In 2025, the world has shifted in a way that not many could have predicted 10 years ago. Geopolitics is a mainstream point of discussion with faraway audiences treating wars as spectator sports while nodes of power ignite, fluctuate, near extinguishment and reignite in the background. On its own arc, the Indian state is seen as a smouldering ember with possibilities of a fire underneath, all by remaining relatively stable in the post-pandemic era, an era that has seen nations battle inflation and cost of living crises creating politics of desperation.

At the same time, despite violence on its soil—attacks by enemy states, but also by homegrown terrorists—the Indian state’s kinetic action to curb the brutalities has managed to preserve much of the positive citizen sentiment, which is reflected by the markets and continued political popularity of the government in place. The terrorists involve both jihadists and Communists, and while the crackdown on Red Terror has been unprecedented and rather complete on the ground, there is much left to do in preventing it from being reignited in the future.

Like with many of the problems faced by the Indian nation, the lack of consequences for proselytisation of ideologies that are extremely dehumanising and violent towards Indian citizenry means that despite some ideologues being punished by the law, their messages remain ever available to be weaponised over decades. The sudden upsurge of Khalistani separatism over the last few years, especially emanating from foreign soil such as from Canada and the USA, exemplifies the issue.

In the age of mass media and the almost free and........

© News18