Why is Iran being bombed for allegedly wanting a nuclear bomb while Israel already has nuclear weapons and gets billions in Western support? Whether you support Iran or not is not the point. The question is simple: shouldn't the same rules apply to everyone? #MyPiece

Climate change is not destined to fuel conflict, it can also become a powerful pathway to peace. This TEDx talk by @floriankrampe.bsky.social challenges conventional narratives & shows how climate action, cooperation & resilience can help build a more peaceful world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Tp...

Political mobilisation does not happen spontaneously through digital emotion alone. It requires strategic actors who can recruit participants, frame demands, coordinate actions, manage risks, build coalitions and sustain momentum under pressure. scroll.in/article/1093... By Ashok Swain

By standing with Putin, condemning the US-Israel strikes on Iran, & reaffirming the centrality of the UN, Xi challenged Washington's unilateralism while advancing China's vision of a multipolar world. Ironically, Trump's own policies accelerate the shift he fears most. #mypiece

India's viral Cockroach Janata Party reflects genuine youth anger, but outrage alone does not change political systems. To be successful, it requires grounded organizers, strong networks, clear demands, broad coalitions & street mobilization. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1093...

In 2025, Sweden removed the most dams on its rivers, 173, followed by Finland, 143, and Spain, 109. edition.cnn.com/2026/05/27/w...

Submit your manuscript to @envsecjournal.bsky.social

The Peter Wallensteen Lecture, by Professor T.V. Paul, offered a riveting analysis of how the pursuit of status drives great power behaviour. ashoswai.bsky.social introduced the speaker, while Professor Desirée Nilsson offered concluding remarks. Professor Peter Wallensteen gave a short speech.

My interview with @hammadsarfraz for @etribune tribune.com.pk/story/260979...

Trump claims victory, but wars are not won by dropping the most bombs. They are won by achieving political objectives. Iran's regime consolidated, weaponized the Strait of Hormuz, drove up global economic costs, & forced Trump to negotiate. #MyPiece National Herald, 24 May 2026.

Trump’s deference to Xi in Beijing has exposed the central flaw in Modi’s China policy: India spent 12 years betting that Washington would stand firm against Beijing. But America follows its interests, not Modi’s illusions. #MyPiece National Herald, 24 May 2026

As I note in this interview with Swedish Radio: When major donors like the US cut aid, it brings instability and violent conflict, particularly in vulnerable regions like Africa. Political leaders in Sweden and in Europe need to understand this. www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/mins...

International court backs Pakistan's position on Indus Waters Treaty. However, India is unwiling to negotiate with Pakistan. I tell Nikkei Asia that economically weak & politically unstable Pakistan lacks capacity to force Modi to negotiate. asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

Today, in my conversation with a senior European journalist who has covered China and India in recent years, she said that China felt freer than India when it came to investigating her stories.

Despite all Modi's claims, India's Operation Sindoor failed. #MyPiece

“Climate change should be classified as a national security risk” www.di.se/brandstudio/...

Operation Sindoor was meant to project Indian strength, but delivered strategic gains to Pakistan & China instead. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/oper...

The UAE leaving OPEC signals a dangerous geopolitical split: a UAE-India-Israel axis vs a Saudi-Pakistan axis. We have seen what Saudi-UAE rivalry did in Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya & Somalia. Exporting this rivalry into Kashmir & Baluchistan could be catastrophic. #MyPiece

The Indus Waters Treaty survived wars, crises & decades of hostility. By 'suspending' this Treaty, Modi government of India has handed Pakistan exactly what it wanted: A UN platform, legal sympathy, and diplomatic leverage. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1092...

While the rise of Balen Shah and his spectacular election victory in Nepal marks a rejection of the old guard, the new leadership must pivot from "spectacle-driven" enforcement toward structural reform. My interview with Nepal News english.nepalnews.com/s/long-reads...

Modi’s BRICS moment has turned into a diplomatic embarrassment. India chairs, but does not lead. Afraid to upset Donald Trump, unwilling to confront China, and silent on Iran, New Delhi looks isolated. Strategic ambiguity is no strategy. #MyPiece

"Pakistan holds the unique distinction of having brought Iran and the U.S. into direct, high-level engagement for the first time in decades." Spoke to @iAdnanAamir of @NikkeiAsia asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/ir...

“Climate change should be classified as a national security risk” Water scarcity drives conflict and instability in the world. For a country like Sweden, which is dependent on resources far beyond its borders, this has direct consequences for national preparedness. www.di.se/brandstudio/...

The Iran war has exposed a brutal truth: the Gulf monarchies hosted US bases for “security” and normalized with Israel for “stability”, and got missiles, drones, and economic collapse instead. They didn’t start this war, but they’re paying the highest price. #MyPiece

Trump is not aligning with Benjamin Netanyahu he is taking cues from him. On Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, US policy looks dictated, not led. This is not strength it is strategic shrinkage and has led to America's isolation. #MyPiece

My talk today at the European Academy of Sciences, titled “Peace and Security in a Multipolar World: New Risks and New Responsibilities for Science and Society.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYyw...

Pakistan pushes for second US-Iran talks and seeks 'guarantees' for Tehran - With my two cents. asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/ir... via @NikkeiAsia

Navigating a New Era in International Environmental Diplomacy, a panel discussion at Ohio University on March 26, 2026. Speakers: Dr. Ken Conca, Dr. Ashok Swain & Dr. Stacy VanDeveer. Dr. Geoff Dabelko facilitated the roundtable. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NlW...

The significance of #Pakistan’s role lies not in some romantic idea of neutral peacemaking. scroll.in/article/1092... It can carry messages, reduce the political cost of contact, & provide a venue where talks can begin without either side appearing to surrender. ✍️Ashok Swain

Today, Pakistan hosts the talk between the US and Iran. Pakistan mediating between the US and Iran isn’t surprising - it’s structural. From the US–China opening to Afghan talks, Islamabad has long thrived as a backchannel state. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1092...

Why Trump wanted a ceasefire with Iran? Discussed the reason and implications on @SatyaHindi. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ximM...

My interview with The Express Tribune. www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/how-...

Trump’s foreign policy has stripped away the mask of US global leadership. Expansionism, the Iran war, and alliance erosion reveal a deeper truth: in trying to counter China, Washington is accelerating its own decline and strengthening Beijing’s hand. #MyPiece

Gulf states are not only energy exporters but also water-dependent societies whose survival rests on a fragile network of desalination facilities. scroll.in/article/1091... Oil and gas built the Gulf economies, but desalinated seawater sustains the populations that inhabit them, writes Ashok Swain.

As the Iran War fumbles, Trump’s “Cuba is next” isn’t rhetoric, it’s a warning. From oil blockades to regime-change whispers, history is repeating itself in the Caribbean. Sovereignty is once again negotiable in Washington’s imperial playbook. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/cuba...

The US–Israel war on Iran has backfired. What began as a war on the regime is now seen as a war on Iran itself. Instead of collapse, the Islamic Republic is consolidating power, fueled by nationalism, historical memory, and foreign aggression. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/world/lesson...

Missiles and drone may shake oil markets and gas supply, but targeting desalination plants exposes a deeper crisis: the Gulf’s survival depends on manufactured water. The Iran war risks turning water into a weapon and cities into dry zones. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1091...

The U.S. and Israel will not win the war with Iran. No clear objective, no viable endgame, and no understanding of how such wars actually end. History has shown this before, from Iraq to Afghanistan. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/why-...

My interview with Nikkei Asia: After keeping the India Water Treaty in abeyance, India is carrying out Tulbul project - It could be weaponized politically both Pakistani civilian & military elites, & during war, it could be a legitimate target. asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

The Board of Peace waged a war before bringing any peace. In an interview with @hammadsarfraz of Pakistan's @etribune, I explain how Muslim countries, who are part of this Board are not for peace in Gaza but for their transactional politics with the US. tribune.com.pk/story/259512...

After Nepal’s March election, no leader—however pragmatic—will be able to openly pursue a pro-India policy, because Modi’s coercive and nationalist approach has made political distance from New Delhi a domestic necessity in Kathmandu. #MyPiece

As South Asia slides into democratic decline, Nepal’s March 2026 election stands out as a rare test of whether youth power, republican values, and real electoral choice can still keep the idea of democracy alive. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1090...

Newly Released Report of Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Violence in Leicester: "The failure to confront Hindutva supremacism risks deepening and entrenching communal tensions within UK South Asian communities." www.leicesterinquiry.org

Bangladesh’s toughest foreign policy test under PM Tarique Rahman won’t be Hasina’s exile in India, it will be water. With the Ganges Water Treaty expiring in Dec 2026 amid climate stress & West Bengal election, failure is not an option. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/tari...

“Global politics was never truly based on rules — and today’s world is proof.” In my long interview with Nepali news outlet Ratopati, I unpack the decline of Western order, the myth of multipolarity, rising populism & what it means for South Asia & Nepal. www.ratopati.com/story/545110...

“The Indus Waters Treaty operates in a relationship defined by deep mistrust, where technical legality rarely settles political fears” - My Two cents in this 'Foreign Policy' piece on India and Pakistan's Water Politics. foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/16/i...

Rebuilding occupied Gaza, after the war is not just a diplomatic or security challenge. It is an environmental one. Without safe water, clean land, and managed debris, reconstruction will only reproduce crisis. #MyPiece National Herald, 15 February 2026.

Bangladesh votes on Feb 12 in a post-Hasina moment. For India, clinging to old loyalties is a strategic mistake. With Jamaat’s rise fueled by anti-India sentiment, Delhi’s safest bet is pragmatic engagement the BNP under Tarique Rahman. #MyPiece www.hardnewsmedia.com/2026/02/indi...

Excited to Moderate This Important Conversation! I’ll be moderating the “Environmental Peacebuilding in Transboundary River Catchments” webinar — part of the Path to Ottawa series on 10 Feb 2026 at 14:00 GMT. www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org/events/show/...

The US–Iran standoff is no longer theoretical. Drones shot down, ships harassed, airstrikes already tested. Regime change by force will not contain Iran - it will ignite the region. Diplomacy is not weakness. It is necessity. #MyPiece