MRM 18 December 2025- Md Rafid Abrar Miah & Nur Ahmed

Title: Strategic Balancing Act: Putin’s State Visit to India (December 2025)

Presenter: Md Rafid Abrar Miah, Research Officer
Event: In-House Monthly Research Meet
Date: 18 December 2025

The In-House Monthly Research Meet examined the strategic implications of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India in December 2025, framing it as a calculated strategic balancing act amid shifting global geopolitics. The discussion highlighted how the visit reaffirmed the resilience of the long-standing India–Russia strategic partnership despite mounting international pressures following the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

The meet underscored that the visit focused on deepening economic engagement, particularly in trade, energy cooperation, and long-term connectivity initiatives, while cautiously navigating the constraints imposed by Western sanctions. Energy security emerged as a central theme, with Russia positioning itself as a reliable supplier and India carefully balancing its economic interests with broader diplomatic considerations.

From a strategic perspective, the visit illustrated India’s continued pursuit of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment, maintaining close ties with Russia while simultaneously strengthening relations with the United States and other Western partners. For Russia, the engagement with India served as an important signal against diplomatic isolation and reinforced its outreach to major emerging economies.

Title: US National/Security Strategy 2025: Major Changes in US Policy and Implications

Presenter: Nur Ahmed, Research Officer
Event: In-House Monthly Research Meet
Date: 18 December 2025

The In-House Monthly Research Meet on U.S. National/Security Strategy 2025: Major Changes in U.S. Policy and Implications, presented by Nur Ahmed, Research Officer, examined the newly released 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) and assessed its major strategic shifts, underlying policy principles, and global implications.

On December 4, 2025, the U.S. government published the updated National Security Strategy, marking a significant reorientation of U.S. national security policy under the Trump administration. This document departs from previous U.S. post-Cold War doctrines by centering on “America First” realism rather than liberal internationalism, signaling a recalibration of U.S. foreign policy priorities in response to evolving geopolitical and domestic pressures.

A cornerstone of the 2025 NSS is the elevation of domestic security—including border control, immigration, and counter-trafficking—to the level of national defense. The strategy prioritizes homeland stability as the foundation of external strength, a shift from prior doctrines that often leveraged overseas engagement to manage domestic security challenges.

Economically, the NSS reflects economic nationalism and self-reliance, with emphases on reviving U.S. industrial capacity, securing critical supply chains, and reducing dependence on foreign rivals (notably China). Technological competition—spanning semiconductors, AI, and space—features prominently as a domain of strategic contestation.

Strategically, the 2025 NSS heralds a more conditional approach to global leadership, wherein the U.S. maintains influence but limits direct intervention to areas tied closely to vital national interests. Allies are expected to share defense burdens, and the U.S. focuses on regions like the Western Hemisphere and Indo-Pacific while reducing emphasis on traditional theatres like the Middle East and Africa.

The Indo-Pacific remains a key focus, with strategy documents underscoring efforts to counter China’s influence—especially around the First Island Chain—and to strengthen partnerships with regional actors. Enhanced U.S.–India cooperation is highlighted as central to maintaining security and economic networks in the region.

Notably, the NSS’s language and priorities have triggered diverse expert reactions. Analysts argue the strategy shifts U.S. foreign policy toward transactional alliances, accepts relations with authoritarian states for stability and resource access, and reframes regional roles rather than cultivating traditional liberal partnerships.

In conclusion, the U.S. National/Security Strategy 2025 reflects major shifts in U.S. policy toward realism, domestic prioritization, economic nationalism, technology competition, strategic burden-sharing with allies, and recalibrated regional engagements. These shifts have broad implications for global security architectures, alliance dynamics, and geopolitical competition across regions—especially in the Indo-Pacific and Western Hemisphere.