NIAS Conflict Weekly | The World This Week

CWA # 1932
NIAS Conflict Weekly | The World This Week
State of Peace and Conflict 2025 | State of Global Politics 2025

Global Politics Team
1 January 2026

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This alert is a Special Issue prepared as a year-end summary of major developments during 2025 - covering Global Politics and Peace & Conflict. Thank you for your support for our two major weekly publications - Conflict Weekly and The World This Week. This Alert combines both the weeklies. We have tried to analyse major developments in global politics and conflicts. Each note, besides looking at major developments and issues in the background, also provides a brief trajectory of how 2026 will look like. We have also republished some of our earlier stories, particularly those on major summits, visits, and peace plans. 

EAST ASIA 
China and Taiwan: Political Tensions, Military escalation, and External intervention 
Femy Francis

China’s Yarlung Tsangpo Mega Dam: Transboundary Tensions, Environmental Impacts and Security Concerns
Femy Francis

China, Japan and Taiwan: Takaichi’s hardline security concerns and escalating regional tensions
Femy Francis

France and China: President Macron's visit
Lekshmi MK

US and South Korea: Trump's Visit and a Trade Deal
Emma Rose Boby

US and Japan: President Trump's Visit, Technology Prosperity Deal and the "New Golden Age" 
Abhimanyu Solanki

Japan Elections 2025: Divided Diet and New PM
Aparna A Nair

SOUTHEAST ASIA 
Myanmar: Managed Elections, Return of the USDP and Regional & Global Apathy
Bibhu Prasad Routray

Thailand and Cambodia: Border Clashes, Fragile ceasefire and Recurring conflict
R Preetha

SOUTH ASIA 
Nepal: Youth Unrest, Bad Governance and Political Breakdown
Mahesh Bhatta

Pakistan and Afghanistan: A Disputed border, TTP attacks and heightened tensions
Akshath K

Pakistan: Continuing internal violence, Rise in fatalities, and State repression 
Akshath K

The TLP in Pakistan: Protests, Re-proscription, and Limits of Street Power
Sunidhi Sampige

Bangladesh: Political instability, Violence against minorities, and Tensions with India
Emma Rose Boby

Russia and India: President Putin's Visit, and Strategic Agreements
Sunidhi Sampige & Tanvi Harendra
 

UK and India: PM Keir Starmer’s visit and the Recalibration of Economic, Strategic, and Cultural ties
Lekshmi MK

Afghanistan and India: Afghan Foreign Minister’s visit and the Reset of bilateral relations
Rohini Reenum

India and the Maldives: PM Modi’s Visit, Prioritising Neighbours
Swati Sood

CENTRAL ASIA 
Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal: Protracted Conflict, Conditional Peace and the American Interest
Rohini Reenum

THE MIDDLE EAST 
Trump’s 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan in Gaza: Progress, Enduring Challenges and the Path Ahead
Brighty Ann Sarah

Instability in Post-Assad Syria: Continuing sectarian violence, unresolved Kurdish question and persisting Israeli aggression
Rohini Reenum

Israel and Lebanon: Continuing Conflict, Escalation and Endgames 
Rohini Reenum

AFRICA
DR Congo: A three-decade conflict, M23 resurgence, and a peace deal without peace
Anu Maria Joseph

Sudan: A prolonged war, a divided country and failed mediations
Anu Maria Joseph

Coup in Madagascar: Gen Z protests, the CAPSAT intervention and Divided regional response
Rizwana S Banu

Instability in Nigeria: Kidnappings, insurgency and farmer-herder clashes
Tanvi Harendra

The Coup in Guinea-Bissau: A suspicious takeover, Electoral disruption and Regional instability
Santhiya M

EUROPE 
The Ukraine War: Trump’s 28-point peace plan and Strategic Manoeuvres
Lekshmi MK

The War in Ukraine: Russian gains, Drone dominance, and Infrastructure strain
Sunidhi Sampige

The War in Ukraine: Transatlantic divide, Europe’s internal fractures and an Ineffective UN
Sunidhi Sampige & Padmashree Anandhan 

The Trump-Putin Meeting at Alaska: Hits and Misses
Abhiruchi Chowdhury

German Elections: Explaining the rise of extremism in East Germany
Brighty Ann Sarah & Santhiya M

China and EU: Trade Frictions, Strategic Dependencies, and Economic Recalibration
Femy Francis

AMERICAS
US and China: The tariff tensions
Femy Francis

The US and Venezuela: American military strikes, Pressure on Caracas, and Internal challenges for Trump
R Preetha

US and Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince’s Visit and the Strategic Reset
R Preetha

The US and Syria: Strategic Recalibration and Security Pivot
Brighty Ann Sarah

US National Security Strategy 2025: Five Major Takeaways of 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine
R Preetha

US migration policy: Restrictive turn, Enforcement escalation, and Legal contestation
Tanvi Thara Harendra Jha

Canada Elections 2025: What do the results convey? What next for Mark Carney?
R Preetha

One Big Beautiful Bill Act: One bill, several issues at stake
Merin Treesa Alex

GENDER 
30 Years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Achievements, Gaps and the Road Ahead
R Preetha

Women, Peace and Security: 25 Years of UNSC 1325, its achievements and limitations
D Suba Chandran 

GLOBAL AND REGIONAL SUMMIT 
United Nations General Assembly Summit: 80 Years
Lekshmi MK

Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting: Countering China’s rare earth dominance
Brighty Ann Sarah

NATO Summit: Trump making Europe great again
Padmashree Anandhan

G7 Summit: The focus on the Middle East and trade negotiations
M Kejia

Second China-Central Asia Summit: China’s continuing search for regional partners, and the emphasis on the BRI
Aparna A Nair

The Paris AI Action Summit: The global divide
Padmashree Anandhan

China-ASEAN-GCC Summit: A Trilateral Cooperation
Gauri Gupta

UK-EU Summit: First step towards a reset
Aparna A Nair

Munich Security Conference 2025
Padmashree Anandhan

COP30 Summit in Brazil: Major takeaways
Akriti Sharma

UN Ocean Conference, Deep Sea Mining and Seabed Exploitation
Lekshmi MK

 

PREVIOUS COMMENTS

February 2026 | CWA # 1959

Yesasvi Koganti | Yesasvi Koganti is an undergraduate student from Madras Christian College, Chennai.

UK and China
February 2026 | CWA # 1957

R Preetha | R Preetha is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

The India–US interim trade framework
February 2026 | CWA # 1956

Lekshmi MK | Lekshmi MK is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

End of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1931

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1924

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1801

R Preetha

28 August 1963
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August 2025 | CWA # 1780

Abhiruchi Chowdhury

Trump tariffs:
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1778

Lekshmi MK

28 July 1914
TWTW Note
June 2025 | CWA # 1694

Aashish Ganeshan

The US:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1689

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1688

Ayan Datta

Gaza
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1675

Lekshmi MK

Turkey:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1673

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine:
TWTW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1667

R Preetha and Brighty Ann Sarah

East Asia:
NIAS Global Politics Database
March 2024 | CWA # 1251

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
NIAS Global Politics Database
February 2024 | CWA # 1226

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1189

Hoimi Mukherjee | Hoimi Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science in Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith.

Chile in 2023: Crises of Constitutionality
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1187

Aprajita Kashyap | Aprajita Kashyap is a faculty of Latin American Studies, School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.

Haiti in 2023: The Humanitarian Crisis
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1185

Binod Khanal | Binod Khanal is a Doctoral candidate at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

The Baltic: Energy, Russia, NATO and China
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1183

Padmashree Anandhan | Padmashree Anandhan is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangaluru.

Germany in 2023: Defence, Economy and Energy Triangle
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1178

​​​​​​​Ashok Alex Luke | Ashok Alex Luke is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at CMS College, Kottayam.

China and South Asia in 2023: Advantage Beijing?
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1177

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri | Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri is a postgraduate student at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras, Chennai.

China and East Asia
The War in Ukraine
October 2023 | CWA # 1091

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri

Issues for Europe
IPRI Quarterly Forecasts I Triggers, Trends, and Trajectories
July 2023 | CWA # 1012

Bibhu Prasad Routray

Myanmar continues to burn
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Padmashree Anandhan

The Ukraine War
Europe: Heatwaves, Wildfires, Droughts, and Ice Melt in Alps
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Rishma Banerjee

Tracing Europe's droughts
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March 2022 | CWA # 705

NIAS Africa Team

In Focus: Libya
The World This Week: 150th Issue
December 2021 | CWA # 630

GP Team

Europe in 2021
Pakistan Reader
October 2021 | CWA # 588

Abigail Miriam Fernandez

TLP is back again
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August 2021 | CWA # 528

STIR Team

Space Tourism
Science, Technology and International Relations
September 2019 | CWA # 162

Lakshman Chakravarthy N

5G: A Primer
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 71

Mahesh Bhatta | Centre for South Asian Studies, Kathmandu

Nepal
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 70

Nasima Khatoon | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

The Maldives
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 69

Harini Madhusudan | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

India
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 68

Sourina Bej | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Bangladesh
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 67

Seetha Lakshmi Dinesh Iyer | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Afghanistan