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Global Affairs Session 45 29 May 2026 ISRAEL IN AMERICA A small community's outsized footprint in US politics American Jews are barely 2.4 percent of the US population, yet they sit close to the centre of one of the most closely watched relationships in world affairs — the US-Israel alliance. Well-organised lobbies, deep historical ties and shared strategic interests keep that relationship strong, even as the Gaza war and events in Lebanon visibly reshape how younger and more diverse Americans view Israel.

Global Affairs Session 44 28 May 2026 IRAN WAR ENDGAME Why threat to Oman? America's Iran war shows the limits of raw military power: Operation Epic Fury delivered tactical destruction but no political victory, Tehran's regime survived the war and tightened its grip, and the Strait of Hormuz remains Iran's trump card. Trump's threat to "blow up" Oman reveals how far the endgame has now spread across the wider Gulf.

Global Affairs Session 43 26 May 2026 RUSSIA-UKRAINE: DEADLY GAME Shared roots, divided histories, unresolved war Ukraine and Russia share deep historical links through Kyivan Rus', but their paths diverged sharply after the Mongol invasion, leaving Ukraine to develop between competing empires while Moscow grew into a large one. Post-1991 disputes over Crimea, security and identity escalated into war in 2014 and full-scale invasion in 2022, a conflict still unresolved as of 2026.

Global Affairs Session 42 25 May 2026 CHINA+1 SUPPLY CHAINS Why the world is diversifying beyond China Global supply chains, once optimised purely for lowest cost, are being redrawn around resilience and politics. The China+1 strategy captures this shift: companies keep China's scale and supplier depth while adding sourcing bases in Vietnam, India, Mexico and beyond. India is pushing hard to convert this opening into deeper manufacturing participation, even as it still trails rivals on components, logistics and lead firms.

Global Affairs Session 41 22 May 2026 SHINING ASIAN TIGERS How four economies got rich, and five more are following South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong turned themselves from poor, resource-scarce economies into high-income powerhouses within a generation — the East Asian economic miracle. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam followed as the Tiger Cubs. In 1997 a debt-fuelled crisis exposed the model's weaknesses, yet both groups rebuilt and now face a new test: staying relevant in an age of AI, chips and shifting supply chains.

Global Affairs Session 40 21 May 2026 COMMUNIST VIETNAM WINS Đổi Mới, bamboo diplomacy and Asia's newest manufacturing hub Vietnam has travelled from French colonial exploitation and a divided, war-ravaged nation to becoming one of the world's fastest-growing export economies. The Communist Party's 1986 Đổi Mới reforms opened markets while keeping one-party rule intact, and by 2026 Vietnam is balancing China, the United States and the wider Indo-Pacific through a careful policy of "bamboo diplomacy."

Global Affairs Session 39 19 May 2026 JAPAN’S MIRACULOUS RISE From feudal isolation to economic miracle, and the long road back Japan’s modern story runs from ancient Jōmon and Yayoi societies through Chinese-influenced classical courts and centuries of samurai feudalism, into the Meiji Restoration’s breakneck modernization, a stunning post-war economic miracle, and a painful asset-bubble collapse. Today Japan remains one of the world’s largest economies and a central Indo-Pacific power, deepening its U.S. alliance and regional partnerships even as it manages the legacy of its Lost Decades.

Global Affairs Session 38 18 May 2026 STORY OF INDO-PACIFIC Free-flowing waters of trade and power The Indo-Pacific is a strategic oceanic region linking India, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, China, and America through trade, security, and geopolitics. From ancient maritime trade routes to today's major powers, contested water bodies and competing regional visions, this session traces how the Indo-Pacific became the central arena of twenty-first century geopolitics — and where it may be headed by 2030.

Global Affairs Session 37 15 May 2026 THE TAIWAN QUESTION Taiwan and the question of "One China" Taiwan is one island claimed by two governments, and it sits at the centre of the world's most dangerous flashpoint. The Republic of China and the People's Republic of China each trace a rival claim back to 1949, Taiwan has turned itself into an indispensable semiconductor economy, and Washington's stake in its fate now shapes the entire US-China relationship.

Global Affairs Session 36 14 May 2026 US AND CHINA: COMPETING AND COOPERATING Eight decades of rivalry, engagement and uneasy partnership The United States and China are the world's two largest economies, and their relationship has swung from Cold War hostility to cautious engagement to today's strategic rivalry. From the 1949 revolution to Nixon's opening, from Deng Xiaoping's reforms to the 2026 technology contest, the two powers have moved from enemies to trade partners to competitors — and are now searching for a way to compete and cooperate at the same time.

Global Affairs Session 35 13 May 2026 THE EURASIA STORY The world's largest landmass and its emerging multipolar order Eurasia — the single landmass spanning Europe and Asia — contains most of the world's major civilizational zones, energy reserves, nuclear powers and historical empires. From the Mongol Empire to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the landmass has repeatedly reshaped world order, and today it is scarred by flashpoints stretching from Ukraine to the Red Sea. As China's Belt and Road Initiative competes with India's multi-aligned connectivity strategy, and America works to prevent any single power from dominating the landmass, Eurasia is set to become the main arena of twenty-first-century geopolitics.

Global Affairs Session 34 12 May 2026 POLYCRISIS A perfect storm A polycrisis is not one crisis but many, interacting and reinforcing each other — war, climate shocks, inflation, debt, migration, technology disruption, pandemics and political instability all compounding at once. This session maps how that mix is reshaping global order in 2026, what it means for India's energy security, inflation and growth, the worst-case scenarios it could produce, and the resilience strategies that offer a way through.

Global Affairs Session 33 11 May 2026 THREE FIRES RAGING Iran, Ukraine and US–China tensions burning together The world is facing three simultaneous geopolitical crises: the Iran war threatening energy security and the Strait of Hormuz, the Ukraine war keeping Europe militarised and unstable, and U.S.–China tensions reshaping trade, technology and security. These fires are separate, but they are connected by oil, weapons, alliances, AI and global power — reshaping the world in real time, before our eyes.

Global Affairs Session 32 THE END OF HISTORY: WHAT FUKUYAMA GOT WRONG Liberal democracy, ideological victory and the return of power competition Francis Fukuyama argued that liberal democracy had outlasted fascism and communism as the strongest model of political order. The decades that followed, however, brought renewed authoritarianism, nationalism, populism and great-power rivalry. His thesis remains valuable not as a prediction that events would stop, but as a continuing debate about whether any political system can rival liberal democracy in legitimacy and appeal.

Global Affairs Session 31 26 March 2026 GULF STATES FACE A SOVEREIGNTY TEST Why wealth, alliances and outsourced protection cannot substitute for sovereign resilience The Gulf states built prosperity through global finance, energy exports and external security guarantees. The 2026 regional crisis exposed the limits of that model: sovereignty cannot be treated merely as a service purchased from another power. Durable security requires costly domestic resilience, collective defence and the capacity to withstand pressure on infrastructure, trade routes and political autonomy.

Global Affairs Session 30 6 May 2026 AMERICA IS STUCK IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ How military escalation turned a regional waterway into America’s strategic trap The United States entered the Iran conflict with overwhelming military power, but the Strait of Hormuz gave Tehran asymmetric leverage over shipping, energy prices and regional stability. The resulting confrontation shows why military superiority does not automatically produce political control.

Global Affairs Session 29 5 May 2026 HOW AND WHY THE USSR COLLAPSED The rise, achievements, structural weaknesses and final dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union transformed a largely agrarian empire into an industrial, military and scientific superpower, but its centrally planned economy, closed political system, costly arms race and unresolved national tensions gradually weakened the state. Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms exposed these problems while loosening central control, and the failed August 1991 coup accelerated the USSR’s final dissolution.

Global Affairs Session 28 4 May 2026 THE THUCYDIDES TRAP Rising powers, ruling powers and the danger of war The Thucydides Trap describes the structural danger that emerges when a rising power challenges an established power. Historical transitions show that war is possible but not inevitable: fear, pride, alliances and miscalculation raise the risk, while communication, restraint and workable rules can reduce it.

Global Affairs Session 27 1 May 2026 HORMUZ VS. NICOBAR: CHOKE POINT ANALYSIS Global energy vulnerability and India’s strategic position near the Strait of Malacca Maritime chokepoints concentrate global trade, energy flows and naval movement into narrow passages. This session compares the Strait of Hormuz with the Strait of Malacca, explains the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and assesses whether India can influence or block traffic through Malacca.