Soft Power, Market Power: China’s Business Leverage in ASEAN
In this explainer piece, our East Asia based analysts, Soojin and Wesley, examine how China’s deepening soft power in ASEAN is redefining trade, infrastructure, and digital ecosystems, generating significant commercial opportunities while also heightening geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty. Executive Summary: China is strengthening its soft power in ASEAN by expanding trade and investment, advancing institutional […]
The Chicken Neck Dilemma: India’s New Eastern Security Architecture
In this explainer piece, South Asia Analyst Bandish Oza explores India’s decisive pivot toward a multi-domain security architecture along its eastern frontier, specifically targeting the vulnerabilities of the Siliguri Corridor. Drawing on recent strategic shifts, Oza examines how New Delhi is moving beyond its traditional “defensive-only” posture to counter a nascent “three-front dilemma” involving the […]
AI Value Alignment in Global Ethics: Contextualising India and Saudi Arabia in a Diversifying Landscape
In this explainer piece, East Asia Analyst Soojin Jang explores the shift from universal AI standards toward context-sensitive value alignment. By examining the distinct regulatory trajectories of India and Saudi Arabia, the piece highlights how non-Western powers are moving beyond mere technology adoption to become architects of global AI ethics integrating cultural, religious, and national […]
Strategic Hedging in Action: Read Out From Putin’s India Visit
In this strategic explainer, South Asia Analyst Bandish breaks down the outcomes of the 2026 Delhi Summit between India and Russia. The analysis examines the transition from a legacy defense relationship to a sanctions-aware economic partnership, anchored by a $100 billion trade goal. It explores how India is navigating a “dual-track” strategy that is maintaining […]
Beyond the Podium: CWG 2030 as a Catalyst for India’s Industrial & Infrastructure Maturity
In this explainer, South Asia Analyst Bandish examines how India’s selection as host for the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG) serves as a strategic economic booster and a high-stakes stress test for the nation’s project-delivery capabilities. The analysis explores how the Games will act as a catalyst for infrastructure credibility, capital attraction from the Commonwealth ecosystem, […]
Your Global Compass: Your Monthly Geopolitical Monitor – October 2025
The world is splitting along ideological lines, ushering in a new era of strategic competition that demands thorough scenario planning. This October 2025 edition of our Global Compass reveals an international system where fragmentation accelerates beyond economics into legitimacy itself. From the protest-filled streets of Jakarta and Kathmandu to the Federal Reserve’s pivotal rate decision […]
Sector Deep Dive: Critical Minerals and Rare Earths
Critical Minerals (including rare earth elements, lithium, and cobalt) are at the forefront of geopolitical competition, reshaping industrial power, energy security, and global economic alignment. The sector’s growth is underpinned by a race for supply chain sovereignty, with nations showing increasing interest in resource nationalism and processing technology. Our November 2025 Sector Deep Dive report […]
Unpacking China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: Strategic Priorities and Implications for Global South Business Stakeholders
In this explainer piece, East Asia Analyst Wesley examines how China’s Fourth Plenum is shaping the 2026–2030 Five-Year Plan, reinforcing the Party’s leadership control, advancing technological self-reliance, industrial modernization, and establishing a more centralized yet predictable environment for foreign participation. The analysis examines how these shifts will transform China’s economic model and influence investors and […]