Ashok Swain
@ashoswai
Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden UNESCO Chair on International Water Cooperation Editor-in-Chief, 'Environment and Security' Journal (Sage)
Saudi Arabia understands what Washington and Tel Aviv ignore: military destruction cannot deliver regime change in Iran. Riyadh’s restraint protects its security, economy and political future. India should learn from it. #MyPiece National Herald, 9 August 2026
Modi needs to apologize to India’s youth for destroying their future, using pellet guns against them, and subjecting protesting students to sexual assault by his police forces; his boast that he has “forgiven” them is nothing but a cruel joke. #MyPiece National Herald, 9 Aug 26.
While Netanyahu met Trump behind closed doors, Israeli soldiers and settlers stormed West Bank towns. Trump wants calm where war threatens his election. Netanyahu wants violence in the West Bank where domination may rescue his election. #MyPiece National Herald, 2 August 2026.
Sudanese Army closing in to recapture el Obeid from the RSF. Another genocide by the RSF is likely as we had seen last year in el Fasher. World is silent about the massive humanitarian crisis in Sudan - 40,000 dead & 14 million displaced. Jost spoke to TRT World about it.
Spoke to Times Radio in London about the youth revolt against Modi - and how India’s Gen Z, through satire and memes, has brought the self-proclaimed “non-biological” leader back down to earth.
Trump has restarted a war the US cannot win militarily and politically. Iran is more prepared, the conflict is spreading, and every strike deepens resistance while draining American power. The real question is whether Congress has the courage to stop its own president. #MyPiece
The Gulf's biggest lesson from the Iran war is the collapse of the illusion that the US can guarantee regional security. Now Gulf states face an escalating Israel–Türkiye rivalry. Saudi Arabia's answer is no longer dependence but strategic autonomy & pragmatic diplomacy. #MyPiece
Asked whether Tehran was using the funeral to send a political message, Ashok Swain, said the signal was straightforward. “The state had not collapsed, society had not surrendered, and foreign powers had failed to shatter Iran’s sense of national pride.” tribune.com.pk/story/261775...
India's liberal commentariat spent a decade searching for "anyone but Rahul Gandhi." One by one, their chosen alternatives disappeared. Rahul Gandhi stayed, fought, & became the principal challenger to the RSS BJP. Time to question those pundits. #mypiece National Herald, 5/7-26
Iran war is not just another Middle East conflict. It has accelerated the end of the US dominated unipolar era. But what is emerging is not a stable multipolar world. It is a world with multiple powers but no effective world order. That is a far more dangerous future. #MyPiece
Can Israel survive Benjamin Netanyahu? The greatest threat to Israel today doesn't come from Iran, Hamas, or Hezbollah. It comes from its leader, Netanyahu, whose political survival has become inseparable from perpetual war. #MyPiece
The growing community of Environmental Peacebuilders! 4th International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding - University of Ottawa. June 16, 2026 - June 19, 2026
Trump's Iran deal is not a victory. It's an exit strategy. Netanyahu promised regime collapse. Instead, the war strengthened Iran, and exposed the limits of the US-Israeli military force. The real question: can Netanyahu live with peace? Answer is, No. #MyPiece
The rise of anti Indian sentiment is driven by two forces: a resurgent far right eager to scapegoat immigrants and a section of the Indian diaspora whose nationalism, casteism, racial prejudices, and cultural arrogance have eroded decades of goodwill. #MyPiece
Why is Iran being bombed for allegedly wanting a nuclear bomb while Israel already has nuclear weapons and gets billions in Western support? Whether you support Iran or not is not the point. The question is simple: shouldn't the same rules apply to everyone? #MyPiece
By standing with Putin, condemning the US-Israel strikes on Iran, & reaffirming the centrality of the UN, Xi challenged Washington's unilateralism while advancing China's vision of a multipolar world. Ironically, Trump's own policies accelerate the shift he fears most. #mypiece
My interview with @hammadsarfraz for @etribune tribune.com.pk/story/260979...
Trump claims victory, but wars are not won by dropping the most bombs. They are won by achieving political objectives. Iran's regime consolidated, weaponized the Strait of Hormuz, drove up global economic costs, & forced Trump to negotiate. #MyPiece National Herald, 24 May 2026.
Trump’s deference to Xi in Beijing has exposed the central flaw in Modi’s China policy: India spent 12 years betting that Washington would stand firm against Beijing. But America follows its interests, not Modi’s illusions. #MyPiece National Herald, 24 May 2026
“Climate change should be classified as a national security risk” www.di.se/brandstudio/...
The UAE leaving OPEC signals a dangerous geopolitical split: a UAE-India-Israel axis vs a Saudi-Pakistan axis. We have seen what Saudi-UAE rivalry did in Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya & Somalia. Exporting this rivalry into Kashmir & Baluchistan could be catastrophic. #MyPiece
Modi’s BRICS moment has turned into a diplomatic embarrassment. India chairs, but does not lead. Afraid to upset Donald Trump, unwilling to confront China, and silent on Iran, New Delhi looks isolated. Strategic ambiguity is no strategy. #MyPiece
The Iran war has exposed a brutal truth: the Gulf monarchies hosted US bases for “security” and normalized with Israel for “stability”, and got missiles, drones, and economic collapse instead. They didn’t start this war, but they’re paying the highest price. #MyPiece
Trump is not aligning with Benjamin Netanyahu he is taking cues from him. On Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, US policy looks dictated, not led. This is not strength it is strategic shrinkage and has led to America's isolation. #MyPiece
My interview with The Express Tribune. www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/how-...
Trump’s foreign policy has stripped away the mask of US global leadership. Expansionism, the Iran war, and alliance erosion reveal a deeper truth: in trying to counter China, Washington is accelerating its own decline and strengthening Beijing’s hand. #MyPiece
As the Iran War fumbles, Trump’s “Cuba is next” isn’t rhetoric, it’s a warning. From oil blockades to regime-change whispers, history is repeating itself in the Caribbean. Sovereignty is once again negotiable in Washington’s imperial playbook. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/cuba...
The US–Israel war on Iran has backfired. What began as a war on the regime is now seen as a war on Iran itself. Instead of collapse, the Islamic Republic is consolidating power, fueled by nationalism, historical memory, and foreign aggression. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/world/lesson...