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Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The Diplomat

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India and Canada Reset: Pragmatism Takes Precedence Over Recriminations

Carney has opted for energetic, pragmatic action – including repairing ties with India – in the face of U.S. instability.

previous day 4

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Weaning India Away From Russia? Take a Leaf from the French Playbook

If weaning India away from Russia is a European dream, it is perhaps being led by France.

25.02.2026 8

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Ceasing Imports of Russian Crude: India Pays the Piper

If you want to be in the dance, you have to pay the piper. In the modern global economy, the piper is Donald Trump’s America.

07.02.2026 4

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India-Germany Relations: Kite Flying at a Time of Geopolitical Flux

Amid current geopolitical shifts, the Germany-India strategic embrace has gained fresh momentum.

23.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Indian Foreign Policy Needs a Rethink in the Age of Trump

New Delhi needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to reframe its relationship with Washington.

13.01.2026 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The US National Security Strategy: A Sobering Reality Check for South Asia

The paradoxical and selective U.S. posture of simultaneous disengagement and selective involvement evident in the new NSS could be particularly...

17.12.2025 5

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India at COP30: A Mismatch Between Grandstanding and Climate Action 

India’s climate policy must demonstrate real achievements vis-à-vis fossil fuels while highlighting modest gains in the realm of green energy.

10.12.2025 7

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Delhi Explosion and India’s Counterterrorism Response

Without a new, holistic approach, India will continue to lag in achieving its goal of ending terrorism.

25.11.2025 6

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Lessons in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution From Fergana

The Fergana Valley's transformation from a conflict zone into a unified entity with collective identity demonstrates that stability is achievable even...

08.11.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

What’s Japan’s Problem with Foreigners?

Anti-foreigner sentiment is on the rise as Japan wrestles with how to keep its identity intact amid plummeting birth rates.

22.10.2025 6

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The Limits of Engagement in Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

Where once Islamabad and Kabul could calm tensions between them bilaterally, external mediation was needed this time around. 

22.10.2025 5

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Australia-India Defense Engagement: Still Balancing China in the Indo-Pacific?

If China is the elephant in the room shaping the Australia-India bilateral strategic relationship, that room has already been renovated in the spirit...

10.10.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Trump’s Bagram Claims and the Taliban’s Foreign Policy

Taliban Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has characterized the group’s foreign policy as “balanced and economy-centered.”

30.09.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Stories of Resilience and Innovation: Women in Afghanistan Under the Taliban

While the constraining environment is a reality, so are the resilience and innovation demonstrated by women in Afghanistan.

24.09.2025 5

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Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s China Embrace and US Decoupling

Over the past few months a process of normalization in the China-India bilateral has taken off.

30.08.2025 9

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Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Will Trump’s Tariffs Upend the India-US Relationship?

New Delhi likely hopes that this phase of uncertainty is only temporary.

08.08.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The Limits of Pragmatic Intentions: The Evolving Story of China-India Rapprochement

While the intention to reset China-India bilateral relations seems real, both the drivers and the outcomes need a careful analysis.

25.07.2025 9

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India-EU Relations: Charting New Vistas for Climate Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

A stronger EU-India partnership on technology transfer, climate finance, green transition, and sustainability can help bridge the North-South divide.

04.07.2025 7

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s Balancing Act in the Iran-Israel War: A Case for Peacemaking?

India’s stance on the Iran-Israel conflict contains many contradictions.

27.06.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Understanding India’s Strategic Outreach to the Taliban in Afghanistan

Providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people has been a tool used by India for both opposing the Taliban in the past and engaging the...

21.06.2025 5

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Uzbekistan’s Connectivity Outreach: Will India Re-Connect With Its Central Asia Policy?

Central Asian states have been at the forefront of regional connectivity projects, but progress has bene frustratingly slow.

01.06.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Connectivity and Energy Cooperation Key to Boosting India-Azerbaijan Relations

India's quest for a foothold in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, combined with Baku's desire for business and connectivity, could provide a...

09.05.2025 5

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Terror Attack Shatters Kashmir’s Myth of Peace: Voices From the Valley

New Delhi believed its own narrative – that peace had returned to the Kashmir Valley. That myth was shattered on April 22.

26.04.2025 8

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s Lacking Attempts to Contain Pollution: Bridging the Climate Commitment Gap 

As India’s attempt to represent the Global South in conversations with the Global North on climate change takes center stage, there is a clear need...

02.04.2025 6

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The Limits of Trump’s Deal-making in Afghanistan

In return for the release of an American, the U.S. dropped bounties on three top-level Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani. But there are...

27.03.2025 6

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s Nascent Blue Economy: Structural Constraints and Climate Change Challenges

As the Indian government finalizes its blue economy policy, there is a clear case for open, inclusive, and transparent dialogue with all stakeholders.

13.03.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

The Fraying of the Taliban’s Counternarcotics Efforts

Tracing the ebbs and flows of Afghanistan’s narco-economy reflects shifting Taliban priorities and global conditions.

26.02.2025 7

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s 2025 Budget: A Missed Opportunity to Meet Climate Targets

The country must engage in climate diplomacy while simultaneously making consistent and meaningful efforts at home. It has failed to do so.

13.02.2025 4

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Trump 2.0 and the Taliban’s Afghanistan

Afghanistan, now under the Taliban, is no longer a conflict begging to be solved with a deal. It needs a more nuanced approach than the Trump...

27.01.2025 10

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

Cracks in Pakistan-Taliban Relations: Time for a New Alliance in Kabul?

While a reconciliation between the two estranged partners – the Taliban and Islamabad – seems impossible, the rift has opened up opportunities for...

10.01.2025 7

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza

India’s Arduous Path to Just Energy Transition

India has been among the most vocal about what it calls the “ too little, too distant ” outcome of the COP29 meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. On...

20.12.2024 6

The Diplomat

Shanthie Mariet D’souza