The Great Power Show
The world is changing fast. Developing countries are on the rise, politics in the West is more turbulent than ever, technology is advancing at breakneck speed, people are moving across borders in new ways, and global institutions are struggling to keep up. In the middle of all this, a new world order is taking shape—but what does it really look like? On The Great Power Show, Manoj Kewalramani dives into these big shifts and what they mean for all of us. Join him for candid conversations and thought-provoking interviews with leading scholars, thinkers and practitioners.
Episodes
A Realist Reckoning: India Between the US & China
There is a school of thought in international relations that strips away the comforting language—the values, the norms, the rhetoric of solidarity—and looks at the world as it is. States pursue power. Interests are permanent. And the gap between what countries say and what they do is almost always explained by material calculation, not moral commitment.That school of thought is realism. And when y
Xi-Trump Summit: Seeking a Very Stable Rivalry?
In May this year, Donald Trump flew to Beijing. This week, Xi Jinping returns the favour. The Chinese leader arrives in the United States on a state visit, with the two presidents set to meet on September 24. This is their second summit in under five months, and quite possibly not their last this year.But what exactly is happening between these two countries? Because on the one hand, Washington an
Afro-Optimism in the age of Disorder
Ask almost anyone about the state of the world today and you’ll hear the same words: anxiety, disruption, disorder. There’s a sense of flux; nobody quite knows where things are heading. So it’s striking to come across a generation that looks at the very same world and feels, of all things, optimistic.That’s the finding of the latest Africa Youth Survey, published by the Ichikowitz Family Foundatio
The Making & Re-making of Xi Jinping Thought
How much can we really understand about Chinese politics from the outside, and how much has become genuinely unknowable?A senior general, who is a close confidant of Xi Jinping; a family friend for whom retirement norms were reportedly bent. Present one day, gone the next, with no explanation that outsiders can independently verify. That is the puzzle at the heart of China-watching today. Some thi
The Geopolitical Gene: Biology as Statecraft
When we talk about what makes a nation strong, we reach instinctively for the familiar levers armies, economies, semiconductors, ships. But running quietly beneath all of them is something older and more intimate, i.e., the mastery of life itself.The ability to cure or to sicken, to feed a population or to starve one, to grow a crop that withstands a drought or a pathogen that crosses a border…Bio
The Actual Governance of China
One of the enduring puzzles about China is how a country of its size is actually governed. We often talk about “Beijing” as though it were a single actor with a coherent strategy, but behind every policy announcement lies an immense bureaucracy, competing incentives, negotiations across different levels of government, and millions of officials whose decisions ultimately determine whether central d
The Unraveling of Order in West Asia
West Asia today finds itself in a deeply uncertain moment. A conditional ceasefire has held for months, but the war isn’t truly over. The Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted, even without large-scale fighting at sea. The United States and Iran still trade periodic strikes. Israel is still operating beyond its borders. Iran has suffered unprecedented losses. The Gulf states are increasingly
The PLA's Theory of Total War
When we talk about US-China competition, we often tend to focus on the obvious: trade, technology and Taiwan. But there’s a deeper question that doesn’t get enough attention. How does China actually think about fighting a war against a far more powerful adversary?PLA writings describe modern conflict not as something waged simply between militaries. Rather it is conceptualised as system against sy
Japan's Shift From Pacifism to Power
There’s a quiet but unmistakable change taking place in Japan. For decades, Japanese politics was defined by caution. The country has a pacifist constitution. There has been managed ambiguity in its international engagements. Economic power existed without strategic assertion.But something is shifting beneath the surface. A new generation of conservative leaders is emerging. Public attitudes towar
A New Nepal Navigating Great Power Competition
In international relations, we obsess over great powers. What Washington thinks, what Beijing wants, what New Delhi will do next. We map their strategies, track their rivalries, debate their ambitions. And somewhere along the way, we forget that most of the world doesn’t get to play that game.For smaller states, great power competition isn’t theory. It is the quiet, constant reality that you must
The Making of China's Strategic Thinkers
How does China think about the world?We spend a lot of time trying to decode Beijing’s behaviour—its strategy, its ambitions, its moves on the global stage. But we rarely ask a more basic question: where does that thinking come from?What does it actually mean to study international relations in China?In this episode, I speak with Yaqi Li, an MSc candidate in International Relations at RSIS in Sing
The Trump-Xi Summit: Chess, Checkers or Go?
We are living through a moment of tremendous transformation. The post-Cold War order is over, and what replaces it is not yet clear. What is clear, however, is that the two countries with the most power to shape that answer are the United States and China. How they manage their competition— in fact, whether they can manage it at all—is a defining question of our era.That question was tested last y
Germany's China Strategy at a Crossroads
Over the weekend, renewed conflict in the Middle East was a stark reminder of how fragile the international order has become, and what happens when major powers begin to bend the very rules they helped create. For countries caught in between, the space for strategic comfort is shrinking.Nowhere is this tension clearer than in Europe’s relationship with China. Beijing’s rise is no longer a projecti
Inside China’s Foreign Policy Machine
We often hear from Beijing that the world today is undergoing “changes unseen in a century,” and that opportunities and risks coexist. But what does the external environment actually look like from inside the Chinese system? If you were a policymaker or analyst in Beijing, how would you read the balance between threat and opportunity?In addition, who are the people that influence the thinking abou
India & Europe’s Strategic Rediscovery
In a world shaped by war in Europe, strategic rivalry with China, and growing uncertainty about the United States, the India–Europe relationship is quietly undergoing a major transformation. Once seen as slow-moving and largely transactional, ties between New Delhi and Brussels have accelerated dramatically over the past two years.On India’s Republic Day this year, the government hosted European l
A New Scramble for Africa
The Horn of Africa has long been described as one of the world’s most unstable regions. But instability, as we know, is rarely accidental. It is often the outcome of history, geography, and politics colliding over time.From contested borders drawn at the end of colonial rule, to unresolved questions of statehood and sovereignty, the region has been shaped by incomplete state formation and recurrin
The Americas as a Strategic Battleground
We are entering a dangerous phase in global politics, one where speed, force, and unilateral action are beginning to matter more than law, legitimacy, or restraint. Great powers are increasingly willing to test the boundaries of sovereignty.Just hours after we recorded this episode of The Great Power Show, the United States carried out a military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás
National Supremacism: The New Ideology of Global Politics
We’re living through a moment of profound global churn.Trust in politics is eroding. Nationalism is surging. Great powers are retreating from the idea that the world can grow together. Instead, they are embracing zero-sum competition, technological supremacy, and national power as the primary source of legitimacy.In this episode of The Great Power Show, I’m joined by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, political
Europe Needs Vision, Not Instruments
Europe today finds itself at a geopolitical crossroads. From Brussels to Berlin, Paris to Warsaw, policymakers are grappling with a world order that is undergoing fundamental changes. At one level, there is a growing sense of clarity: Europe today sees a world shaped by intensifying great-power rivalry, fragile economic interdependence, and political currents that are tugging the continent in diff
Where is China Heading?
Late in October, the Communist Party of China concluded the Fourth Plenary session of the 20th Central Committee. Plenums as critically important gatherings of the Party’s elite. This one outlined the vision for China’s overall development for the next five years.The nutshell version of the long document that was issued was that Xi Jinping’s leadership has taken China down the right path of develo
India & Russia: Between Trust and Tension
There’s a paradox at the heart of the India–Russia relationship.On one level, there are no direct conflicts of interest. In fact, at a moment like the present, when even trusted partners like the United States appear willing to coerce New Delhi, Moscow seems like a reliable friend. It remains a key defense supplier, and now also an important energy partner, offering deep discounts to keep its own
Finding the Substance Amid Geopolitical Signalling
Look around the world today; there are few certainties. The global order is in a state of flux. And that means that every country is rethinking old assumptions, and even old partnerships. There’s a lot of jockeying for wriggle room; a lot of signalling to partners and rivals. And often in the media environment that we live in today, signals get taken to mean substantive or even structural shifts.
MAGA & Global Trade: Reset or Rupture?
The past eight months have been among the strangest in recent times. The Trump administration has given substance to its rhetoric on tariffs, redrawing the landscape of the world economy. There have been some deals, but the details are scant. Ambiguity, it seems, is not just a negotiating position, but also evident in outcomes. On the surface, allies and partners are seemingly being punished, whil
The Revolt of the Orchestra
At the beginning of 2025, if you asked someone in New Delhi, you probably would have heard a response of cautious optimism. India seemed well-positioned to deal with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Trade talks were likely to be difficult, but there was a sense of possibility. The strategic logic of the relationship, one assumed, was robust enough to ensure close engagement.But today
From Plato to Populists: Political Philosophy for Our Times
Over the past few months, I’ve often found myself overwhelmed by the pace and nature of global events. Each day seems to bring something that overturns long-held assumptions—norms I had internalised growing up in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s been disorienting. At times, it feels as if we’ve entered a new nihilistic and transactional world.It was in this frame of mind that I stumbled upon Prof. Steven
International Relations & the Indian Mind
India’s global profile is rising. By the end of this decade, India will be the world’s third-largest economy. Diplomatically, it is also far more active as a member of key multilateral groupings. Arguably, India’s foreign policy today plays a bigger role in domestic politics than at any time since the Nehru years. All of this is changing how Indians think about world affairs, leading to an increas
Decoding Chinese Politispeak
In China, political discourse is ample, yet often elusive. News reports and policy documents are dense with slogans and repetition. Despite this, the system also often speaks through silence. And that silence fuels questions.What should one look for when trying to understand China’s political language? Can anything be understood from the stodgy language of Party-state media. Can the omission of a
Cinematic Geopolitics: The Search for New Identities & Order
What happens when a global order loses its story? In today’s world, it’s not just borders and alliances that are shifting. What’s also shifting are the shared narratives that held them together. The American-led order, once animated by the promise of liberal universalism, is now fraying at the edges. But this isn’t just a moment of geopolitical transition. It’s something deeper. There’s a crisis o
Tech Tussle: Chips, Containment & Industrial Policy
Technology has always been a force multiplier in geopolitics. But today, it’s much more than that. It’s a source of power, a trigger for conflict, and a key arena in the contest for global leadership. Nowhere is this clearer than in the intensifying rivalry between the US and China.From tariffs to export controls, from AI regulations to investment screening, the two powers are locked in a battle,
Power, Politics & the Indian News Media
In politics today, communication is power. It shapes public opinion, manages crises, drives diplomacy, and fuels ideological battles. The ability to craft, control, and circulate messages is central to how power works, and how it’s challenged.The news media is right at the heart of this. Nowhere is that more evident than in India. The country’s media ecosystem is huge, and often chaotic. But benea
Manufacturing Might: Power in the Age of Decoupling
After a meeting between senior officials on the weekend on May 10th, China and the US have formally announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. Both sides have since drawn back some of the excessive tariffs that were imposed in early April. They’ve committed to establish a new mechanism for dialogue and keep talks going. The White House has called this a “historic deal”; Beijing has been much mor
Bilahari Kausikan on Why Competition is the Natural State of the World
As great power rivalry deepens, old assumptions are crumbling and the rules of the international order are up for renegotiation. This moment demands a more clear-eyed realism—one that sees the world not as we wish it to be, but as it is. Today, the US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, while the institutions meant to stabilize the world seem increasingly brittle. Europe is lagging behind
France in a Fractured World
French President Emmanuel Macron has rapidly emerged as Europe’s most important national leader. France is not only one of the biggest economies in the EU, but is also the bloc’s only nuclear weapons power. With war in Ukraine continuing, frictions with China persistent and deep fissures between Europe and the US under Donald Trump, France is once again trying to redefine its role—both within Euro
In Defense of Economic Globalisation
April 2, 2025, may go down as a turning point in global economic history. On this day, US President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new tariff plan that rattled markets. The week thereafter was a bit of a rollercoaster. Trump offered much of the rest of the world a 90-day reprieve, but with China, a full-fledged trade and tariff war is brewing. US tariffs on Chinese imports today are 145%. Chines
Dollar Dominance: The Future of Global Finance
In August 1971, Richard Nixon suspended the dollar’s convertibility with gold. At the time, the US was facing major economic challenges, including inflation and a growing trade deficit. Nixon’s decision devalued the dollar and caused chaos in global markets.In December, Treasury Secretary John Connally met with upset foreign ministers from allied countries. He offered little succor, telling them t
Power, Transitions & Making of World Order
Ever since January 20, 2025, there’s been intense debate over whether the Trump administration is bringing an end to the post-World War II world order. But is that really the case? And if so, what might emerge in its place?In this episode of The Great Power Show, Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution speaks to Manjari Chatterjee Miller.
US under Trump: Is the Hegemon in Retreat?
Donald Trump’s first month in office has been nothing short of a whirlwind. Amid dramatic shifts in American politics and unconventional foreign policy moves, one big question looms: Is the US retreating from the world stage, or is it trying to create a new ideological balance of power?In this episode of The Great Power Show, Manoj Kewalramani speaks to Paul Poast, Associate Professor of Political
The Global South: Battleground or Bridge in US-China Rivalry?
The Global South is back in vogue as an important geopolitical player. Increasingly, there is greater discourse within Washington and Beijing about courting countries from the developing world. But how do these two powers compete across the Global South? Is it inevitable that they will be engaged in a zero-sum game or are there areas and sectors where cooperation is possible?In this episode of The
India’s Tryst With Destiny: Time to Get Real
For most Indians, deep in their psyche is embedded a belief that a global role for India is part of its tryst with destiny. The roots of this international vision can be traced back to ancient history — among empires and rulers that emerged from the land that is modern India to those that came to make it their home. Even today, the echoes of this past reverberate in the international affairs of th
Steering the Wild Horses of American Power
As Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term as president, American politics and foreign policy are undergoing profound upheaval. A reassessment of the nation's global interests and international engagement is underway.
This growing dissatisfaction with the world order was starkly articulated by Trump’s Secretary of State nominee, Marco Rubio, during his Senate confirmation hearing. Rubio re
The Myth of World Order
The world today is at a crossroad, caught between the remnants of the old order and the uncertainties of a new one. As great power competition resurfaces on the global stage, the coming years promise to reshape the international landscape. From the ashes of conflict and transformation, a new order will inevitably emerge. But does world order really matter?
In this episode of The Great Power Show,
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