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I’m American. After my PhD, I went to India. What I experienced dismantled my Western worldview. Here are 8 lessons that permanently rewired how I see life:

At the Kolkata Business Forum, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar offered one of his clearest assessments yet of how the global order is shifting and how India plans to position itself at the center of this transformation. His remarks align with growing evidence across global markets: trade flows, investment patterns, and supply-chain architectures are no longer governed primarily by efficiency, but by power politics, security, and strategic hedging. 1. “Politics outweighs economics now”, and Washington proves the rule Jaishankar argued that the world has moved into a phase in which political drivers have overtaken economic logic. This is not rhetorical flourish but a structural shift. He pointed directly to the US, historically the architect of the rules-based economic system, as the clearest example of the new era. According to Jaishankar, the US is increasingly negotiating “on radically different terms” with different countries, signaling a departure from the universalist trade doctrine that defined the post-Cold War era. The result is a loss of predictability in global commerce and the normalization of politically conditioned trade and industrial policies. This assessment is accurate and consistent with current U.S. policy: The Biden & Trump administrations have both prioritized industrial policy, tariffs, and friend-shoring. The CHIPS Act, IRA, and the tariff escalations under Trump 2.0 confirm that security-driven economic policy is bipartisan and durable. Washington now shapes economic ties through political filters, like shared values, strategic alignment, or supply-chain security, rather than pure market access. 2. Industrial policy as national security - India’s strategic framing Jaishankar underscored that India’s industrial base is not simply an economic objective but a sovereignty requirement. This aligns closely with New Delhi’s long-term trajectory: “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliance). Strategic push into semiconductors, critical minerals, defense manufacturing, and renewables. Trade diversification away from China-heavy supply chains. His framing reflects a wider global trend: industrial capacity is increasingly viewed through the national-security lens rather than through comparative advantage. 3. Diversification of supply chains & India as a reliability hub The minister made a direct call to accelerate supply-chain diversification. His aim is not merely to integrate deeper into global trade but to make India a resilient and reliable node in a world of fragmented blocs. This positioning is timely: Western companies continue shifting manufacturing from China to India, Vietnam, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. India has become one of the top three destinations for US and European supply-chain realignment. Apple, Tesla, Samsung, and leading semiconductor firms are deepening their India footprint. 4. The multipolar demand for partners Jaishankar observed that many states no longer want to choose solely between the U.S. and China. They seek alternative anchors - stable, non-aligned, geopolitically predictable partners. India aims to position itself at the center of this emerging multipolar demand. He is correct: Southeast Asia, the Gulf, East Africa, and Latin America are actively hedging between great powers. India’s economic scale, political stability, and relatively neutral strategic posture make it a natural “third option.” The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the expanding India–GCC, India–ASEAN, and India–Africa partnerships reflect this shift. Jaishankar’s speech is quite strategic, & it is India’s strategic pitch for the next decade. In a world where the U.S.–China rivalry defines the macro-environment and the DragonBear axis pushes the global system toward bifurcation, India is presenting itself as the reliable, scalable, non-aligned manufacturing platform that the West, the Dragonbear, and the Global South can work with.

This could happen to me. This could happen to you. This could happen to your child. This could happen to your wife. This could happen to your mother. This could happen to your father. Remember: the murderer in this video had no connection to the woman who was brutally killed. This was a motive-less murder. Let that sink in.

San Quentin prison holds their first ever father-daughter prom, for some inmates it was the first time they’ve ever spent face to face time with their daughters. Very cool. One father, Steven Embrey, got to hug his 28-year-old daughter one last time before she was tragically k*lled in a car crash shortly after the event. “He got the only dance he’s ever done with her,” said the event organizer. “I’m so happy I participated in the prom and I got to see her. She was so beautiful that day. I have so many beautiful memories,” Embrey said. The event was the finale of a two-month long family workshop led by a group advocating for prison reform.

Why Cyprus matters to India Indian PM Modi travels to Cyprus this weekend, a visit that will further firm up age old ties. It is after over 2 decades that an Indian PM visits the Mediterranean country, the last being PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002. Decoding 🇮🇳🇨🇾 ties

I’m European. Last year, I moved to India. What I witnessed shattered my Western mindset. Here are 11 life-changing lessons I learned in India that reshaped how I see the world (and the inner self). भारत पर एक सूत्र // Thread: