India, Feb. 21 -- India stands at a moment of strategic contradiction. Its global profile has expanded, its diplomatic reach has widened, and its economic ambitions have grown. Yet it is surrounded by one of the most unstable and contested neighbourhoods in the world, where shifts in power directly shape its security and global credibility.

In the 1990s, India and China were broadly viewed as peer competitors. By 2026, that balance has altered decisively. China has surged ahead economically, technologically and militarily, while deepening its strategic alignment with Pakistan, including military support during crises with India.

At the same time, South Asia is marked by political churn and economic stress. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepa...