The Diplomat | Author

Mohamed Zeeshan
Mohamed Zeeshan is Editor-in-Chief of Freedom Gazette and author of “Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership.”
Mohamed Zeeshan is a policy analyst and Editor-in-Chief of the Freedom Gazette, a policy advocacy site based in India. He is a regular writer on international affairs and his key areas of interest are Indian foreign policy, international political economy and economic development. He has previously served as a consultant to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York and advised governments in the Middle East on issues of economic reform and state-building. Zeeshan has previously written for The Diplomat, The National Interest, India Today and others, and currently writes regular columns on Indian and international politics for the Deccan Herald. He holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University where he also edited the Columbia Journal of International Affairs. Follow him on Twitter.

March 04, 2021
COVID-19 Threatens to Waste India’s Demographic Dividend
By Mohamed Zeeshan
The impacts of the pandemic on India’s youth threaten to last for years to come, undoing decades of progress on multiple fronts.

February 17, 2021
How India is Trying to Police the Internet
By Mohamed Zeeshan
As the Indian government’s actions during the farmers’ protest demonstrate, it is keen on curbing unfavorable opinion online. And existing laws may be enabling it.

January 18, 2021
India and the US: Ideological Convergence No More?
By Mohamed Zeeshan
A new declassified document suggests that Washington sees New Delhi primarily as a security partner.

January 05, 2021
India’s Effort to Reform the United Nations Security Council Demands a New Mindset
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Fence-sitting and ambiguous positions on key international security issues hasn’t served the country’s global ambitions well.

December 02, 2020
On Economic Reforms, Modi’s Strength Is His Weakness
By Mohamed Zeeshan
To revive its economy, India needs more democracy, not less.

November 02, 2020
India Stands With Macron – But Not For the Same Things
By Mohamed Zeeshan
New Delhi wants to divorce human rights advocacy from its fight against Islamist terrorism.

October 16, 2020
Trump Has Undermined His Own Quad Goals
By Mohamed Zeeshan
A shared threat from China should have led Australia, India, and Japan to rally behind the U.S. Why hasn’t that happened?

October 06, 2020
Can India Pursue the ‘Strategic Encirclement’ of China?
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Pushing back against Chinese behavior in East and Southeast Asia would shore up India's position in the Himalayas.

September 02, 2020
India’s Identity Politics Has Reached Its Diaspora in the US
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Fragmentation of the Indian-American community stands to diminish its power as an Indian foreign policy lobby.

August 03, 2020
India Cannot Rely on Russian Defense Ties Anymore
By Mohamed Zeeshan
Ideally, India would exploit a split in Russia-China relations. But there’s no split to exploit and New Delhi is better off seeking strategic compatibility elsewhere.

July 01, 2020
India’s Great Firewall Against China Could Backfire
By Mohamed Zeeshan
The ban of Chinese media apps could do little to harm China, but much to dilute India's free society.

June 02, 2020
India Should Go Global to Defend Against China
By Mohamed Zeeshan
To defend itself in the Himalayas, India should look away from its borders.
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