The Trump-Xi Summit

The World This Week #354-355, 17 May 2026

NIAS Global Politics Team

The Trump-Xi Summit:

The summit reflects efforts to stabilize US-China relations without resolving any core strategic differences.

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.

North Korea's Constitutional Amendment 2026:

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.

The Africa Forward Summit 2026:

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.

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

Rising violence in the Lake Chad region I The New Wave of Violence in DR Congo

NIAS Global Politics Team

Continuing Militant Attacks in Pakistan:

Vani Vyshnavi Jupudi

Iran’s Lebanon precondition for a ceasefire with the US: 

Rohini Reenum

The Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire:

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.

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.

Rising violence in the Lake Chad region: 

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.

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.

Weakening faith in institutions and Political polarization in Latin America and the Caribbean:

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.

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

The New Wave of Violence in DR Congo:

The focus on M23 has undermined the required attention to other conflicts in the eastern regions of DR Congo.

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

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.

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

Why is the UK reluctant to engage?

Kirsten Wilfred Coelho

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."

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

President Trump and the US-China Trade Tensions

Kirsten Wilfred Coelho

The Eurasian-Indo Pacific Congruence and its Critique

Santhosh Guru PR

Transactional US foreign policy and it implications for India's Strategic Autonomy

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

The Russia-Ukraine War and the Rise of Parallel Strategic Systems: A Critique of Raghavan's Strategic Framework

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.

The US-Iran War, Week Ten

NIAS Global Politics Team

Conflicts in the Middle East:

Lebanon’s leadership has emerged assertive in its stance against Israel’s ceasefire violations and entrenching occupation.

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.