menu_open Columnists
Happymon Jacob

Happymon Jacob

Indian Express

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Mood of the nation and national interest

There is something almost reassuring about the predictability of India’s Iran debate. The moment the US-Israel strikes started two weeks ago, the...

15.03.2026 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

The age of militarised middle powers is here

03.02.2026 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

A Dhaka in flux offers an opportunity for New Delhi

20.01.2026 40

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

The corrupted software of international relations

05.01.2026 30

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Why New Delhi needs to handle Dhaka with care

Whichever way one looks at it, the current state of bilateral relationship is deeply unhelpful to India

22.12.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India-Russia tango, with China in the shadows

While India must increase its trade with Russia, this can only happen if the American and western sanctions against Russia are lifted

09.12.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Japan, Taiwan, & Beijing’s designs for a unipolar Asia

If Tokyo compromises on PM Takaichi’s statement on Taiwan, it will establish a precedent for other regional powers on how they must engage with...

24.11.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Pakistan and Asim Munir: Bending Constitution to back a garrison State

New amendment sanctifies the Pakistan army’s control over that country — a coup without a formal coup

11.11.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India and US: India must negotiate a favourable FTA for giving up Russian oil

India must make a virtue out of necessity by proposing that it will comply with US sanctions in exchange for the latter addressing its key strategic...

28.10.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India and Afghanistan: The gains of recognising the Taliban govt in Kabul

India hosted Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, signaling potential recognition of the Taliban government, emphasizing strategic benefits

13.10.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Curious case of Pakistan’s geopolitical rehabilitation

Pakistan’s current regional strategy appears to be one of hedging, free-riding, and seeking to act as an intermediary among various regional factions

29.09.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India can’t wait for a post-Trump America

Unless corrective measures are taken soon and parties on both sides attempt to steady the relationship, Trump will leave the relationship severely...

16.09.2025 30

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India-Japan ties need a big leap in Indo-Pacific

The building blocks for strong strategic ties are firmly in place. They now need a quantum leap forward

01.09.2025 30

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Anatomy of the budding India-China bonhomie

The geopolitical moment marking power shifts among nations and blocs has influenced both Asian powers to recalibrate their relationship

21.08.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Reading the outcome of the Alaska summit

The Alaska summit suggests Trump may favor Russia over Ukraine, indicating potential territorial concessions for Ukraine as peace talks advance.

18.08.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Misunderstanding India’s advocacy for multipolarity

If India is more focused on countering Chinese unipolarity in Asia, opposing regional unipolarity without opposing global unipolarity will ring...

04.08.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Grand Strategy: It’s about Trump, not about India

Has India’s pursuit of multipolarity alienated the Americans? Perhaps yes, but decline of American unipolarity is not India’s doing

01.08.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

How New Delhi can manage the Beijing challenge it faces

The recent thaw in Sino-Indian relations is encouraging, but it must be understood that India’s China challenge is a constant in Southern Asian...

21.07.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Brics as a bloc for India to build global heft

It can help New Delhi enhance its leverage in other forums like the G7 and G20 as a bridge state and leader of Global South

08.07.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India must transition from fourth largest economy to an economy of consequences

The challenge with India’s current ranking as the world’s 4th-largest economy is that it reflects primarily the size of market

01.07.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

When America joins Israel’s war with Iran

An extended conflict will lead to regional instability and unsettle New Delhi’s plans for broader engagement with West Asia

23.06.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

India’s strategic culture and how it uses force

The reputational imperative of demonstrating to the world that India is a responsible actor constrains the country’s military objectives 

09.06.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

What Pahalgam and after revealed about South Asia

China will seek to influence the outcomes of regional military conflicts, diplomatic standoffs or political contestations 

26.05.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Grand Strategy: Multi-alignment works during peace, falls short in times of war

Having a few strong, reliable strategic partners may prove more beneficial during conflicts than maintaining many partners during peacetime

23.05.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Kashmir to water: The reset in India-Pak ties

Pahalgam and the events thereafter have changed the terms of engagement between India and Pakistan 

13.05.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

The many messages in Operation Sindoor

The days of strategic restraint by India are over, and it is no longer concerned about international approval for military responses to Pakistan’s...

08.05.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Challenges New Delhi faces in responding to Pahalgam

India will have to factor in domestic political compulsions, bilateral impact, and international perception as it debates its options

28.04.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Europe’s re-arming and the potential for India

Trans-Atlantic tensions and Europe’s return to classical geopolitics will mean India will have more options on the table

14.04.2025 40

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

A charter for India to negotiate global chaos

New Delhi must make its strategic choices carefully to ensure its place at the table when a new world order is constructed

31.03.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Age of pessimism in world politics

One of the striking features of the current age of pessimism is that the pursuit of global good is no longer what dominates the global discourse today

17.03.2025 40

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Necessity underpins the new India-EU bonhomie

One of the reasons why India and Europe will grow closer in the days ahead is because much of the world they disagreed about no longer exists

03.03.2025 30

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Trump 2.0 is also an opportunity for India

The US president’s disruptive politics will reshape the world order. New Delhi must seize the moment

17.02.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

The Trump factor in India’s China policy

Delhi may need to recalibrate its balancing of power equations in the event of a rapprochement between Washington and Beijing

03.02.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

The balancing China question before India

India’s China problem is not going away anytime soon; China will continue to be a profound grand strategic issue for us. If we think temporary...

20.01.2025 20

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

A new chapter for India’s regional strategic policy

India’s neighbourhood ties will have its wins and losses in the neighbourhood, and it must learn to take them in its stride.

07.01.2025 10

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob

Foreign policy experts must listen to the street

While governments may not base their policies solely on the changing mood of the street, this indeed serves as an important indicator of societal...

23.12.2024 7

hindustantimes

Happymon Jacob