At cricket et al, I write on the tragedy and farce of India-Pakistan cricket. It goes well beyond the saga of the missing handshakes. "Instead of building fraternal ties and people-to-people contact, the cricket field becomes the site of playing out their nationalist fantasies."

India's youth unemployment has hit 44.5% (ages 20-24)—higher than Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka before their governments fell. Over 600,000 Indians emigrated in 2024 alone. Yet Modi's supporters dismiss regional upheavals as "foreign conspiracies." A dangerous blind spot. I write in The Caravan

Who after Modi? Is Amit Shah the eternal bridesmaid? Who else are the contenders to succeed Modi? Where Hartosh and I discuss what this reveals about power, succession and democracy in today's India. In The Caravan Long View

The Modi government's response to this crisis in Nepal will signal whether India can adapt to the new realities of South Asian politics or whether it will continue to be surprised by events it should have seen coming. My column in @themorningcontext.bsky.social themorningcontext.com/chaos/from-k...

मोदी के 11 साल के बाद भारत की विदेश नीति का हाल - अंदरूनी कमज़ोरी का नतीजा, हरकारा online पर निधीश से मेरी थोड़ी लम्बी बातचीत I truly enjoyed this conversation on India's strategic outlook and global standing after 11 years of Modi as PM (in Hindustani) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChPo...

Sankarshan Thakur, an unparalleled chronicler of our times. RIP. (Yale hosted him last October as a Poynter Fellow. I was in the discussion on the state of Indian journalism.)

"Modi was on page two [of the People's Daily]. The president or the premier of the Maldives is on page one" Tells you something of how the Chinese side saw Modi's trip to Tianjin. @sushantsingh.bsky.social sinocism.com/p/sharp-chin...

Modi’s theatrics with China delivered zilch: on Ladakh, border issues, water data sharing, trade deficit, supply chain blocks, CPEC to Afghanistan, terror, military support to Pak. Chasing optics, Modi lets Xi call the shots My essay in The Caravan enumerates them caravanmagazine.in/politics/mod...

Modi’s Tianjin visit is a mirror of India’s domestic decline. I write in @themorningcontext.bsky.social on how domestic failures— economic inequality, tepid growth, poor R&D, low productivity, declining manufacturing— constrain India's international leverage, forcing reactive diplomacy.

Mark Carney doesn’t seem to want to ruffle any feathers with respect to India. It’s a “pragmatic pivot from Trudeau’s tough approach,” writes @sushantsingh.bsky.social, “but it has left the fundamental issues driving the bilateral crisis unresolved.” thewalrus.ca/canada-india-pea...

An extraordinarily high number of gallantry awards were given this Independence Day, but no citations of their acts were released. PM didn't even mention those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during Op Sindoor. This choice of spectacle over substance is dangerous. I write in the Telegraph

Smiles and handshakes were part of the diplomatic choreography between India and Canada at the G7 summit. But for @sushantsingh.bsky.social, this didn’t mask the truth: the encounter was driven by economic and political expediency, not genuine reconciliation. thewalrus.ca/canada-india-pea...

"The smiles and firm handshakes between Carney and Modi in June couldn’t mask the underlying reality that this diplomatic rapprochement is built on economic and political expediency, not genuine reconciliation. ...it has left the fundamental issues unresolved." I write @thewalrus.ca

On the conduct and misconduct of elections in New India, Hartosh and I discuss the role of the Election Commission, their appointment process, ideological predelictions and the dangerous social consequences of its actions. In @thecaravan.bsky.social #LongView www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCY...

In [email protected], I write on the puzzle of why the most populous country in the world, which boasts of being the fourth-largest economy, has such a low global standing and limited influence. Are there some concrete things that can be done to fix this anomaly? #HIY

Trump’s actions have triggered a wide-ranging fallout for India. They threaten the country’s economy and Modi’s dominance of domestic politics — and could lead to geopolitical realignment. My piece in @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/33d8...

I write @thecaravan.bsky.social on the CAS speech at Bengaluru yesterday that made the headlines. His claim of shooting down PAF fighter jets needs to be examined properly, as also his assertion that there was no political constraint. But most worrying was the speech’s partisan purpose.

"The ground has shifted, in large part because Trump has upended the cost-benefit analysis that once guided Modi’s strategy: maximize strategic autonomy, hedge between the US and other friends, and lean on Washington when core interests come under pressure from Beijing." I write in Foreign Policy

If you go by hard evidence, the Modi government’s quest to somehow depict normalcy in bilateral ties with China is a sign of weakness, as it is happening on Beijing’s terms. After 11 years as PM, Modi can’t blame anyone else for this major strategic failure. I write in The Telegraph, Kolkata.

Trump’s engagement with Munir, even as Pakistan goes further into China’s orbit, complicates India’s security calculus. Modi's carefully crafted narrative of global leadership has been exposed as a house of cards, vulnerable to the whims of stronger powers. I write in @thecaravan.bsky.social

"The underlying question isn't about trade deficits, market access or tariff percentages. It is about India's ability to harness economic growth while protecting its strategic autonomy and core national interests." I write in @themorningcontext.bsky.social on the 'will-it, won't-it' India-US deal

"Renaming the Pataudi Trophy for the India-England Test series is not just a matter of changing a title. Beyond the obliteration of a unique cricketing legacy, the Pataudi name raises difficult questions about colonialism, feudalism, religious identity and nationalism." I write at Cricket et al

I write at The India Cable on how Dosanjh’s Sikh and Punjabi identity is not incidental to his global stardom. It is central, deliberate and powerfully visible. Dosanjh affair is as much about the policing of national loyalty as it is about the discomfort with visible, assertive minority identities

"India... must confront the realities of its own limitations. It must invest in true technological independence, empower its military with the tools and the freedom to fight effectively, and demand honesty and accountability from its leaders." I write in The Telegraph on the unanswered questions

In a new podcast conversation with Hartosh Singh Bal.

I have a new piece in the Caravan on last month's crisis between India and Pakistan, and its unsettling implications for South Asia's future in this third nuclear age. caravanmagazine.in/conflict/the...

Against all odds, including Trump's assault on USIP and the redressal by court orders, this paper - first proposed in 2021 in a hot Delhi summer afternoon in CPR meeting room - has finally seen the light of the day. www.usip.org/publications...

Pakistan’s embrace of crypto—fuelled by CEPC power projects, sanctioned by the Pak state and linked to the Trump family—has created a new headache for India. It is beyond technology—about power, influence and security. I write in @themorningcontext.bsky.social themorningcontext.com/chaos/with-i...

I spoke to Karan Thapar for @thewire.in about the Indo-Pak military clash, the CDS's revelations and the new Modi doctrine on dealing with Pakistan. It includes bits of why number of combat losses matter, and how the military delivered but political leadership didn't. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wS1...

My cover essay in The Caravan magazine is on Operation Sindoor - the dangerous gap between Modi’s bombastic rhetoric and India’s strategic limitations, between talk of imminent victory and the actual state of military modernisation, between the projection of power and its responsible exercise.

From Wickets to Warfare. At Gideon Haigh and Peter Lalor's Substack - Cricket et al - I write on the IPL's troubling new playbook of cricket's militarisation. The fusion of commercial cricket with military triumphalism exemplifies Mike Marqusee's prescient critique in 'War Minus the Shooting'.

The diplomatic rupture with Bangladesh threatens India’s security, economic interests, and regional standing—underscoring the urgent need for introspection and a reset in New Delhi’s approach to its neighborhood. My piece in Foreign Policy foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/22/h...

India-China ties are cooling again after fresh Kashmir clashes and China’s support for Pakistan. @sushantsingh.bsky.social, a lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University, joins Eric to unpack the fallout, from media spin to global reactions and what might come next.

I spoke to Eric Olander of China Global South Project about the current state of India's ties with China, in light of the recent clash between India and Pakistan. Modi govt's political and diplomatic stance towards China, the Indian military's viewpoint and of course, India's discredited big media.

For India, the performance of Chinese defence technology with Pakistan in the recent conflict represents both a significant security challenge and a potential catalyst for accelerated defence modernisation and industrial development. I write in @themorningcontext.bsky.social

The India-Pakistan ceasefire isn’t a breakthrough; it’s a warning. With tensions simmering just below the surface, the next crisis could spiral out of control even faster. The escalation ladder just got shorter and scarier. I write in Foreign Policy on South Asia’s fragile new normal after May 2025.

The Hindu's In Focus podcast (Video)

@nktpnd.bsky.social Hi, please check WhatsApp. Thanks.

I was on the Rachman Review podcast at Financial Times, discussing India and Pakistan.

Earlier today moring, I was on The Hindu's In Focus podcast, discussing the post-ceasefire scenario in the India-Pakistan fracas.

India's abstention at IMF underscores that when it comes to the hard numbers of global finance, India’s influence still has a long way to go. This episode is a reminder that symbolism & statements, however forceful, are not substitutes for the ability to shape outcomes. I write in Morning Context

I was at the Angry Planet podcast on Wednesday when the India-Pakistan military clashes were on.

This @ichotiner.bsky.social interview with @sushantsingh.bsky.social is worth your time. www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...

At Angry Planet, we spoke with @sushantsingh.bsky.social about what's going on between India and Pakistan. It serves as both a primer for the current conflict and an overview of the history angryplanetpod.com/p/india-and-...

I was interviewed by Isaac Chotiner at the New Yorker about India, Pakistan and Kashmir. "There would be no deterrence unless you target the Pakistani military. Deterrence cannot be established by targeting some seminaries."

Will India-Pakistan tensions boil over? @sushantsingh.bsky.social says conflict “looks likely.” Context on why previous checks on escalation might not hold: youtu.be/R7_Od4SADRU&...

"Two roads diverged" on Kashmir. I write about "the road not taken" by Modi: "For Kashmiris, weary of both armed militancy and Indian militarisation, such steps could reignite hope in India’s democratic promise and isolate extremists. The alternative, of more crackdowns and more alienation..."

“As both India and Pakistan face internal crises and external pressures, the temptation to use the tragedy in Kashmir as a stage for political theater is greater than ever.” Read @sushantsingh.bsky.social on the growing risk of escalation in the disputed territory of Kashmir: fam.ag/4lPbEfb

"But now, Modi’s rhetoric has boxed him in. Having set a precedent, he faces intense public and political pressure to respond forcefully to each new attack, even when India’s options are limited or risky." My piece in Foreign Affairs

The rhetoric of revenge deflects from the urgent need for reform—channeling public anger outward, while absolving those responsible for the security failure. This exposes the limitations of a strategy grounded in emotional reprisal rather than sober, institutional accountability. Me in The Caravan