Since its inception in 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has primarily recognised contributions to four broad areas: arms control and disarmament, peace negotiations, the advancement of democracy and human rights, and efforts to build a more orderly and peaceful international system. In the 21st century, the Nobel Committee has also expanded its scope to include initiatives addressing climate change and environmental threats, viewing them as integral to global peace and stability.

I grew up in Guwahati (Assam), where questions of identity were never theoretical. They surfaced in school registers, land records, police verifications, and anxious family conversations. Some people carried documents with them like talismans. Others lived in fear that a single missing paper could erase their place in the only country they had ever known. Long before I understood the politics of migration, I witnessed its emotional cost.

On September 12, 2025, 142 nations voted in favor of a two-state solution, 10 against, and 12 abstained — within 24 hours of the Israeli prime minister declaring that Palestine would never be a state. Major countries, including Saudi Arabia, France, and India, have endorsed the resolution, acknowledging Palestinian suffering. This raises a critical question: Will the adoption of the two-state resolution change the Israel–Palestine conflict, or will the cycle of violence continue?

Against the backdrop of ineffectiveness of the UN in diffusing West Asia and Eurasia conflicts, failure to adopt a global pact on plastic pollution, and over and above all, the rise of unilateral trade protectionism, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has concluded its two-day (August 31 - September 1) high-profile 25^th Summit in Tianjin, China.