The Great Power Show

In China, political discourse is ample, yet often elusive. News reports and policy documents are dense with slogans and repetition. Despite this, the system also often speaks through silence. And that silence fuels questions. What should one look for when trying to understand China’s political language? Can anything be understood from the stodgy language of Party-state media. Can the omission of a...

What happens when a global order loses its story? In today’s world, it’s not just borders and alliances that are shifting. What’s also shifting are the shared narratives that held them together. The American-led order, once animated by the promise of liberal universalism, is now fraying at the edges. But this isn’t just a moment of geopolitical transition. It’s something deeper. There’s a crisis o...

Technology has always been a force multiplier in geopolitics. But today, it’s much more than that. It’s a source of power, a trigger for conflict, and a key arena in the contest for global leadership. Nowhere is this clearer than in the intensifying rivalry between the US and China. From tariffs to export controls, from AI regulations to investment screening, the two powers are locked in a battle,...

In politics today, communication is power. It shapes public opinion, manages crises, drives diplomacy, and fuels ideological battles. The ability to craft, control, and circulate messages is central to how power works, and how it’s challenged. The news media is right at the heart of this. Nowhere is that more evident than in India. The country’s media ecosystem is huge, and often chaotic. But bene...

After a meeting between senior officials on the weekend on May 10th, China and the US have formally announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. Both sides have since drawn back some of the excessive tariffs that were imposed in early April. They’ve committed to establish a new mechanism for dialogue and keep talks going. The White House has called this a “historic deal”; Beijing has been much mor...

As great power rivalry deepens, old assumptions are crumbling and the rules of the international order are up for renegotiation. This moment demands a more clear-eyed realism—one that sees the world not as we wish it to be, but as it is. Today, the US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, while the institutions meant to stabilize the world seem increasingly brittle. Europe is lagging behind...

French President Emmanuel Macron has rapidly emerged as Europe’s most important national leader. France is not only one of the biggest economies in the EU, but is also the bloc’s only nuclear weapons power. With war in Ukraine continuing, frictions with China persistent and deep fissures between Europe and the US under Donald Trump, France is once again trying to redefine its role—both within Euro...

April 2, 2025, may go down as a turning point in global economic history. On this day, US President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new tariff plan that rattled markets. The week thereafter was a bit of a rollercoaster. Trump offered much of the rest of the world a 90-day reprieve, but with China, a full-fledged trade and tariff war is brewing. US tariffs on Chinese imports today are 145%. Chines...

In August 1971, Richard Nixon suspended the dollar’s convertibility with gold. At the time, the US was facing major economic challenges, including inflation and a growing trade deficit. Nixon’s decision devalued the dollar and caused chaos in global markets. In December, Treasury Secretary John Connally met with upset foreign ministers from allied countries. He offered little succor, telling them...

Ever since January 20, 2025, there’s been intense debate over whether the Trump administration is bringing an end to the post-World War II world order. But is that really the case? And if so, what might emerge in its place? In this episode of The Great Power Show, Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution speaks to Manjari Chatterjee Miller...

Donald Trump’s first month in office has been nothing short of a whirlwind. Amid dramatic shifts in American politics and unconventional foreign policy moves, one big question looms: Is the US retreating from the world stage, or is it trying to create a new ideological balance of power? In this episode of The Great Power Show, Manoj Kewalramani speaks to Paul Poast, Associate Professor of Politica...

The Global South is back in vogue as an important geopolitical player. Increasingly, there is greater discourse within Washington and Beijing about courting countries from the developing world. But how do these two powers compete across the Global South? Is it inevitable that they will be engaged in a zero-sum game or are there areas and sectors where cooperation is possible? In this episode of Th...

For most Indians, deep in their psyche is embedded a belief that a global role for India is part of its tryst with destiny. The roots of this international vision can be traced back to ancient history — among empires and rulers that emerged from the land that is modern India to those that came to make it their home. Even today, the echoes of this past reverberate in the international affairs of th...

As Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term as president, American politics and foreign policy are undergoing profound upheaval. A reassessment of the nation's global interests and international engagement is underway. This growing dissatisfaction with the world order was starkly articulated by Trump’s Secretary of State nominee, Marco Rubio, during his Senate confirmation hearing. Rubio rem...

The world today is at a crossroad, caught between the remnants of the old order and the uncertainties of a new one. As great power competition resurfaces on the global stage, the coming years promise to reshape the international landscape. From the ashes of conflict and transformation, a new order will inevitably emerge. But does world order really matter? In this episode of The Great Power Show ,...