International Relations Current Affairs for UPSC
The latest 120 International Relations current affairs notes for UPSC Prelims and Mains, newest first.
October 2026 · 20
India to Join Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement as Full Member
The Union Government has approved India's accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA). India is upgrading from a limited Cooperating Non-Contracting Party (CNCP, a status held since 2022) to a…
15 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Arunachal Protests Grow Over Siang Hydel Project Amid China Factor
Protests have intensified in Arunachal Pradesh's Siang valley against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Security deployment, detention of protestors under the state's Unlawful Activities…
14 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Israel, US Reject Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize as Verdict
Navi Pillay, a South African jurist of Indian Tamil descent, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. She won it for her career in international criminal justice. Her work included service on the International Criminal Tribunal…
14 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
Houthi-Saudi Conflict Escalates Over Red Sea Control
A dispute over an Iranian flight carrying Houthi leaders back to Sanaa triggered the collapse of Yemen's ceasefire. This revived war between the Houthis (Ansar Allah), a Zaydi Shia group backed by Iran, and the…
14 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BIMSTEC Home Ministers Adopt Delhi Declaration Against Terrorism
India hosted the first-ever BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi. All seven member states adopted the Delhi Declaration against terrorism. These states are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka…
14 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US Visa and Tariff Moves Add Strain to India-US Trade Ties
The US has suspended several major Indian IT firms from the PERM programme. PERM is the labour-certification route to US permanent residency. This follows an earlier $100,000 fee on H-1B visas. This adds a new front to…
13 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Proposes Black Sea Ceasefire to End Russia-Ukraine War
India has put forward a proposal to ease the Russia-Ukraine war. The proposal is comprehensive but limited. It focuses on a Black Sea ceasefire. The plan asks Russia to stop attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. It…
12 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Navi Pillay Wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for Justice
Navi Pillay, an international jurist of Indian Tamil origin born in apartheid-era Durban, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her career advancing international criminal justice. Descended from indentured…
11 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
US Strikes Russian Diesel Deal After Pressuring India on Oil
The US has pressured India for over a year to cut Russian oil imports, threatening tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy. In a surprising reversal, the US has now struck a deal for Russia to supply…
11 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-Turkey Ties: Cooperation Persists Despite Kashmir, Pakistan Tensions
India-Turkey relations combine persistent friction over Kashmir with pragmatic, functional cooperation. Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, has repeatedly raised Kashmir at the UN General Assembly, especially after India…
10 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS Tested on Relevance in a Fragmented World Order
The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi, produced the unanimously adopted New Delhi Declaration. It covered trade, finance, UN and WTO reform, AI governance, and West Asia. BRICS originated at the 2009…
10 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
Eastern Maritime Corridor Offers India a Russia Oil Route Alternative
India's energy system depends heavily on maritime imports. Nearly 90% oil and roughly half its LNG dependency are met through seaborne trade. Most of this trade, along with most refining and LNG regasification capacity…
9 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Revives Bilateral Investment Treaties With Shorter Dispute Rules
India is reviving its bilateral investment treaty (BIT) network a decade after it unilaterally terminated most of the 83 BITs it had earlier signed. This followed adverse arbitration awards such as White Industries…
9 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India's Strategic Stakes in the WHO Pandemic Agreement
The WHO Pandemic Agreement (PA), adopted by 124 member-states in 2025, is a new global legal attempt to prevent a repeat of Covid-19 vaccine-access failures. India, a signatory, used its September 2026 remarks at the UN…
8 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Three Years After October 7: Strategic Roots and Regional Fallout
The October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. This triggered an Israeli military campaign in Gaza and linked conflicts involving Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. Hamas's…
8 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
India, Switzerland Agree to Deepen Defence and Nuclear Ties
India and Switzerland agreed to deepen cooperation in defence production, military exchanges and nuclear energy during the Swiss President's visit. They also agreed to new agreements on migration and young-professional…
7 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India's Oil Imports Track U.S. Sanctions Pressure, Data Show
India imports over four-fifths of its crude oil. This makes energy security central to its foreign policy. Official data show a recurring pattern. Whenever the US pressured India to cut oil imports from Venezuela, Iran…
6 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US Defence Strategy Review Carries Implications For India Ties
A mid-term assessment of the US 2026 National Defense Strategy shows Washington reorganising its global commitments around four priorities: defending the homeland, deterring China along the First Island Chain, securing…
5 Oct 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US-China Summit Signals Managed Rivalry, Tests India's Options
A recent summit between the US and Chinese presidents produced agreements on trade and rare earths and notably warm messaging, but left Taiwan, technology, and the broader strategic rivalry unresolved. This reflects a…
3 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
Aid may be dead. Long live international development
Global aid flows fell by more than a fifth over the past year, driven chiefly by sweeping cuts to USAID and compounded by retrenchment from other donor countries facing fiscal and political pressures. This has exposed…
2 Oct 2026 · GS2 · IR
September 2026 · 94
UN Faces Deepening Trust Deficit Amid Reform Calls
The 81st UN General Assembly met under the theme 'Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation', an implicit admission that global confidence in the UN has declined. Surveys by Edelman Trust, Pew, the UN Foundation and the…
30 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
How World War II Memory Shapes Today's Asian Power Contest
World War II's rival victor narratives, the Yalta System in Europe and the San Francisco System in Asia, are being revived to serve present-day geopolitics. A recent Washington meeting between the US and Chinese leaders…
30 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS1 · IR
India's Strategic Choices Amid a Managed US-China Rivalry
Global AI governance has evolved through a series of summits from Bletchley Park (2023) to Paris (2025), but the most consequential decisions are now being made outside these forums. The recent Trump-Xi summit placed AI…
29 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US and China Signal Managed Rivalry After Washington Summit
The Trump-Xi summit in Washington produced ceremonial warmth, including a reception comparable to Kennedy's welcome of Macmillan in 1962, but only modest concrete outcomes: agreement to meet at the APEC summit in…
28 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India and Chile to Begin Comprehensive Trade Pact Talks
India and Chile have agreed to begin negotiations for a comprehensive economic agreement, upgrading from their existing Preferential Trade Agreement in force since 2007. The announcement came alongside a cooperation…
27 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US, Denmark and Greenland Sign New Arctic Security Pact
Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, has become central to renewed Arctic great-power competition involving the United States, Russia and China. After repeated U.S. threats to acquire the island, a trilateral…
27 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UN Reform Deadlock and Calls for a New Global Charter
The article discusses growing acknowledgement, including from the outgoing UN Secretary-General, that the post-1945 multilateral order built around the UN Security Council no longer matches today's distribution of…
27 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US-China Summit Leaves Trade, Tech and Taiwan Unresolved
The Trump-Xi summit produced a limited concrete outcome: a two-month extension of the Busan trade truce, pushing its deadline to January 10, 2027, and a symbolic panda-exchange gesture. The diplomatic optics were…
27 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UN Faces Reform Pressure as 81st General Assembly Session Opens
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened amid an unusually high number of global conflicts and growing disregard for the UN Charter by major powers, making it a significant year for debating UN reform. It is…
26 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Nepal Proposes Trilateral Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism
Nepal's Prime Minister used his address to the 81st UN General Assembly session to propose a trilateral Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism with India and China, following a catastrophic flash flood triggered by an…
26 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-Japan Air Exercise Deepens Defence Interoperability Push
The second edition of Exercise Veer Guardian between the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defence Force, held at Jodhpur, saw Japanese F-2A fighters operate from Indian soil for the first time. This is part of a…
26 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India's Rising Power Meets a Weakening UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council, designed in 1945 around five veto-wielding permanent members, has struggled to restrain its strongest members or their allies in conflicts such as Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and the…
26 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Taiwan Policy Looms Over US-China Summit Talks
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States has brought the Taiwan question back into focus alongside trade and AI negotiations. Since 1979, US-Taiwan relations have rested on the Taiwan Relations Act and…
26 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
France Renews Push to Restrain UN Security Council Veto
France has revived a push, first proposed jointly with Mexico in 2015, for permanent UN Security Council members to voluntarily restrain their veto in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, or large-scale war…
25 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India Hosts 18th BRICS Summit Amid West Asia Tensions
BRICS, formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China and joined by South Africa in 2010, has become the leading platform through which India and other emerging powers pursue reform of global institutions like the UN…
24 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Debate Over India's Role in BRICS and Non-Alignment Legacy
The Non-Aligned Movement, founded at the 1961 Belgrade Summit after the 1955 Bandung Conference, once gave India a leadership role among newly independent nations by refusing bloc alignment and championing…
24 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India Concludes BRICS Chairship of Tax Cooperation Track
The BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities Meeting, hosted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes in New Delhi, marked the conclusion of India's 2026 BRICS Chairship of the tax cooperation track. Representatives of all ten BRICS…
24 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US Law Threatens Tariffs Over India's Russian Oil Purchases
The US Congress passed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, known as the Graham Bill, signed into law on September 18, 2026, authorising tariffs of up to 100% on countries importing Russian crude oil, directly…
23 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Diplomacy Continues 'Normally' Despite Mounting Global Risks
Diplomacy is proceeding on a busy, familiar schedule of summits even as the scale of global risks has changed. The AI Action Summit, Bletchley Park Summit, and Seoul Summit reflect years of effort to build shared rules…
23 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Xi-Modi Summit Fails to Reset India-China Economic Ties
China's President visited India for the 18th BRICS Summit, his first visit in nearly seven years, alongside a fresh border consensus, but the meeting failed to reset economic ties. China has tightened export controls on…
23 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US-China AI Dialogue Raises Strategic Questions for India
The scheduled US-China dialogue on AI risk, following China's access-oriented pitch at the Delhi BRICS summit, highlights a dual structure in global AI politics: an access-and-diffusion track led by China through…
23 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India, Pakistan Dispute Naval Collision in Arabian Sea
A Pakistan Navy offshore patrol vessel, PNS Hunain, collided with the Indian Navy destroyer INS Kolkata in the North Arabian Sea on September 15, with India alleging a dangerous high-speed overtaking manoeuvre and…
22 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Weighs De-Risking, Not Decoupling, From US and China
The article examines India's response to escalating US economic pressure, most recently the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 2026, which threatens tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five buyers of Russian oil and…
22 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nepal's Flood Diplomacy Poses Climate Justice Test for India
Nepal's catastrophic flash floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli basins have pushed Kathmandu to move from seeking disaster relief to invoking a formal climate-justice framework, appealing to the UN-backed Fund for…
22 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US Sanctions Policy Repeatedly Reshapes India's Oil Import Choices
For two decades, US sanctions policy toward Iran, Venezuela and Russia has repeatedly reshaped India's crude oil import basket, since India imports over 85% of its oil needs. Iran-India energy ties oscillated with the…
22 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS 2026 Declaration Reflects India's West Asia Diplomacy
BRICS functions as a consensus-based forum whose joint declarations reflect the political distance between its now 10 members rather than the forum's seriousness. At the 2026 New Delhi Summit, language on the West Asia…
22 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US Law Threatens 100% Tariffs Over Russian Oil Imports
The passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act by the US Congress marks a significant escalation in pressure on India over its energy trade with Russia. Russian crude now accounts for roughly 50%…
21 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS Delhi Declaration Signals Shifts on Palestine and Iran
The New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit devoted eleven of its 140 paragraphs to West Asia, marking the first time a grouping including China, Russia, and Iran referenced UNSC Resolution 2803, the US-backed…
21 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US Sanctions Law Threatens 100% Tariff Over Russian Oil
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, 2026 authorises the US President to impose tariffs of up to 500% on goods from the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. India is directly exposed because Russian…
20 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-China Rapprochement amid US–China Strategic Competition
India and China maintain a simultaneous mix of competition and cooperation: New Delhi seeks economic normalisation and operational stability at the frontier while preserving strategic autonomy; Beijing uses bilateral…
19 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
New US Law Threatens Tariffs Over Russian Oil Imports
The United States has signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, 2026, which gives the US President discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue buying Russian…
19 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India and Bhutan Review Development Cooperation During Ministerial Visit
External Affairs Minister's visit to Bhutan reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, reaffirming India's support for Bhutan's 13th Five Year Plan (2024-29) and hydropower development through a new ₹4,000…
19 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
G20 Ministers Agree on Secure, Affordable, Reliable Energy Goals
The G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial focused on three interconnected pillars: energy security and affordable baseload, permitting and regulatory efficiency, and critical minerals and resilient supply chains. India…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US sanctions law reshapes trade leverage in India–US talks
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 gives the US President authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that rank among the top five importers of Russian crude oil or…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
BRICS Summit and India's Foreign Policy Trajectory
BRICS began as an emerging-economy forum and has developed institutional instruments such as the New Development Bank (NDB) and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement. India treats BRICS as a venue to press for institutional…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India needs a national war room for economic sanctions response
Sanctions and extraterritorial economic measures transmit pressure through globally concentrated nodes — correspondent banks, insurers, ship managers and maritime chokepoints — creating risks for India’s energy, trade…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
U.S. Sanctions Target India-Based Firms Over Iran Oil Trade
The US has expanded enforcement actions targeting Iran’s energy revenues under a campaign named Operation Economic Outcast, using the authority of Executive Order 13846 and tools managed by OFAC. The designations now…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Pakistan and China operationalise joint boundary commission
Pakistan and China have operationalised a joint boundary commission based on their 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System. The commission coordinates border management, cross-border trade, and movement at key…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Space weapons confirmation forces rethink of space law and norms
The Outer Space Treaty (1967) remains the primary legal framework governing space but explicitly bans only weapons of mass destruction in orbit, leaving conventional on-orbit weapons in a legal grey area. Modern…
18 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
US House Advances Bill Threatening 100% Tariffs on Russian Oil Buyers Including India
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 advanced through a US House procedural vote by a narrow 214–211 margin, following an overwhelming 86–11 Senate passage. The bill authorises the President to…
17 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US House Passes Bill Authorising 100% Tariffs on Russian Oil Buyers Including India
The US House passed and the Senate advanced a bill authorising 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian crude oil, with India explicitly in scope. India imports roughly 85% of its crude requirements, and Russia now…
17 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-Bangladesh Ties Under Strain as BNP Government Navigates Competing Pressures
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km border, 54 rivers, and deep economic and civilisational ties, making their bilateral relationship one of South Asia's most consequential. The BNP government's assumption of power…
17 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS Summit Proposes AI Cooperation to Counter Technology Concentration
AI governance has become a major geopolitical fault line. The US treats frontier AI as a strategic asset in its competition with China, while the BRICS Summit has proposed an open-source AI community as an alternative…
16 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
18th BRICS Summit Adopts New Delhi Declaration Amid Consensus Challenges
The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi, adopted the 140-point New Delhi Declaration marking two decades of the grouping. India's presidency achieved three notable outcomes: an explicit condemnation of the…
16 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Saudi Arabia Engages BRICS as Invited Nation Without Formal Membership
Saudi Arabia was formally invited to join BRICS at the 2023 Johannesburg Summit but has not confirmed full membership. At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Riyadh participated as an invited nation. The grouping's…
16 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
US House Amendment Names India in Russia Sanctions Bill's 100% Tariff Clause
The US House of Representatives is considering an amendment to the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act that explicitly names India among countries eligible for 100% tariffs on their goods if they continue importing Russian…
16 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Multipolar World Order Remains Distant as US-China Dominance Deepens
The article argues that India's aspiration for a multipolar world order is increasingly at odds with structural reality. Within BRICS, China now accounts for roughly three-fifths of combined GDP; within the G7, the…
16 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Drone Strike on Saudi Petroline Deepens Gulf Energy Chokepoint Crisis
Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline (Petroline), a 1,200 km overland route from Abqaiq to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, was struck by drones launched from Iraq's Maysan governorate, causing severe damage confirmed by…
15 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-Bangladesh Relations Under BNP Government: Prospects and Challenges
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km border and 54 rivers, making their bilateral relationship one of South Asia's most consequential. The BNP government's assumption of power has introduced uncertainty: its coalition…
15 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
18th BRICS Summit New Delhi Declaration Advances Multilateral Reform Agenda
The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, held under India's fourth chairship, adopted the New Delhi Declaration after India brokered a last-minute compromise between Iran and the UAE over language on the West Asia conflict.…
14 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS Delhi 2026 Declaration: Key Diplomatic Balances and Omissions Explained
The Delhi 2026 BRICS declaration, a 45-page document covering 140 paragraphs, achieved consensus through careful diplomatic calibration across ten diverse member states. Its key features include condemnation of…
14 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-China Border Talks Reach Stable Equilibrium, But Risks Remain
India and China have reached a tacit Nash equilibrium on their disputed border: neither side can achieve its maximum territorial objective through negotiation or force, so both have an incentive to maintain the status…
14 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS Forum Pushes Women-Led Businesses Into Global Value Chains
The BRICS Business Forum's panel on women in business highlighted a structural gap across the bloc's 21 member and partner countries: women lead or significantly participate in approximately 80 per cent of MSMEs, yet…
13 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-China Direct Flights Resume After Six-Year Suspension
Direct flights between India and China have resumed after a suspension of over six years, marking a visible step in the gradual normalisation of bilateral ties following the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff. The standoff…
13 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Chairs BRICS 2026 Summit, Seeks Multipolar Global Order
BRICS, which began as a Goldman Sachs investment concept in 2001 and held its first formal summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009, has grown into an eleven-member grouping representing roughly half the world's population and…
13 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Extradition Treaty Limits India's Prosecution of Convicted Idol Smuggler
A convicted antiquities dealer, extradited from Germany to India in 2012, is being returned to Germany following a Madras High Court ruling that upheld the rule of speciality embedded in the bilateral extradition…
12 Sept 2026 · GS1, GS2 · IR
BRICS Summit Highlights India's Case for Reducing Western Economic Dependence
BRICS, which began as a five-nation grouping at Yekaterinburg in 2009, now has eleven full members after a major expansion in 2024-25. India holds the 2026 BRICS Chairship under the theme 'Building for Resilience…
12 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
25 Years After 9/11: Assessing the Costs and Failures of the War on Terror
The September 11, 2001 attacks by al-Qaeda killed 2,977 people and fundamentally reoriented global security policy. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1373, creating the Counter-Terrorism Committee and imposing…
12 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Cochin Shipyard and UAE Firm Form First PPP Joint Venture for Ship Repair
India's ship repair sector has historically been underdeveloped, with vessels sent abroad for major maintenance at significant foreign exchange cost. The joint venture between Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Drydocks…
12 Sept 2026 · GS3, GS2 · IR
IAEA Board Refers Iran to UN Security Council Over Nuclear Non-Compliance
The IAEA Board of Governors voted 23-3 to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing Iran's failure to cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites. The…
11 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
How the Global War on Terror Inadvertently Strengthened Iran's Regional Position
Before 2001, Iran was strategically contained between a hostile Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and was excluded from Gulf Arab groupings such as the GCC. The US-led invasions of Afghanistan and…
11 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Leverages BRICS Chairship to Advance Ukraine Peace Diplomacy
India holds the BRICS Chairship in 2026 and is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The summit is set against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, West Asia tensions, and growing calls for UNSC reform. BRICS…
11 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nepal Flood Reconstruction Raises Climate Justice and Regional Diplomacy Questions
Flash floods killed over 1,300 people in Nepal in a recent disaster season, highlighting two urgent governance failures. First, there is no binding transboundary data-sharing protocol between China, as the…
11 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
BRICS as Reformist Bridge Between Global South and Western Order
BRICS began as an informal grouping formalised at the 2009 Yekaterinburg summit, with South Africa joining in 2010 to complete the original five. Its founding logic was that Western-led institutions such as the IMF…
11 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nicaragua Invokes Genocide Convention Against Germany at ICJ
The Genocide Convention, adopted in 1948 and in force since 1951, defines genocide as a crime under international law and obligates its 154 signatories to prevent and punish it. Article IX of the convention allows any…
10 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
UAE Outlines BRICS Economic Connectivity Vision Under India's 2026 Chairship
The UAE, a full BRICS member since January 2024, has articulated a connectivity-centred vision for the grouping under India's 2026 Chairship. The UAE brings sovereign wealth assets exceeding $2.9 trillion, 38 concluded…
10 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-EU FTA and Defence Partnership Signal New Strategic Alignment
The India-EU relationship has entered a qualitatively new phase with the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement and a Security and Defence Partnership Agreement. The FTA, covering 2 billion consumers and…
10 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nepal Demands Climate Compensation After Catastrophic Himalayan Flash Floods
Nepal's catastrophic flash flood, driven by Himalayan glacial retreat and climate change, has prompted the country to formally demand compensation rather than aid from large emitters, writing to the UN Loss and Damage…
10 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Resumes After Five-Year Suspension Tied to India-China Tensions
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra — a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet — has functioned as a barometer of India-China bilateral relations since the 1954 Panchsheel Agreement first formalised pilgrim…
9 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS1 · IR
Potential G3 Summit Casts Shadow Over BRICS and India's Strategic Position
BRICS, now an 11-member grouping after Indonesia joined in January 2025, is holding its 18th summit in New Delhi. The grouping faces two simultaneous pressures. Internally, its expansion has eroded the consensus…
9 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nepal Floods Expose Gaps in South Asia Transboundary Disaster Governance
The Nepal floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, have highlighted a structural governance gap in South Asia's management of transboundary Himalayan hazards. The Himalayan cryosphere is…
9 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-Bangladesh Relations Face Test Over Extradition, Water, and Trade
India-Bangladesh relations are under strain following the political transition in Dhaka. The new Bangladeshi government has made extradition of the former Prime Minister a precondition for high-level engagement…
9 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
IAF and Japan Air Self Defence Force Conduct Bilateral Exercise Veer Guardian-2026
Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 is a fourteen-day bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and Japan's Air Self Defence Force, hosted at Air Force Station Jodhpur. The IAF deploys LCA Tejas, Su-30 MKI, and…
9 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Chairs 18th BRICS Summit Amid Expansion and Cohesion Challenges
BRICS, formed in 2006 and formalised at its first summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009, has grown from a five-member economic forum into an 11-member geopolitical coalition after Indonesia joined as the 11th full member in…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Armenia Seeks EU Membership as Iceland Rejects Accession Talks
Armenia has announced a formal application for EU membership and signalled its willingness to leave the Russian-led CSTO, marking a dramatic post-Soviet foreign-policy pivot. The article uses Iceland's simultaneous…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
Nepal Floods Revive Calls for Himalayan Ecological Diplomacy and Climate Justice
A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) recently destroyed Gyirong Port on the Nepal-Tibet border, disrupting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route and highlighting the growing threat of glacial hazards in the Himalayas. The…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UN World Map Depicts Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Contested Zones
The UN General Assembly adopted the 'Correct the Map' resolution on September 4, 2026, sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, to promote the Equal Earth cartographic projection for more accurate continental…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Belgian Prime Minister Visits India, Advancing EU FTA and Defence Ties
The Belgian Prime Minister's visit to Delhi advances India's broader European engagement strategy on three fronts. Economically, the visit builds momentum toward the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, expected to be signed…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Kenya Orders Indian Soda Ash Firm Out, Signalling Shift in Resource Policy
The Kenyan government's order for Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited to cease its soda ash operations at Lake Magadi reflects a broader trend of resource nationalism in Africa. TCML, Africa's largest natural soda ash…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Urged to Press Harder for Russia-Ukraine Negotiated Settlement
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has entered a phase of intensified diplomatic activity. India has moved from studied neutrality toward active mediation…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India-China Brahmaputra Dispute: Data Gaps and Medog Dam Stakes
The Brahmaputra originates as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and is one of India's largest rivers. India and China have no binding water treaty. Their arrangement rests on two non-binding memorandums of understanding — on…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India's Pakistan Strategy: Positioning Over Isolation in Multilateral Forums
India's approach to Pakistan has long combined diplomatic non-engagement with efforts to isolate Islamabad internationally. However, the SCO summit — where Pakistan assumed the rotational presidency of a body with…
8 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UNGA Adopts Resolution Declaring November 27 International Day Against Child Marriage
The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution on September 4, 2026, proclaiming November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. The resolution was led by Sierra…
7 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India Hosts 18th BRICS Summit Amid Tensions Over Grouping's Direction
BRICS, founded in 2006 and expanded to 11 members by January 2025, and the SCO, established in 2001 with 10 full members, are two key multilateral forums where India pursues its multi-alignment foreign policy. India…
7 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UNCLOS at 40-Plus: Maritime Law's Enduring Role Amid New Disputes
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994, is the foundational legal framework for the world's oceans. It defines maritime zones — territorial sea (12 nautical…
6 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
China Advances Yarlung Zangbo Mega-Dam Despite Downstream Concerns
The Brahmaputra, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, is a transboundary river of enormous strategic importance for India and Bangladesh. China, as the upper-riparian state, is constructing the world's largest…
6 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
UNEP Report Warns 1.5°C Overshoot Now Unavoidable, Urges Methane Action
The UN Environment Programme's report *Limiting Overshoot* has formally declared, for the first time, that a sustained breach of the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the Paris Agreement (2015) is unavoidable. The report…
5 Sept 2026 · GS3, GS2 · IR
India at SCO Bishkek Summit: Counter-Terrorism, BRICS Linkages, and Central Asia Outreach
The Bishkek SCO Summit, marking the grouping's 25th anniversary, was significant for India on multiple fronts. India used the platform to advance its counter-terrorism agenda, securing strong language on 'all forms' of…
4 Sept 2026 · GS2 · IR
India-South Korea Partnership Deepens Across Industry, Defence, and Technology
India and South Korea share the symbolic coincidence of marking their independence or liberation on August 15. Their bilateral relationship, upgraded to a Special Strategic Partnership in 2015, has developed substantial…
3 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India's SCO Summit Address Highlights Central Asia Connectivity and Terrorism Challenges
The 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek highlighted India's strategic challenge in Central Asia: geographic isolation from the region due to the absence of overland access through Pakistan and instability in Afghanistan. India's…
3 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Nepal Glacial Disaster Exposes Gaps in Himalayan Transboundary Climate Cooperation
Recent flash floods in Nepal, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche cascading into the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river corridors, have killed over 1,200 people and trapped hydropower workers in tunnels, exposing the acute…
3 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Buddhist Shared Heritage Drives India-Japan Cross-Cultural Diplomacy
India and Japan share a civilisational connection rooted in Buddhism, which spread from the Indian subcontinent to Japan centuries ago. In Japan, Buddhist monks are socially integrated figures who participate in family…
3 Sept 2026 · GS1, GS2 · IR
SCO Summit Highlights Iran's Strategic Centrality to India's Eurasian Connectivity
The SCO summit in Bishkek is significant for India primarily because of Iran's presence. Iran joined the SCO as a full member in 2023, and the ongoing West Asia conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States has…
2 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Permanent Court of Arbitration Rules Indus Waters Treaty Remains Fully in Force
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed on 19 September 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, divides the Indus basin's six rivers between India and Pakistan, granting Pakistan roughly 80% (~135 MAF) of total waters and…
1 Sept 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
August 2026 · 6
Himalayan GLOF Exposes Transboundary Governance Gaps Across India, Nepal, China
A catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Nepal's Rasuwa district, triggered by a glacier collapse on the Chinese side near Langtang Lirung, has killed hundreds and destroyed hydropower projects, roads, and…
31 Aug 2026 · GS3, GS2 · IR
Nepal Requests Early Power Import Approvals After Flash Flood Damages Hydropower Infrastructure
Severe monsoon flash floods in Nepal simultaneously triggered a humanitarian crisis and an energy emergency, exposing the deep interconnection between Nepal's Himalayan geography and its hydropower-dependent economy.…
30 Aug 2026 · GS3, GS2 · IR
India Deepens Central Asia Engagement via SCO Summit and Bilateral Visits
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), founded in 2001 from the 1996 'Shanghai Five', is the primary multilateral platform through which India engages Central Asia alongside China, Russia, and Pakistan. India…
30 Aug 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
25th India-China Special Representatives Round Advances Border Management Framework
The 25th round of India-China Special Representatives (SR) talks in Beijing produced an eight-point consensus covering border peace and tranquillity, a framework for boundary settlement, and operationalising the Expert…
29 Aug 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
India Renews Central Asia Engagement via Uzbekistan Visit and SCO Summit
India's engagement with Central Asia — the five republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — is driven by civilisational ties, energy interests, counter-terrorism cooperation, and the…
28 Aug 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR
Indian Oil Refiners Avoid Iran-Blacklisted Ships Amid Hormuz Shipping Crisis
Iran has announced a blacklist of 45 ships it says violated its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, threatening fines, detention, and cargo confiscation for any vessel that conducts ship-to-ship (STS) transfers…
27 Aug 2026 · GS2, GS3 · IR