Groupings, treaties, chokepoints and doctrines behind India's foreign policy news. 667 concepts, each with its definition, key details and a timeline of every news story that touched it.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by Iran to the north and Oman...
BRICS began as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), first conceptualised in a 2001 Goldman Sachs report and formalised as a...
A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a pact between two or more nations to reduce or eliminate barriers — tariffs, quotas, and non-tariff barriers — on goods and...
India is the world's third-largest energy consumer and imports over 85% of its crude oil requirements. Energy security — ensuring affordable, reliable, and...
Critical minerals are minerals essential for modern technology, defence, and clean energy applications but subject to supply chain concentration risks....
Energy security refers to the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. The IEA defines it in terms of four dimensions...
India and Iran share a historically deep civilisational relationship rooted in cultural, linguistic, and trade ties. In the modern context, the bilateral...
India and the United States are among each other's most significant trading partners. Bilateral goods trade stood at approximately $130 billion in 2024-25....
The IndiaAI Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2024 with an outlay of Rs 10,372 crore, is India's flagship programme to build a comprehensive...
The PLI scheme is India's flagship industrial policy instrument, introduced in 2020-21 to boost domestic manufacturing, reduce import dependence, and...
The UN Security Council (UNSC) is the primary organ of the United Nations responsible for international peace and security under Chapter VII of the UN...
West Asia (the Middle East) is one of the most strategically sensitive regions for India, encompassing competing priorities: energy security (60% of India's...
India-Iran relations are rooted in geography, energy dependence, and the desire to access Central Asia bypassing Pakistan. Iran was historically one of...
The IRGC was established in April 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini as a parallel military force loyal to the revolutionary ideals of the Islamic Republic...
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982, governs navigation through international straits. Part III of UNCLOS...
India pursues multiple forms of trade agreements, and UPSC frequently tests the distinctions between them. The key distinction is the scope and binding...
India is one of the world's largest consumers of energy, importing approximately 85% of its crude oil and 60% of its LPG demand. This structural import...
Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 is a powerful US trade law tool that allows the USTR to investigate, and ultimately impose retaliatory tariffs...
Hezbollah (Arabic: 'Party of God') is a Lebanese Shia militant organisation and political party founded in 1982 with Iranian support following Israel's...
The INSTC is a 7,200-km multi-modal transport network of ship, rail, and road routes connecting India to Russia and Northern Europe via Iran and the Caspian...
The Durand Line is the 2,640-km international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, agreed upon in 1893 between Sir Mortimer Durand (British India's...
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves are underground storage facilities for crude oil maintained as a buffer against supply shocks. They are managed by...
Iran's nuclear programme has advanced significantly since the collapse of the JCPOA. Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60% — far beyond the 3.67%...
The NPT, which entered into force in 1970, is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It has three pillars: non-proliferation...
Launched under the Modi government, the Neighbourhood First Policy prioritises India's immediate neighbours in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region...
India has the world's largest diaspora, with approximately 13–14 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries alone....
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is approximately 33 km wide at its narrowest navigable point and is the world's most critical oil...
A CEPA is a comprehensive free trade agreement that goes beyond traditional FTAs by covering trade in goods, services, investment, intellectual property...
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), established in May 1981, is a political and economic union of six Gulf Arab monarchies: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar...
The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (also referred to as the India-EU BTIA — Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement in earlier negotiations)...
The Bilateral Trade Agreement being negotiated between India and the United States represents one of the most significant trade initiatives between the two...
The SCO is an intergovernmental political, economic, and security alliance founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai. It has grown from a six-member body into the...
India's SPR programme was established following a Cabinet Committee on Security decision in 2003. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), a...
IMEC is a planned multimodal connectivity corridor announced during the G20 New Delhi Summit on September 9, 2023. It was signed through a Memorandum of...
India and Bangladesh share a uniquely intertwined history. India played a decisive role in Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan during the 1971...
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 authorises the President to impose a temporary import surcharge of up to 15% ad valorem for a period not exceeding 150...
India's energy security policy rests on four pillars: diversification of supply sources, building strategic reserves, transitioning to renewable energy, and...
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed on July 14, 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China + Germany) and the...
US-Iran relations have been adversarial since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the subsequent 444-day hostage crisis, in which Iranian revolutionaries...
The CBAM is the EU's mechanism to prevent 'carbon leakage' — the phenomenon where EU industries shift production to countries with weaker climate...
A Free Trade Agreement is a pact between two or more nations to reduce or eliminate barriers to imports and exports among them. FTAs differ from other trade...
India recognised Israel in 1950 but for over four decades maintained a policy of limited engagement to preserve ties with Arab states and solidarity with...
Chabahar Port, located on Iran's Makran coast in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, is India's most significant overseas port infrastructure investment. It is...
India's energy security remains a critical strategic concern given its high dependence on imported crude oil and growing demand driven by industrialisation...
India's engagement with trade agreements has been uneven. After signing multiple FTAs between 2000–2011 (South Korea CEPA 2009, ASEAN FTA 2009, Japan CEPA...
Energy security — the reliable availability of energy at affordable prices — is a core dimension of India's national security and economic policy.
India-Bangladesh relations formally began in 1971 when India recognized an independent Bangladesh and played a decisive military role in the Liberation War....
The United States is India's largest trading partner. Bilateral goods trade reached approximately $129.2 billion in 2024, with the US recording a trade...
The IEEPA was enacted on December 28, 1977, to clarify and narrow presidential emergency economic powers that had expanded under the Trading with the Enemy...
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) governs the rights and responsibilities of states with respect to ocean use. The concept...
The India-US strategic partnership has evolved significantly since the signing of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) in 2004, progressing...
The United States is one of India's largest trading partners, and India is a significant destination for US exports, particularly in energy, defence, and...
India and Japan elevated their relationship to a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2014 under PM Modi and PM Abe. The partnership has expanded...
The IEA is a Paris-based intergovernmental organisation established in 1974 following the oil crisis, initially as an autonomous body under the OECD...
The IMO is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for setting global standards for the safety, security, and environmental performance of...
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 governs the legal regime of straits used for international navigation, such as Hormuz...
The India-Canada relationship suffered its most severe crisis in 2023 following allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of a Canadian citizen...
India and Nepal share what is often described as a 'special relationship' — defined by geography (Nepal is a landlocked country nearly surrounded by India)...
Kharg Island is a small continental island located in the Persian Gulf, approximately 25 km (16 miles) off the coast of southwestern Iran and about 483 km...
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was established by the Washington Treaty in April 1949 in response to Soviet expansion in Europe. Its core...