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Articles on Mecca Pact by Prof C Raja Mohan and Sashi Tharoor Article link 🔗 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/c-raja-mohan-writes-mecca-accord-arab-saudi-turkey-pakistan-10827784/ https://indianexpress.com/article/op…

Articles on Mecca Pact by Prof C Raja Mohan and Sashi Tharoor Article link 🔗 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/c-raja-mohan-writes-mecca-accord-arab-saudi-turkey-pakistan-10827784/ https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/shashi-tharoor-india-response-to-mecca-pact-saudi-pakistan-turkey-10829797/

IR Important topics for Mains 2026: 1.India and it’s neighbourhood - neighbourhood 1st policy, recent events in Bangladesh,Nepal, China Angle. 2.Impact of US-Iran war on India, India’s Position , Energy Security , Balancing Arab World, Israel and Iran. 3.Indo Pacific - recent visit of PM to Oceania Countries, US renaming Indo-Pacific Command Name, QUAD. 4.India-US Relations - Impact of tariffs,defence relationship. 5.Rise of G2 US-China, Trump's Visit to China, Impact on India. 6.Important Groupings - BRICS, SCO , India-ASEAN Relations. 7.Weakening Multilateralism - UN , US Withdrawal, China’s Increasing Role, India’s role. 8.India-EU/Europe - FTA Signed, PM Visit ,EU-India relations gained new vigour. 9.WTO- 14th MC, Issues in WTO , Solutions, India’s role. 10.India’s Diaspora - Changing remittances pattern , role of diaspora. 11.India as Voice of Global South - Steps taken , Challenges etc. 12.India Japan Relations - Recent Visit of Japanese PM Sanae Taekechi. 13.India Australia Relations - Evolution, role of diaspora, Indo Pacific Partnership. @iasexamcongress

Peacock Diplomacy: A form of soft power and cultural/animal diplomacy where India uses its national bird, the Indian Peacock, as a living diplomatic gift to foster goodwill and strengthen global ties. Comparable to China's Panda Diplomacy and Australia's Koala Diplomacy.

Tripartite alliance signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan. Incorporates a principle similar to NATO’s Article 5—stipulating that an attack on one signatory is deemed an attack on all three.  Strategic Drivers & Geopolitical Calculations: 1.Hedging Against US Unreliability: Reflects Saudi Arabia's strategic hedging to diversify security options amid perceived fatigue in the regional Pax Americana.  2.Asymmetric Threat Mitigation: Riyadh seeks to address non-state actor threats, maritime choke-point vulnerabilities (Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb)  3.Defence Industrial Synergy: Leverages complementarity among signatories—combining Saudi Arabia’s capital , Türkiye’s booming defence-industrial complex and Pakistan’s large standing military force.  Structural Constraints & Frictions: 1.Sectarian & Historical Baggage: Lingering mistrust stemming from Ottoman history and friction between Erdogan’s regional leadership ambitions and Riyadh’s role as the Custodian of Islam  2.The Iran Dilemma: Both Pakistan and Türkiye share land borders and economic ties with Iran (e.g., recent Pakistan-Iran FTA negotiations).  3.Typically, collective defence alliances feature a shared enemy threat and interoperable military systems, both of which are missing in this instance. Strategic Implications for India: 1.De-hyphenation in Riyadh's Policy: Saudi-India ties are anchored in robust economic complementarity (energy import dependence, strategic trade partnership), insulating New Delhi from Pakistan's attempts to anti-Indianize the pact.  2.Strategic Equanimity: New Delhi should maintain strategic vigilance without overreacting, as Riyadh views the pact through a defensive, asymmetric threat lens rather than anti-India revisionism. Article link 🔗 https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-new-security-triangle-emerges-with-the-makkah-pact/article71325559.ece

Vijay Gokhale's book, China’s Wars: The Politics and Diplomacy Behind its Military Coercion ➡️ China employs conflict as a tool of "psychological deterrence." It draws no clear distinction between peacetime and wartime. ➡️"Fight and Talk" Strategy: Beijing integrates diplomatic engagement with military posturing ➡️End of Peaceful Coexistence: The era of "peaceful coexistence" is effectively over; strategic planning must now pivot toward preparing for an extended period of "armed coexistence." ➡️Unlikelihood of Full-Scale War: While low-intensity conflicts, military standoffs, and coercive tactics will persist, a full-scale, large-scale kinetic war remains unlikely due to mutual deterrence and the severe reputational and political damage China would face globally. Article link 🔗 https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/chinas-wars-vijay-gokhale-decoding-beijing-10824490/

https://youtu.be/oNYNG9HYCm8?si=RcFG1zCYDR8KgI1A

https://www.firstpost.com/world/pakistan-saudi-arabia-turkey-mutual-defence-agreement-islamic-nato-nuclear-weapons-west-asia-security-14036736.html Islamic NATO: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, establishing an Article 5-style collective defense clause declaring that an armed attack on one is an attack on all.

Africa is our partner, Africa is our priority ~ EAM S Jaishankar

Article by Prof Sreeram Chaulia on resurgence of protracted, high-intensity inter-State armed conflicts ("forever wars") driven by systemic multipolarity: ➡️ According to PRIO data, active direct inter-State conflicts jumped from 2 (2023) to 4 (2024), hitting 8 in 2025—the highest since data collection began in 1946. ➡️Cold War Era (1946–1989): Averaged 2–4 inter-State conflicts/year, driven by superpower-fueled ideological proxies with an average duration of 16–24 months. ➡️Post-Cold War Era (1990–2020): "Golden Era" of multilateralism and relative systemic stability (1–2 inter-State wars/year lasting ~3.5 to 4.5 months) due to respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and UN efficacy. ➡️Post-2020 Order: Shift back toward protracted wars (e.g., Russia-Ukraine war exceeding 4.5 years; Israel-Lebanon-Palestine conflicts; US-Israel vs. Iran). Reasons for this shift: ➡️Complex Multipolarity & "Diffuse New Cold War": Unlike the original bipolar Cold War, the contemporary international structure features multiple power centers willing to directly attack or fund proxies. ➡️Asymmetric Counter-Balancing & External Backing like Ukraine’s resistance against Russia backed by US/Europe, Iran’s defense against US/Israel supported by Russia and China. ➡️ Advancements in defensive technology (drones, anti-tank systems, anti-aircraft missiles, counteroffensive strike capabilities) prevent easy land invasions and quick walkovers, grinding conflicts into wars of attrition. As multipolarity solidifies and power transitions complete, a stable equilibrium may emerge. Increased costs of aggression combined with advanced defensive deterrence will make power projection/regime change unviable (e.g., deterrence acting on potential flashpoints like Taiwan). Article link 🔗 https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/the-here-and-now-of-a-forever-war-period-russia-ukraine-us-iran-101785769192167.html

@iasexamcongress announces the OG Compilation Series for IR (FOR CSE Mains 2026) IR Mantra that includes 1. IR Navigator (check 2025 edition here) 2. CRUX IR Compilations (2025 and 2026 both) (Check demo handouts here) 3. Question compilation from MiniAW Fees: ₹1500/- Utility: GS2 and PSIR SUBSCRIBE @Shunyashashvata

Article by Prof C Raja Mohan on India’s Great Power Status: ➡️ Responding to Canadian PM Mark Carney’s call for middle-power collaboration, EAM S. Jaishankar rejected the label for India. ➡️ EAM S Jaishankar called India a "Power in the Middle" a key, rising pole navigating great power rivalries to maximize its upward path toward the top tier of the international hierarchy. ➡️ Official Delhi views "middle power" status as understating India’s strategic weight and civilizational trajectory toward great-power status. ➡️ Historian Brendan Simms places India alongside France, Germany, and Japan as "almost great powers"—nations possessing substantial capability but lacking the systemic leverage required to be primary "system-shapers." ➡️ Great powers are defined by: Industrial strength & technological leadership ,Power projection capabilities across multiple geopolitical theaters , Nuclear deterrence and robust military-industrial complexes. ➡️ Measured against these indicators India is clearly a power in transition rather than a completed one. ➡️ Michael Beckley’s “Stagnant Order” argues that the window for latecomers from the Global South to achieve great-power status is closing due to slowing productivity, demographic aeging and concentration of frontier tech in US/China. ➡️ If India can return to the unfinished business of economic, technological and social modernisation and boosting national unity and political cohesion. Only then can India move from being an "almost great power" to becoming one. Article link 🔗 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-great-power-china-america-trump-jaishankar-10807103/

Article by Sashi Tharoor on economic relations with China and how it will not pay political dividends: ➡️Because of volatile relationship with USA , business lobbyists in India are suggesting to open Indian economy for Chinese Investment. ➡️Acc to Tharoor this represents strategic myopia and strategic blindness and can lead to National Security Risk. ➡️India must avoid both sub-optimal dependency on Washington and premature capitulation to Beijing. ➡️The foundational tenet of Chinese foreign policy is establishing a unipolar Asia with a multipolar world. Beijing views India not as a peer or equal pole ➡️From Depsang (2013) and Chumar (2014) to Doklam (2017) and then the fatal clashes in the Galwan Valley (2020), China has systematically attempted to alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through salami-slicing tactics, unilaterally violating decades of border peace protocols. ➡️China has routinely used its manufacturing dominance as a political weapon, abruptly withholding critical machinery and industrial inputs, even weaponising its monopoly over rare earths. ➡️Most alarming has been Beijing’s overt, coordinated military support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor (May 2025). ➡️China has blocked India’s legitimate aspirations for permanent membership in the UNSC and membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). ➡️It hands Beijing an economic kill-switch over the Indian economy. ➡️The correct path for New Delhi is one of strategic patience and internal fortifying. ➡️India must accelerate its supply chain resilience, diversify its trade partnerships across Europe, East Asia, and the Global South, and aggressively build up its domestic manufacturing capabilities. Article link https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/do-not-surrender-to-china-do-not-depend-on-the-us/article71270024.ece

Article by Prof C Raja Mohan on emergence of “Third Republic” in Iran: Iran is entering its "Third Republic" phase following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This transition is being forged under intense geopolitical stress—specifically, the collapse of ceasefires and active military hostilities with the US and Israel. Future stability of this new Iranian era depend entirely on how Tehran answers "the American question" whether to persist with perpetual confrontation or negotiate a durable accommodation. The Indian foreign policy establishment must closely track Iran’s domestic restructuring, as it directly reshapes the geopolitics of the Middle East. Article link https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/c-raja-mohan-writes-iran-after-khamenei-america-question-10785899/

Article on India's Act East Policy in context of recent visit by PM and changes in USA's Policy towards Indo Pacific Article link 🔗 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/narendra-modi-india-act-east-policy-10785050/