The Statecraft Institute
In-depth research and strategic analysis on geopolitics, statecraft, and international relations.
This commentary examines the structural limitations of American foreign policy through the cases of Afghanistan and Iran. Drawing on the concept of a two-level game, the article highlights how U.S. leaders must simultaneously satisfy domestic audiences while managing complex geopolitical realities abroad.
As the India–Bangladesh Ganges Water-Sharing Treaty nears its 2026 expiry, this commentary assesses its role in developing bilateral cooperation and argues for a renewed agreement that addresses climate uncertainty, ecological sustainability, and the evolving realities of transboundary water governance.
India-Nepal ties remain deeply intertwined by geography, economy, culture, and people-to-people links. Despite political differences, the structural realities of trade, energy cooperation, and security outweigh symbolic tensions.
UK-China relations are complex, and they have undergone several changes under different UK governments and Chinese leaders. From the UK side, UK-China relations have been through ‘golden ages’ particularly under the years of David Cameron, (2010-2020), where it has been suggested that ‘Cameron’s engagement with China was a response to the crisis of the global economy in 2008 and the divergence of the economies of China and the West’.
In the ongoing strategic rivalry between the United States and China, much attention has been paid to tariffs, export restrictions, industrial policies, and the reconfiguration of global supply chains. But these advances cannot be explained solely in terms of material or economic factors. These phenomena arise not only from the struggle over material resources but also reflect more profound tensions over issues of identity and sovereignty. The notion of “identity capital”, as identified in my book Shaping Nations and Markets: Identity Capital, Trade, and the Populist Rage, helps us understand the importance of narratives of nationhood in shaping economic and geopolitical dynamics.
Amid the Iran-US clash disrupting the Strait of Hormuz and global oil supplies, India has deepened energy ties with Russia. This pragmatic shift highlights New Delhi’s strategic autonomy, balancing energy security with Western partnerships in a fractured geopolitical landscape.