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The US ends deportation protections for Myanmar and Haiti despite escalating crises in both countries, while intensifying pressure on Venezuela as Maduro pledges to defend the nation “inch by inch.”

Today’s lead story takes us to New Delhi, where India’s doctrine of strategic autonomy stands at a crossroads.

Read more below ⤵️

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2️⃣ 🇲🇾 🇹🇭 🇻🇳 ASEAN supply chains become strategic battleground: The OECD and IMF warn that ASEAN’s industrial base now sits at the intersection of economic security, making factories and logistics hubs potential “vulnerability hotspots” rather than mere cost centers. With the United States imposing trans-shipment tariffs of up to 40% on goods linked to Chinese supply chains, producers in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are increasingly exposed to crippling compliance costs and sourcing disruptions.

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Major Story

🇮🇳 🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 INDIA’S STRATEGIC AUTONOMY AT A CROSSROADS

India’s hallmark foreign policy principle—strategic autonomy—has long allowed New Delhi to engage multiple global powers without formal alignment. Upcoming visits by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and potentially Donald Trump reflect India’s growing diplomatic reach. Yet recent tensions with Washington, particularly tariffs and punitive measures tied to India’s Russian crude purchases, expose the limits of passive multialignment. Unlike key US partners such as Japan or Turkey, India has struggled to demonstrate strategic indispensability, leaving it more exposed to transactional policies. 

Strategic Autonomy Under Strain

The India-US relationship sharply deteriorated after Trump claimed credit for de-escalating a brief India-Pakistan conflict, angering New Delhi. Failed trade talks, harsh tariffs, and dismissive rhetoric from Trump’s administration revealed that Modi’s personalised diplomacy could not shield India from Washington’s coercive approach. These developments underscore the vulnerability of India’s equidistant diplomacy when forced to choose between major powers, especially as secondary sanctions deepen pressure over Russian oil ties.

From Passive Nonalignment to Proactive Agency

Strategic autonomy has roots in Cold War nonalignment, designed to preserve flexibility. But nonalignment worked best when India was willing to act, such as mediating in the Korean War or during Taiwan Strait crises. Today, despite cultivating ties with both Russia and the United States, and between Iran and Israel, India has avoided meaningful mediation or conflict diplomacy. In contrast, Pakistan, even with far fewer resources, has often stepped into geopolitical flashpoints, projecting relevance through action rather than distance.

Becoming Strategically Indispensable

India now faces a choice: remain a “friend of all” or become a shaper of global outcomes. With global leadership fragmented and US engagement increasingly unsettled, India has a unique opportunity to redefine strategic autonomy as active influence rather than passive distance.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇲🇲 🇺🇸 US ends deportation protection to Myanmar: Washington has revoked Temporary Protected Status for roughly 4,000 Myanmar nationals, claiming the country has made “substantial steps toward political stability,” including planned elections and the end of emergency rule. Human rights monitors have warned that Myanmar remains engulfed in civil war and that upcoming elections are a façade amid airstrikes and martial law.

2️⃣ 🇭🇹 US ends humanitarian protection for Haitians despite escalating crisis: The Trump administration has moved to terminate Temporary Protected Status for roughly 340,000 Haitian migrants, declaring their eligibility will expire in February, despite record levels of displacement, gang violence, and political collapse in Haiti. Allowing Haitians to remain was “contrary to the US national interest,” stated the Homeland Security Department, even while acknowledging widespread instability and the absence of effective governance.

3️⃣ 🇸🇾 Syrian security forces disperse rival protests amid rising sectarian tensions: Security forces in Latakia fired shots to disperse rival demonstrations after Alawite protesters demanding federalism and the release of detainees clashed verbally with pro-government supporters. The coastal city, long considered a regime stronghold, saw rare unrest as tensions between Sunnis and Alawites escalated.

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