Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu are not only ideological contemporaries but increasingly are also walking parallel paths that could either transform their nations into global powerhouses or plunge them into long-term internal fracture and regional instability.

Both leaders have come to personify a new form of strongman rule – religiously infused nationalism coupled with populist charisma and centralised control. They champion their respective faith-based majorities, present themselves as saviours of ancient civilisations and relentlessly polarise domestic discourse to consolidate their rule.

Under Netanyahu, Israel has seen technological and economic advancement, earning its place as a global tech hub. The Abraham Accords normalised relations with Arab states, and Israel’s defence sector continues to expand. Modi’s India has similarly celebrated its rise as the world’s fifth-largest economy, championed digital infrastructure, and taken a more assertive global posture.

But beneath these achievements lies an unsettling reality. In both countries, the economic gains have been uneven, exclusionary and often weaponised to distract from rising inequality and social fragmentation. In India, job creation lags far behind GDP growth, while corporate monopolies thrive. In Israel, the prosperity of Tel Aviv stands in stark contrast to the impoverishment of Palestinians in the........

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