

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Moneycontrol | US’ cyber security strategy relegates Russian threat, makes China main target

The Trump administration has shown definitive signs of shuffling its hierarchy of threats. Russia, the focus during the last three presidencies, is no longer seen through the same lens. Resources are now being shifted to tackling China. It assumes salience in the backdrop of an intensifying US-China trade war

By Lokendra Sharma

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