When the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran in late February 2026, India's abstract strategic interests in West Asia transformed into an immediate, high-stakes emergency. With nine million nationals in the Gulf, forty billion dollars in annual remittances on the line, and oil prices surging past a hundred and twenty dollars a barrel, New Delhi found itself walking a razor-thin diplomatic tightrope.
In this episode, host Kavya Rai sits down with Takshashila's Geostrategy experts Vanshika Saraf and Raja Karthikeya to dissect the real cost of India’s signature "multi-alignment" strategy during a region-wide conflict.
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/research-areas
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
