ORF

#China’s expanding #nuclear capabilities, rising from 500 to 600 warheads between 2024 and 2025 according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, pose stark choices for #India. New Delhi must weigh a maximal build-up against a minimal, technology-driven deterrent response: @KartikBommakan1 or-f.org/37718

#Women power the global #agricultural economy but remain peripheral in policy. From production to markets, their work is under-recognised in law, policy, and data. As 2026 marks the International Year of the #WomanFarmer, the agenda must shift from acknowledgement to recognition: @shoba_suri & @sharonsthawaney or-f.org/37648

Marites Dañguilan Vitug makes a case for two pathways by which #Manila could leverage its #ASEAN chairmanship to steer the grouping towards resolving territorial disputes with China. Read her essay in the tenth edition of Raisina Files. Read here👇: or-f.org/37708

Rare earth elements (#REEs) are central to the #US–#China rivalry. Vital for #semiconductors, renewables, defense tech & nuclear thorium, REEs are small in market size but huge in strategic impact, shaping energy, military, and tech dominance: Valery Konyshev url-shortener.me/GP6X

Planet Labs’ voluntary shutter control does not affect adversarial actors as much as it affects legitimate customers, particularly those vulnerable amid the ongoing #WestAsia conflict: @girichaitanya19 or-f.org/37909

Nearly 40 percent of the global population lives within 100 km of a coastline. Thus, @anushastweets argues, it is the people who are central to #sustainable port development. Read her article in this edition of Raisina Files. Read here👇: or-f.org/37708

The #UnionBudget 2026–27 must move from announcing #climate allocations to climate-proofing core urban systems. Without embedding resilience in power, #water, mobility, and housing, fiscal expansion risks reinforcing vulnerability rather than reducing it: @Aparna_R1, Sasha Ranjan and @radhey_wadhwa or-f.org/37692

#Hydrocarbons remain foundational, but diversification is accelerating. In our latest Special Report, we explore how #GCC states are hedging across oil, gas, and #renewables: @ParulBakshi_ or-f.org/37597

#TICAD 9 in #Yokohama marks a turning point in #Japan–#Africa ties. From aid to investment, from dialogue to strategy, Tokyo is recalibrating its Africa policy amid rising global competition and economic shifts: @SamirApolitical or-f.org/37592

#BRICS+ countries account for nearly 50 percent of the world’s population and 37 percent of global #GDP. Their energy transition will shape the global #climate outcome. The NDB has a historic opportunity to catalyse green finance across emerging economies: @mannat_jaspal & Anil Kishora or-f.org/37514

#Trump’s push for a naval coalition in the Strait of Hormuz exposes a core gap: #US calls for burden-sharing vs. allies’ reluctance to bear risks in a crisis they didn’t shape: Harsh V. Pant or-f.org/37924

#India has made major gains in #food production. Food grain output rose from 184.3 million tonnes (1993–94) to 332.3 million tonnes (2023–24), with per capita availability increasing as well. Yet improved production alone has not solved the country’s food and nutrition challenges: @shoba_suri & @DrNilanjanG or-f.org/37637

In this edition of Raisina Files, @mahdijasimg, explains the role of civil #defence infrastructures in limiting the consequences of conflict and #war. Read here👇: or-f.org/37708

The #Gulf is evolving from crude oil dominance to a multi-energy export model. #LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, clean electricity, and carbon solutions are being layered onto existing infrastructure, combining resources, capital, and strategic geography: @ParulBakshi_ url-shortener.me/GP87

After weeks of deadlock over the #Iran crisis, the #UNSC adopted Resolution 2817 condemning attacks by #Iran on #Gulf states and Jordan and calling for an immediate halt to hostilities, backed by nearly 135 co-sponsors: @HeenMak or-f.org/37908

As misinformation and vaccine politicisation rise, building trust is critical to the success of #India’s #HPV rollout. Health literacy, addressing stigma, and reassuring parents & adolescents will determine long-term impact: @lakshmyrkrish or-f.org/37922

In this edition of Raisina Files, Niven Winchester examines the potential impact of the #EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (#CBAM) on the countries of the Gulf region. Read here👇: or-f.org/37708

How we manage trans-species coexistence amidst growing resource and space constraints matters not only to legal scholars, philosophers, or #animal rights activists; rather, this is an area where the stakes are high for all: @DrNilanjanG & @AmritaNarlikar or-f.org/37645

Gulf SWFs manage over US$5 trillion, nearly 40 percent of global sovereign wealth. In our latest report, we map how this capital is driving #EnergyTransition, industrial policy, & investment diplomacy across four #Gulf capitals: @ParulBakshi_ or-f.org/37596

Our latest report by Siddharth Yadav, Elizabeth Heyes & @asarma2710 compiles key takeaways and recommendations from 22 pre-summit events held globally ahead of the India #AIImpactSummit2026. The findings outline a distinct #GlobalSouth agenda, urging that AI be shaped by local contexts rather than merely adopted from elsewhere. or-f.org/37521