By Annunthra Rangan & Aditya Singh The current US-Iran confrontation can no longer be understood as a bilateral contest between Washington and Tehran. Six months into a war imposed on Iran on February 28, 2026, the conflict has widened into a broader struggle over the political and economic architecture of West Asia itself. Having failed to subdue Iran through military force, the United States has turned to an increasingly punitive campaign of economic strangulation, a form

By Shilpa Susan John, Research Officer, C3S. An occasional Paper is a single topic research summary of the knowledge surrounding an issue or a problem. It summarises the issue giving clear, concise, and complete information describing all facets of a particular issue including a detailed illustration in the form of images, data, and facts. It also includes recommendations for action and predictions on the future course of an issue. Abstract The landscape of global developmen

By Mr. Cris Fernando Anand Perez, C3S Research Intern Introduction The contemporary international system is undergoing a fundamental reconstruction, where rigid structures of formal institutions of multilateralism are being challenged by the “Bypassing the Bureaucracy” of social relations. For decades, the international system was defined by the legalistic, proceduralized interactions with institutions. However, the system is increasingly finding these formal institutions wit

By Mr. Pruthvi G More, C3S Research Intern Introduction Ever since China declared its goal of becoming a maritime power back in 2012, it has aggressively and proactively advanced towards achieving it through domestic lawfare, a core component of the PLA’s “Three arfares” doctrine coupled with naval modernisation at breakneck speed. Beijing has now moved beyond merely guarding its coastline; given that its colossal economy is almost entirely dependent on seaborne trade, this i

By Shubhi Malhotra and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: China US Focus Introduction In diplomacy, the calendar is rarely incidental. When Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Beijing on the evening of May 19, 2026, for his 25th visit to China, the direction of events surrounding the trip carried a message as deliberate as it can be. His arrival came barely four days after U.S. President Donald Trump had concluded his own two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping

By Abia Fathima, Research Officer, C3S Image Courtesy: The Atlantic Introduction Coined by Political Scientist Graham Allison in the early 2010s and popularised in his 2017 book Destined for War, the “Thucydides Trap” has become a term for a terrifyingly simple historic pattern, a pattern which displaces dynasties as a rising power threatens its existence. The Thucydides Trap has transformed from an academic footnote to one of the most heavily scrutinised idioms in modern geo

Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part I of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development Image Courtesy: CGTN AIM OF THE PAPER This paper seeks to examine how sustained national vision, long-term planning, institutional continuity, educational investments, i

By Shubhi Malhotra & Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: The Print Introduction The Indian Ocean is no longer merely a highway for commerce. It has become the principal arena of twenty-first-century geopolitical competition in the maritime domain, a theatre where great powers jostle for influence, non-state actors exploit ungoverned maritime spaces, and climate-induced disasters test the resilience of small island nations. Against this backdrop, the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

By Balaji Chandramohan Image Courtesy: MC In an effort to boost its strategic presence ahead of the centenary of the People Liberation Army, China’s Air force and Army has jointly increased its strategic reach in the Tibet region and in the Lhunze Air base pointing towards India’s Northern borders which may have wider strategic impact as India is contemplating dividing its Air Land forces and integration among its Tri Services to negate threats from both Pakistan and China in

How the 2026 Beijing summit reshapes risks and opportunities for regional middle powers By Rohit KA and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: Asia Times A summit shaped by Iran, trade, and Taiwan The US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 - 15, 2026, in the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade. This was Trump’s first state visit to China in his second term. The US agenda focused on stabilizing a strained relationship amid