Photo source: The New York Times By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Indonesia’s foreign policy has changed significantly over the past two decades. The first shift lies in its priorities. Under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono , the country focused on strengthening democracy and rebuilding its global standing after a troubled period marked by human rights abuses, corruption and widespread public protests. In the aftermath of Suharto ’s fall, demands for reform had exposed deep dissatisfaction with the state. Yudhoyono sought to move beyond this legacy, presenting Indonesia as ‘a model for Muslim democracy’ and launching the Bali Democracy Forum . Scholars such as Lina Alexandra and Tobias Basuki note that this initiative helped project Indonesia’s soft power through democratic values while restoring credibility at home and abroad. Under Joko Widodo , the emphasis has shifted towards economic priorities. His administration has aligned foreign policy with development goals, includin...

  Photo source: Economic Diplomacy Division By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront The last summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), was held in Kathmandu in November 2014. It was the last to take place in recent times, and the only one that has happened since Narendra Modi became prime minister of India. Despite the established precedent that such summits should be held every two years, there is no real indication that another SAARC summit is on the horizon. SAARC’s inability to have regular meetings has provided further evidence of its demise. Established in 1985, SAARC has been highly idealistic: to improve quality of life, accelerate economic growth, strengthen collective self-reliance, and contribute to mutual trust, understanding, and appreciation of one another’s problems, among others. However, some principles of SAARC limited its potency. For example, SAARC has to make a consentaneous decision and exclude ‘contentious’ issues from the deliber...

  Photo source: Al Jazeera By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront After securing victory in the May 2023 elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan received an unexpected but meaningful gesture: a congratulatory phone call from Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. More than a routine exchange, it marked the beginning of a clear effort to reset ties between two regional powers long defined by distrust. In the weeks that followed, both leaders moved quickly to improve relations, agreeing to restore full diplomatic ties and exchange ambassadors. As Sisi later noted, this decision was made almost immediately—suggesting that the groundwork for reconciliation had been laid well before Erdogan’s electoral victory. What makes this shift especially notable is that economic ties remained strong even during years of political tension. Despite a decade of strained relations, Egypt was still among the top twenty destinations for Turkish exports in 2022, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Trade, in this sens...

  Photo source: The National By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront In recent months, Turkey has adopted a more complex foreign policy, balancing assertiveness with selective cooperation as it seeks greater independence in decision-making. This approach is also visible at home, where a more cautious political environment reflects Ankara’s effort to redefine its role on the global stage. A brief moment of optimism appeared at the June 2023 NATO defence ministers’ meeting, where Greek and Turkish officials agreed to rebuild ties ‘based on good neighbourly relations and friendship’. Given the history of tensions between Greece and Turkey, this marked a modest but important step towards easing friction. However, this softer tone has often been offset by stronger rhetoric from Recep Tayyip Erdogan . Before the meeting, Erdogan criticised Greece’s defence cooperation with the United States and stressed Turkey’s aim to ‘contain our adversaries’. His visit to Nicosia further highligh...

  Photo source: The New Yorker By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront In June 2023, Adriana, the migrant ship, lost power, and it wandered aimlessly off the coast of Greece and eventually invited itself into a humanitarian disaster. Before the drowning, officials had watched and listened to them for thirteen hours by sea, using radar, telephone, and radio. As terrified passengers telephoned for help, humanitarian workers assured them that a rescue team was coming. European border officials, watching aerial footage, prepared to witness what was certain to be a heroical operation. Yet, it sank, killing more than six hundred migrants in a maritime tragedy that was shocking even for the world’s deadliest migrant route. At that time, it was believed that the Greek government treated the situation like a law enforcement operation and not a rescue process. According to an Oped in New York Times by Matina Sevis-Gridneff and Karam Shoumali: ‘Rather than sending a navy hospital ship or rescu...

Photo source: Outlook India By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront India’s democratic ideals are no more as free by nature as they were before. The country has slipped towards  repression in various forms. The country now ranks 161st on the World Press Freedom Index. Freedom House and the Economist Intelligence Unit say it is no longer a fully free democracy. The country is the world’s biggest swing state in the struggle between democracies and autocracies. It is both the world’s largest democracy as well as a vital ally of the West in its rivalry with China. The BJP’s leadership is widely believed to be in firm control of India’s political narrative. Due to this, some officials empowered by the political movement, who lean towards right-wing politics might even be encouraged to try out their most extreme and partisan ideas. Others will simply be confident in believing that if they act in obviously partisan ways even to the extent of undermining the ideals of their offices, they wi...

  Photo source: Open Democracy By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Another woman called Elly Schlein has burst into Italy’s political scene. Leading the Partito Democratico, she is the main centre-left rival to Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d'Italia. Regardless of opposing beliefs, Meloni and Schlein now occupy a similar space in wooing voters.  Schlein’s outsider status, not to mention her political magnetism and drive, have already given her one important win against Italy’s far-right, when she helped defeat Meloni’s ally, Matteo Salvini’s Northern League, in the Emilia-Romagna region in 2020. But emerging victorious in a general election in Italy is a notoriously messy and tribalistic affair. It’s a completely different ball game. Hence to succeed, she needs to revive the PD’s diminishing influence and fend off her political adversaries - as well as retort certain doubts from within her own party. For decades, Italy’s male leaders have been acclaimed due to a remarkably ho...

Photo source: Al Jazeera By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront C hina has been showing a keen interest in investing in Afghanistan after the takeover of the Taliban. In January 2023, a Chinese company agreed to provide 450 million dollars to explore and develop oil reserves in the country. After that, another Chinese company in April 2023 wanted exploration and development of Afghanistan’s lithium reserves. In contrast to the previous military adventures done by American, Soviet, and British into the Afghan frontier, China’s involvement is focused more on the economic and diplomatic side, with a negligible military element. Furthermore, China seeks to expand its political and economic influence in the region as part of its Belt and Road initiative in Afghanistan which for a while has been a weak link in this chain. Moreover, trade frictions with the US and other countries have increased the pressure to open other markets for China’s goods. The Belt and Road is an effective channel to ...

  Photo source: Foreign Policy By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gave the strongest signal in April 2023 of accepting Nagorno Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan amid escalating tensions. While saying this, he also urged the European Union and Russia to prevent a ruinous new conflict in the South Caucasus. The move effectively accepts Baku's sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh, two and a half years since a brutal war ignited in the breakaway region that is home to tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians, who have, for decades, refused to be governed by Azerbaijan. In September 2022, however, Pashinyan was forced to deny that he in his mental capacity was ready to recognise Azerbaijan's borders after mass protests broke out on the streets of Yerevan. The protestors accused him of hanging Karabakh Armenians in suffrages. Armenia, on the other hand, denies it maintains a military presence in the region, and has previously insisted Karabakh Arm...

  Photo source: The New Arab By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront China’s growing diplomatic activism in the Middle East—most notably its role in facilitating the 2023 rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia —has underscored a broader shift: the region is no longer shaped solely by the United States and Russia. In this evolving landscape, India has begun to assert itself more quietly, positioning as a pragmatic middle power seeking influence through economic and strategic engagement. A glimpse of this ambition emerged in May 2023, when Jake Sullivan met counterparts from India and the United Arab Emirates , alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman . As reported by outlets such as Reuters and The New York Times , discussions centred on an ambitious connectivity initiative linking India with the Middle East through ports, railways and road networks—an effort aimed at deepening trade and economic integration. This proposal builds on the work of the I2U2 Group , est...

  Photo source: The Irish Times By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront T he war in Ukraine is far from over. As it kept on brewing in front of the world, what became apparent is that the Russian aggression was not about territorial expansion anymore, but it was actually more about controlling Ukraine’s political destiny. Even if Ukraine succeeds in pushing Russia’s military forces all the way back to its 1991 borders, the conflict won’t truly end. Ukrainian intelligence officials estimate that if the fighting were to stop in 2023, Russia would have sufficient capabilities in its arsenal to restart the war by 2027-2028, even with economic sanctions remaining in place. So, in order to truly end the conflict, Russia will have to understand, or be made to understand, that Ukraine’s future will be decided in Kyiv, not Moscow. And Kyiv has made it abundantly lucid that it sees its future with the West, as an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic institutions. That is why for Kyiv, finding a...