International Affairs

Strategic Realism, Global Vision
Strategic analysis of global geopolitics, major power competition, regional conflicts, and evolving international order shaping the 21st century security environment.

Cartographic Warfare: China’s Silent Offensive to Redraw Borders Without Fighting

China's repeated publication of official maps claiming Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, Taiwan and the South China Sea is far more than diplomatic posturing. It is part of a long-term strategy of Cartographic Warfare—integrating legal warfare, psychological warfare and narrative dominance within Beijing's doctrine of Active Defence. This article examines how maps have become instruments of grey-zone conflict, why Nepal and Bangladesh illustrate the regional spread of cartographic politics, and what India must do to counter this evolving challenge. As geopolitical competition increasingly shifts into the cognitive battlespace, India must respond not merely with diplomatic protests but through an integrated strategy combining military preparedness, legal documentation, strategic communication and international partnerships.

Maps are no longer passive representations of geography—they have become active instruments of geopolitical competition. China's repeated cartographic claims since 2023 demonstrate a carefully calibrated strategy aimed at manufacturing legal legitimacy, shaping public perception and gradually altering the status quo without conventional conflict. This article explores how cartography has evolved into an integral component of China's Three Warfares strategy and assesses the implications for India, the Indo-Pacific and the future of grey-zone competition.

India at a Strategic Crossroads: Why Strategic Autonomy Matters More Than Ever

As global geopolitics undergoes a profound transformation, India confronts simultaneous challenges on its Himalayan borders, in the Indian Ocean, and across West Asia. This article examines why strategic autonomy, indigenous defence capability, and calibrated multi-engagement remain India's most effective response to an increasingly transactional international order. As Washington and Beijing recalibrate their relationship, India faces its most consequential strategic choices since the Cold War2.0. The answers lies in building capabilities and maintaining genuine strategic autonomy till then.

Pakistan Paradox, An Imperfect Partition : A Nuclear State at War with its Neighbours, its Periphery and Itself

Seventy-nine years after Partition, Pakistan remains trapped in a cycle of geopolitical confrontation, domestic instability and economic dependence. While headlines focus on Taliban attacks, unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, Baloch insurgency or repeated IMF bailouts, these are symptoms rather than causes.

This article argues that Pakistan's enduring instability originates in the hurried colonial partition of 1947, compounded by decades of military dominance, proxy warfare and great-power patronage. It analyses the evolution of Pakistan's security doctrine, its changing relationship with the Taliban, internal fault lines, Cold War legacies and the country's strategic relevance in an emerging multipolar world.

Rather than viewing these crises separately, this article presents them as interconnected outcomes of a state whose foundational contradictions remain unresolved.

Balancing the Eurasian Giant: India’s Strategic Role in Strengthening SCO Military & Security Cooperation

Bridging the Divide in a Multipolar World

“India has good relations with Western countries and is uniquely placed to act as a bridge between SCO and the West” — Major General Dr. S B Asthana

As global governance institutions experience a profound drop in credibility, the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting rapidly toward localized regional alternatives. Covering over 42% of the global population and nearly one-third of the world’s GDP, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) stands as a massive Eurasian bloc navigating the dangerous currents of "Cold War 2.0". Yet, can an organization containing four nuclear-armed powers, deep internal political rivalries, and structural decision-making vulnerabilities truly evolve into a cohesive security alliance?

How can a bloc divided by ideological friction and historical rivalries achieve genuine military and security cohesion? In this insightful analysis, Major General Dr. S B Asthana explores the structural hurdles of the SCO and outlines India's strategic vision for a secure, technologically integrated, and stable Eurasian future. This chapter, titled “Strengthening Military and Security Cooperation in the SCO: An Indian Perspective,” is featured in the seminal volume Reimagining Regionalism: Geopolitical Shifts and Strategic Realignments in Central Asia and the Global South.

From Blitzkrieg Dreams to Industrial‑Age Attrition:Why the Russia–Ukraine War Has Become a Contest of Endurance?

The Russia–Ukraine war has moved far beyond its initial framing as a limited “special military operation” or a territorial dispute over Donbas and Crimea. It has become the world’s longest major conventional war of the twenty‑first century, a grinding contest of endurance in which political will, industrial capacity, energy infrastructure and nuclear thresholds all shape the battlefield more than any single offensive. In this analysis, Major General Dr S B Asthana examines how the conflict has evolved into an industrial‑age war of attrition fought with twenty‑first century tools—and explores how a war stretched between proxy dynamics, industrial capacity and nuclear deterrence might eventually end. Sharing my latest analysis as on first week July 2026 as an analytical article in below.

The Iran Deal Mirage: From Switzerland and Beyond!

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2026 and subsequent negotiations in Switzerland have generated cautious optimism. However, beneath the diplomatic headlines lies a deeper strategic reality. In this analysis, Major General (Dr.) S B Asthana examines why the fundamental objectives of Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran remain irreconcilable, making any future agreement inherently fragile. Drawing upon military strategy, geopolitical realities and regional dynamics, the article explores the JCPOA-plus paradox, the role of Hormuz, the Lebanon fault line, and the implications for India. Sharing the latest analysis from the author.

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India at a Strategic Crossroads: Why Strategic Autonomy Matters More Than Ever
From Blitzkrieg Dreams to Industrial‑Age Attrition:Why the Russia–Ukraine War Has Become a Contest of Endurance?
Balancing the Eurasian Giant: India’s Strategic Role in Strengthening SCO Military & Security Cooperation
Pakistan Paradox, An Imperfect Partition : A Nuclear State at War with its Neighbours, its Periphery and Itself