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.

India’s recent humanitarian intervention in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah once again underlined the growing centrality of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in regional disaster response. In November 2024, the IAF deployed IL-76 and C-130J transport aircraft to evacuate 335 stranded Indian nationals from Colombo while simultaneously delivering emergency relief supplies.

Has the 30^th edition of the UN-sponsored climate summit, COP30, been delivered as initially expected? Indeed, trust in the Paris Agreement has been maintained and partly fulfilled. Confidence in multilateralism remains strong despite the absence of the second-largest emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), the US. However, the divisions among coalition member groups within COP remain as sharp as they have been in 30 years of climate negotiations.

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?