Course Scholars

GP Commentaries
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.

Conflict Weekly
Rising violence in the Lake Chad region I The New Wave of Violence in DR Congo
The Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire I Iran’s Lebanon precondition for a ceasefire with the US

May 2026 | CWA # 2107

NIAS Global Politics Team

CW Note
Continuing Militant Attacks in Pakistan:
Multiple targets, Civilian casualties, and Cross-border tensions with Afghanistan

May 2026 | CWA # 2106

Vani Vyshnavi Jupudi

CW Explainer
Iran’s Lebanon precondition for a ceasefire with the US: 
Four reasons why Tehran insists on including Hezbollah

May 2026 | CWA # 2105

Rohini Reenum

CW Note
The Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire:
Nominal Truce and Persisting Violations 
The renewed Israel-Hezbollah clashes, triggered by Hezbollah’s retaliatory strikes on Israel at the onset of the US-Israel war against Iran, shattered the fragile November 2024 ceasefire.

May 2026 | CWA # 2104

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 Note
Rising violence in the Lake Chad region: 
Complex Geography, Multiple Insurgencies, and an Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
At the intersection of four countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon), the Lake Chad region has a complex geography, making it easier for insurgents to evade authorities from any single country.

May 2026 | CWA # 2103

Akshath Kaimal | Akshath Kaimal is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, and is part of the NIAS Pakistan Reader and Africa Studies teams.

CW Review
Weakening faith in institutions and Political polarization in Latin America and the Caribbean:
Six Takeaways from the UNDP Democracy and Development Report 2026
Latin America and the Caribbean are witnessing a gradual decline in democracy. Even though institutions remain functional, their ability to deliver results and maintain trust is being questioned.

May 2026 | CWA # 2102

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

CW Note
The New Wave of Violence in DR Congo:
Farmer-herder clashes, Armed groups, and Security vacuum
The focus on M23 has undermined the required attention to other conflicts in the eastern regions of DR Congo.

May 2026 | CWA # 2101

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

The US-Iran War
The Hormuz Strait and the Fertilizer Crisis in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
The Middle East possesses abundant natural gas reserves, which are pertinent to the production of nitrogen-based fertilizers.

May 2026 | CWA # 2100

Aishal Hab Yousuf | Aishal Hab Yousuf is a postgraduate student at the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai.

The US-Iran War
Why is the UK reluctant to engage?

May 2026 | CWA # 2099

Kirsten Wilfred Coelho

Remembering Amb PS Raghavan and his legacy
India, Russia and the imperative to strengthen the traditional relationship
For Amb Raghavan, the India-Russia bond is a "special and privileged strategic partnership" that is fundamentally "immune to any short-term factors."

May 2026 | CWA # 2098

Sreemaya Nair | Sreemaya Nair has pursued an undergraduate degree from the Department of International Relations, Peace Studies and Public Policy, St Joseph University, Bengaluru.

Remembering Amb PS Raghavan and his legacy
President Trump and the US-China Trade Tensions

May 2026 | CWA # 2097

Kirsten Wilfred Coelho

Remembering Amb PS Raghavan and his legacy
The Eurasian-Indo Pacific Congruence and its Critique

May 2026 | CWA # 2095

Santhosh Guru PR

Remembering Amb PS Raghavan and his legacy
Transactional US foreign policy and it implications for India's Strategic Autonomy

May 2026 | CWA # 2094

Rakshitha B | Rakshitha B is a final-year undergraduate student of political science and economics at Mount Carmel College

Remembering Amb PS Raghavan and his legacy
The Russia-Ukraine War and the Rise of Parallel Strategic Systems: A Critique of Raghavan's Strategic Framework

May 2026 | CWA # 2093

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.

Conflict Weekly
The US-Iran War, Week Ten
CW Column on Middle East: Escalating Israeli Aggression in Lebanon I UAE's Covert Manoeuvres

May 2026 | CWA # 2092

NIAS Global Politics Team

CW Column
Conflicts in the Middle East:
Escalating Israeli Aggression in Lebanon I UAE’s Covert Manoeuvres 
Lebanon’s leadership has emerged assertive in its stance against Israel’s ceasefire violations and entrenching occupation.

May 2026 | CWA # 2091

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.

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...

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...

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...

Research Assistant, Area Studies-China, East Asia and the Pacific     External Publications Femy Francis, "Pakistan elections: four provinces, mixed results, one message | Data," The Hindu, 29 February 2024 Femy Francis, "China’s ties with Africa | Explained,"...

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...

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...

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,...

Tanvi Thara Harendra Jha is an intern, and is undergraduate student double majoring in BSc Clinical Psychology and BA Political Science at the School of Liberal Arts, Alliance University, Bengaluru.

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...