Afghanistan

India

Politics

Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi landed in India to begin a scheduled Oct. 9-16 visit, marking the Taliban's highest-level visit to India since the group retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Reuters reported Oct. 9.

Afghanistan: Taliban Foreign Minister Begins Trip to India, Seeking to Foster Bilateral Ties

Australia

Military & Security

Australia and India signed a submarine agreement, pledged deeper information sharing and outlined defense industrial collaboration, AP reported on Oct. 9.

Australia, India: Canberra, New Delhi Sign Submarine Pact

United Kingdom

Economics

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Mumbai on Oct. 8, where they pledged to deepen their countries' trade and defense cooperation, Reuters reported Oct. 9.

India, U.K.: Modi and Starmer Meet in Mumbai, Vow To Deepen Trade and Defense Ties

India's Election Commission announced that Bihar will hold its state elections in two phases on Nov. 6 and 11, with results declared on Nov. 14, Bloomberg reported Oct. 6.

India: Bihar State Assembly Elections Scheduled for November

China

India's foreign ministry announced that direct flights between selected cities in India and China will resume this month, ending a suspension that lasted over five years, Reuters reported Oct. 2.

India, China: Countries To Resume Direct Flights After Five-Year Suspension

Mexico

United States

Singapore

Switzerland

Ireland

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Sept. 25 that effective Oct. 1, the United States would impose a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, a 25% tariff on heavy-duty trucks, and a 100% tariff on branded or patented pharmaceutical products, unless the company is building a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in the United States. 

U.S.: National Security Tariffs on Some Pharmaceuticals, Certain Home Furniture and Trucks

Europe

The European Union unveiled a "new strategic agenda" for its bilateral relations with India, setting out plans to deepen cooperation across security, trade, technology, space and migration, a statement by the European Commission read on Sept. 17. 

EU, India: Brussels Announce Strategic Agenda for India Relations

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders during a conference call on Sept. 9 that he would be willing to add new tariffs on India and China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but only if the Europeans also applied such tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

Columns

On Geopolitics

Bangladesh

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Protesters gather at the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025. 

Widespread discontent with corruption and economic mismanagement is fueling movements that demand greater accountability across South Asia.

Political Instability Roils South Asia

Snapshots

A department store on Sept. 5, 2025, in Mumbai, after the Indian government slashed GST rates. While the government's tax changes will support growth by boosting disposable incomes and household consumption, they are likely only a short-term measure that threatens to strain some Indian states' budgets.

While the government's tax changes will support growth by boosting disposable incomes and household consumption, they are likely only a short-term measure that threatens to strain some Indian states' budgets.

India's GST Reforms Will Weigh on State Finances 

Participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 pose for photos in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Energy

Global Trade

U.S. trade uncertainty will help China deepen trade ties with its Central Asian neighbors and infrastructure ties with Russia, but its relations with India will remain inhibited by border disputes and differing defense priorities.

China Positions Itself as Growth Catalyst for Central Asia at SCO Summit

Assessments

A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025. 

While India will remain engaged in U.S. trade talks, a deal that secures relief from Trump's 50% tariff will remain elusive amid New Delhi's reluctance to reduce its agricultural protections and Russian oil purchases. 


U.S. Tariffs Strain India's Exports Amid Stalled Trade Talks

Ecuador

North Korea

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting on May 14, 2015, in Xian, China. 

While Trump-era tariff pressures offer a new economic incentive for cooperation, Beijing and New Delhi are unlikely to fully normalize ties due to enduring strategic and security concerns.

Despite Modest Improvement, India-China Relations Face Enduring Challenges

Bolivia

Israel

Palestinian Territories

An aerial view shows a campaign poster of Bolivian presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina and his supporters marching during a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: Bolivian Elections, a Controversial Israeli Settlement Plan 

Workers at the Samsung plant in Sriperumbudur, India, stage a protest to demand higher wages and recognition of their union on Sept. 11, 2024. 

The labor reforms, aimed at streamlining regulations and attracting investment, face significant delays and uneven implementation due to political resistance, trade union opposition and state-level administrative challenges.

India's Labor Codes: Challenges to Nationwide Adoption

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

An oil tanker train passes near a refinery in Guwahati, India, on March 30, 2023. 

For now, India will likely keep importing cheap Russian oil in the hopes it can soon secure tariff relief, either directly via a U.S. trade deal or indirectly via a breakthrough in U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine.

Will Trump's Tariffs Deter India From Buying Russian Oil?

Maldives

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) shakes hands with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu upon meeting in Male on July 25, 2025. 

Improving relations will strengthen India's strategic foothold in the Indian Ocean, while granting the Maldives access to crucial financial support.

Modi Resets Ties With the Maldives After Its 'India Out' Campaign

Iran

Japan

A photo taken in Tehran, Iran, on June 26, 2025, shows an Iranian political banner hanging near the remains of a residential building struck by an Israeli attack. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: Fragile Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds, U.S. Tariff Deadline Approaches

<p>India is endowed with favorable geographic barriers. Surrounded by oceans on three sides and the formidable Himalayan Mountains to the north, what is now modern India has been free of outside interference for much of its long history. Its large geographic size and population, coupled with weaker peripheral nations on much of its boundaries, have allowed India to become the dominant force in South Asia. Home to the world&rsquo;s second-largest population, India&rsquo;s 1.3 billion people are spread out across the peninsular nation, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the tropical south. India&rsquo;s population core is settled along the Ganges river basin, a densely populated swath of fertile land that extends across the northern Himalayan border. India&rsquo;s primary geographic challenge comes from a lack of strong internal boundaries. Modern-day India struggles to rectify the ambitions of a relatively weak national government that competes with the prerogatives of strong, diverse states &mdash; a legacy of a long history of domestic infighting between various dynasties uninhibited by mountains or other defining geography. A similar lack of defining geography still plagues India&rsquo;s northwest border. Waves of Greek, Persian, and Mongols invaded, culminating in the Mughal Empire, which united much of the subcontinent prior to British conquest. The northwestern border still poses national security risks, due to ongoing disputes with Pakistan. But rising domestic consumption means India is increasingly dependent on imported goods from distant suppliers. Surrounded by water or impassable mountains, New Delhi now faces the additional task of developing naval capabilities to secure its critical supply routes, risking maritime tensions with China in the broader Indo-Pacific basin.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Afghanistan: Taliban Foreign Minister Begins Trip to India, Seeking to Foster Bilateral Ties

Australia, India: Canberra, New Delhi Sign Submarine Pact

India, U.K.: Modi and Starmer Meet in Mumbai, Vow To Deepen Trade and Defense Ties

India: Bihar State Assembly Elections Scheduled for November

India, China: Countries To Resume Direct Flights After Five-Year Suspension

U.S.: National Security Tariffs on Some Pharmaceuticals, Certain Home Furniture and Trucks

EU, India: Brussels Announce Strategic Agenda for India Relations

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

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