Course Scholars

GP Commentaries
TWTW Note
The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting 2026:
Prioritizing Critical minerals, Supply chain resilience, and Maritime surveillance

May 2026 | CWA # 2127

Madhura Meenakshi Tanikella | Madhura Meenakshi Tanikella is an undergraduate from the Department of Political Science, School of Liberal Arts, Alliance University, Bengaluru

TWTW Note
The Shenzhou-23 Mission:
China’s Space Missions, Technology, and Infrastructure

May 2026 | CWA # 2126

Aparna A Nair | Aparna A Nair is a graduate from the Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai.

Conflict Weekly
Israel-Lebanon Tensions I Crisis in Cuba I Ebola Outbreak in Africa
Weekly Columns on Africa and the Middle East
Conflict Weekly #332-333, 29 May 2026

May 2026 | CWA # 2125

NIAS Global Politics Team

CW Note
The Crisis in Cuba:
The US Sanctions, Energy Crisis, and Economic Instability

May 2026 | CWA # 2124

Glynnis Winona B | Glynnis Winona B is an undergraduate student at the Department of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Public Policy, St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru. She is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengalur

CW Note
The Ebola and the DR Congo:
Multiple Outbreaks, Fragile Healthcare System, and Ineffective Global Responses
Fragile health systems in the DRC and neighbouring countries will struggle to curb the spread due to the lack of widespread testing and diagnostic facilities.

May 2026 | CWA # 2123

Akshath Kaimal | Akshath Kaimal is a Research Associate at NIAS and is part of the NIAS Pakistan Reader and Africa Studies teams.

CW Column
The War in Ukraine:
Ballistic missiles, Nuclear drills with Belarus, and the Czech ammunition initiative

May 2026 | CWA # 2122

Radhika M Agarwal | Radhika M Agarwal is a postgraduate student at the Department of Politics and International Relations in Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar.

CW Note
Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the Border Tensions:
Collapse of the Ceasefire, Ineffective Beirut, and Aggressive Tel Aviv
As the US and Iran engage in delicate negotiations, Tehran attempts to include Lebanon as a "red line." 

May 2026 | CWA # 2121

Deb Dutta | Deb Dutta completed his graduation from the Department of Political Science, Sir Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE), Puducherry. He is currently an intern at NIAS.

CW Column
Conflicts in the Middle East
The US-Iran War Week Thirteen: Escalating Hostilities, Tenuous Ceasefire and Tense Negotiations

May 2026 | CWA # 2120

Brighty Ann Sarah | Brighty Ann Sarah is a Research Assistant with the Global Politics team at the Science, Technology and International Relations (STIR) Programme at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

CW Column
Conflicts in Africa
The Ebola spread in DR Congo, The Faye-Sonko split in Senegal, and the Deepening US military involvement in Nigeria

May 2026 | CWA # 2119

Anu Maria Joseph | Anu Maria Joseph is currently a Non-Resident Fellow, Subhas Chandra Bose International Relations (SCB-IR) Chair, Chanakya University, Bengaluru.

The World This Week
The Putin-Xi Summit, PM Modi's UAE Visit, and the India-Nordic Summit
The World This Week 356, Vol 8, No.18, 24 May 2026

May 2026 | CWA # 2118

Global Politics Team

TWTW Note
The India-Nordic Summit and PM Modi’s Oslo Visit
Arctic cooperation, Climate diplomacy, and Trade diversification
Nordic countries view India as an increasingly important economic and strategic partner, as New Delhi offers access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major markets, a large skilled workforce, an expanding digital economy etc

May 2026 | CWA # 2117

Lekshmi MK | Lekshmi MK is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

TWTW Note
India, the UAE, and PM Modi’s visit:
Deepening Energy, AI, Defence, and Maritime Cooperation
India and the UAE are moving beyond oil and trade; they are increasingly cooperating in defence, maritime infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity, logistics, and advanced technologies.

May 2026 | CWA # 2116

Yesasvi Koganti | Yesasvi Koganti is currently pursuing undergraduate studies at the Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai. 

TWTW Note
The Putin-Xi Summit
Trade, Technology, Security, and Pipeline
With 40 meetings so far since 2013 and 40 agreements signed during the summit, China and Russia frame their relationship as equal strategic cooperation, though favors Beijing.

May 2026 | CWA # 2115

Aparna A Nair | Aparna A Nair is a research intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

Global Politics Explainer
What makes the UAE a global player?
Explaining the Governance, Economy, People, and Strategic Influence of a Small Middle Eastern State
Oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958 and Dubai in 1966; this transformed the region’s economy and led to rapid urban growth.

May 2026 | CWA # 2114

Glynnis Winona B | Glynnis Winona B is an undergraduate student at the Department of International Relations, Peace Studies and Public Policy, St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru. She is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru

Global Politics Explainer
Sri Lanka and the US-Iran War 
Rising oil imports, Austerity measures and State capacity
Fuel prices have been rising significantly, with reports that have indicated increases of up to 25-30 percent. Rationing systems have also been introduced to manage the limited supplies.

May 2026 | CWA # 2113

Aishal Hab Yousuf | Aishal Hab Yousuf is a postgraduate student at the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai. She is currently an intern at NIAS, Bengaluru.

Global Politics Explainer
Why does the Falkland Islands dispute keep recurring?
Why do the UK and Argentina still clash over a remote South Atlantic archipelago?
Argentina’s domestic politics under Javier Milei, President Donald Trump’s shifting geopolitical priorities, and the UK’s strategic interests in the South Atlantic have once again thrust the Falkland Islands dispute back into international focu

May 2026 | CWA # 2112

Nithin V | Nithin V is a postgraduate student in international relations at Loyola College, Chennai. He is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

The World This Week
The Trump-Xi Summit
The Africa Forward Summit 2026 I North Korea's Constitutional Amendment 2026
The World This Week #354-355, 17 May 2026

May 2026 | CWA # 2111

NIAS Global Politics Team

TWTW Note
The Trump-Xi Summit:
Managing Strategic Competition through Trade, Technology, and Diplomacy
The summit reflects efforts to stabilize US-China relations without resolving any core strategic differences.

May 2026 | CWA # 2110

Aishal Hab Yousuf | Aishal Hab Yousuf is a postgraduate student at the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai. She is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

TWTW Note
North Korea's Constitutional Amendment 2026:
The End of Korean Reunification, the Declaration of New Borders, and the Control of Nuclear Command

May 2026 | CWA # 2109

Aishal Hab Yousuf | Aishal Hab Yousuf is a postgraduate student at the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai. She is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

TWTW Review
The Africa Forward Summit 2026:
Five Takeaways of the Nairobi Declaration
The comprehensive 11-point roadmap, signed by over 30 African heads of state and France addresses several areas, including global financial reforms, digital sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and regional development.

May 2026 | CWA # 2108

Ada Khan | Ada Khan is an undergraduate at the Department of Political Science, Public Policy, and Media Studies, Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru.

GP Insights
The US Supreme Court calls Trumps tariffs illegal

March 2026 | GP Insights # 949

China and Africa relations are going strong: Predictable ties in unpredictable times

January 2026 | GP Insights # 948

China’s draft legislation on Antarctica: Legal and institutional clarification and environmental pro

December 2025 | GP Insights # 946

Germany-China Tensions over Chinese EVs: From Procurement to Protectionism

December 2025 | GP Insights # 947

Hong Kong court convicts Jimmy Lai

December 2025 | GP Insights # 945

China’s rare-earth export control exemption for one year

December 2025 | GP Insights # 936

SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military service report: China’s revenue declines by 10 per cent

December 2025 | GP Insights # 945

Ten Takeaways on White Paper

November 2025 | GP Insights # 944

China-India squabble over Arunachal Pradesh: What is it about? What are the claims?

November 2025 | GP Insights # 943

Taiwan: Flailing defence conscriptions

November 2025 | GP Insights # 942

Other Scholars

Abhimanyu Solanki is a Research Intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, and is part of the NIAS Pakistan Reader team, contributing to the PR Daily Brief. He is also a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) and PhD scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University...

Acsah H is currently and intern at NIAS. She is pursuing postgraduate studies at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations at Manipal Institute of Social Studies, Humanities and Arts, MAHE, Manipal, Udupi. Her research interests include Outer-space governance and regulation.

Akriti Sharma is a doctoral scholar at the Science, Technology and International Relations Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies. She has completed her Bachelors in Political Science and Masters in Political Science from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She is also the recipient of...

Akshath Kaimal is a Research Associate with NIAS Area Studies-Pakistan, and is a postgraduate in International Studies and International Humanitarian Action

Ankit is a Ph.D. scholar at NIAS, his research interests lie South Asia, peace studies and oral history. His research topic is on political economy of external debt in Pakistan (1971-2021).   Research activities In the STIR program, he is currently assisting in preparations of PR evening...

Avaneesh S is an intern at NIAS. Currently, he is pursuing post gradaute studies at Pondicherry University. His research interests include South Asian geopolitics & Security studies, Conflict & Counterterrorism studies and Energy Transition in Asia.

Brighty Ann Sarah is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) under the Science, Technology and International Relations (STIR) Programme. She serves as an Assistant Editor for The Conflict Weekly and The World Today, and part of the NIAS Pakistan Reader team.   She...

Deb Dutta is a Political Science graduate from the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. Currently he is an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. His research interests include US-China and India-China relations, offensive realism in modern geopolitics,...

Harini Madhusudan is a doctoral scholar with the School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS. Her thesis looks at Militarisation in Outer Space, which draws from a combination of disciplines of International Law, Security Studies, International Relations, and Outer Space as a domain. She is looking...

Lekshmi MK is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), working with the Area Studies-Pakistan Programme and the NIAS Polar and Ocean Studies initiative. She also serves as an Assistant Editor for The World Today and The World This Week. Her research interests include...

Nithin V is a postgraduate student in international relations at Loyola College, Chennai. He is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

Padmashree Anandhan is currently a project associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore. Her research for the NIAS Europe Studies under the Area Studies initiative focuses on protest movements, conflicts, energy, economic, migration...

R. Preetha is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) - Science, Technology and International Relations (STIR) Programme. She serves as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week and The World Today, and is also part of the NIAS Pakistan Reader team. She is currently...

Radhika M Agarwal is currently an intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies and is a postgraduate student in the department of Politics and International Relations at Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar.  

Ms Rohini Reenum is a Doctoral Student at the Science, Technology and International Relations Programme, School of Conflict and Security Studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies. Her areas of interest in terms of research are Maritime Security, Ocean Governance, International Relations Theory,...

Vani Vyshnavi Jupudi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bannerghatta Road Campus, Bengaluru. She is a Research Intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), where she is part of the Pakistan Reader team and contributes analytical...