India, Jan. 4 -- 2025, the year gone by, began rather ominously for the superpowers. It ended with the global influence of the USA palpably diminished. China remained more concerned with rebuilding its economy rather than its external standing, while Russia continued to struggle with the debilitating four-year-old war with Ukraine and has yet to embark on any credible effort to regain its lost Cold War-era status. Simultaneously, new poles in international affairs are getting evolved around the world. Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, and more recently even the EU and ASEAN as large regional entities, are emerging as new centres of influence.

Anticipating that fractured trade and geopolitical tensions are ...