As the negotiations between Iran and the United States mediated by Oman were giving some hope to avert the war, on February 28, US President Donald Trump got played by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and followed the same playbook as June 2025 and launched decapitating attacks on Iran and its leadership, crossing the final redline by killing Ayatollah Khamenei and top military brass.
If all countries act in concert, Trump would not be able to bully nations as he has done in the last one year.
The regional order is witnessing a shift as Asian countries hedge their geo-strategic interests against mixed signals from the US on its role as a security assurer by forging new deterrents and ties. India has also deepened its engagement with Southeast Asia, reflecting a proactive approach.
A storm is brewing around a race for leadership in Asia, with China rising further as a global force, at the Centre of it. The immediate trigger was Japan’s “iron lady” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent statement in Parliament that China’s military invasion of Taiwan would be an “existential crisis” to Japan. This is possible as any invasion of Taiwan could disturb the Indo-Pacific sea lanes of communications that now converge on Taiwan. Japan, in the 1930s, assiduously protected these trade routes.
Anil Trigunayat Introduction In 2025, natural and man-made disruptions posed major challenges to the foreign policies of most countries, as unilateralism continued to erode multilateralism. The inefficacy of multilateral institutions became glaring as the conflicts in Eurasia and the Middle…
The Republic of Maldives, located on the Indian subcontinent, consists of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 natural atolls. Following the Maldives' independence in 1965, India was one of the first countries to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with them. India and the Maldives have had long-standing ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and economic links. Physical proximity, cultural links, and development collaboration have all contributed to the two countries' close, friendly, and diverse relationship.
In Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the Maldives, where tourism is the principal source of foreign exchange profits and government revenue, the business is growing.
Both India and Canada had bilateral trade nearing $10 billion in 2024, with potential to increase given the diaspora connections, cultural ties, and rising investments.