Gateway Features
Mecca Accord and India’s energy security
Courtesy: AFP
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the tripartite security agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan has raised some concerns in India. While terms of the Accord have not been made public, lazy commentary has termed it an ‘Islamic Nato’ – where an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members. This seems unlikely as the three countries have different motivations that have prompted them to create the alliance, and different capabilities that they bring in. Two of read more
New tariffs complicate India-U.S. trade negotiations
Courtesy: X / @USAmbIndia
The U.S.-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) is ensnared in the complex web of tariffs imposed by U.S.President Donald Trump in 2025 and 2026. The tariffs, intended to protect American industries, have raised significant concerns within Indian policy circles, particularly in light of India’s inclusion in the U.S. Commerce Department’s Special 301 investigations of forced labour, excess capacity and inadequate intellectual property protection. Compounding these challenges is the Trump administration's plans to endorse the Russian Sanctions Bill which empowers Washington to read more
A new actor in Israel’s 2026 election
Courtesy:
The State of Israel will have its national elections for the next Prime Minister on 27 October this year. Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest serving Prime Minister, is contesting again for the top job. He faces several odds this time. First, his judicial ‘reforms’ – a controversial set of bills to alter the judicial appointment system and to limit the judicial review system of the Supreme Court. In 2022, before the Hamas attacks, it created a domestic uproar among the masses, which read more
DPI for AI and AI for DPI
Courtesy: Gateway House
Over the past decade, India has developed a large-scale digital public infrastructure ecosystem built around interoperable digital systems and shared digital infrastructure. The ecosystem encompasses foundational and sectoral infrastructures across areas including identity, payments, data exchange and public services, and has increasingly been discussed as a model of population-scale digital infrastructure. The relationship between this infrastructure and artificial intelligence has become read more
Research
India and Indonesia have a comprehensive strategic relationship built on their ancient and modern histories, and a flourishing relationship sustained by trade, economic exchange and people-to-people contact. The India-Indonesia Track 1.5 Dialogue, hosted by Gateway House and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia, aims to provide policy recommendations to promote innovation and navigate evolving governance issues through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Foreign Affairs
Not long ago in the sweep of history, countries that had once been buried behind the Iron Curtain, and even some Soviet republics, were transformed into members of the solidly democratic club. Some of those that weren’t, such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, experienced mass revolts against rigged elections and corrupt misrule amid widespread public yearning to join the West. Free trade was again celebrated as an instrument of peace; Kant’s “democratic peace theory” enjoyed a revival.
Book Reviews
In this book, C. Raja Mohan analyses Asia’s shifting political, economic, military, and technological balance, with particular focus on U.S.-China and India-China relations. He argues that India’s rise from a middle power to an emerging great power will require stronger hard power, diplomatic creativity, economic vitality, and domestic consensus. Yet, amid tensions over tariffs, Russian oil, Gaza, and the U.S.-Iran conflict, India’s strategic path remains challenging.
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