By Katherine Salinas
The middleware approach presents the fewest First Amendment complications of any regulatory option. Rather than restricting speech or compelling specific viewpoints, it simply requires transparency and user choice.
By Caroline Arkalji and Piyush Verma
Green iron could become an important energy security and industrial competitiveness issue. Reducing dependence on imported coal, building domestic clean industrial capacity, and preparing for future export markets could all strengthen India’s long-term position.
By Siddharth Yadav
The ability of attackers using AI systems to mount an autonomous attack is spreading. The systems best able to defend against one, including the two OpenAI models in this test, are either unreleased or restricted to organizations with advance approval. That gap necessitates treating open models that anyone can download and run as the foundation of cyber defense, rather than a fallback.
By Ammar Nainar
In the long run, India will continue to deepen defense cooperation with a select group of West Asian and Mediterranean countries in partial response to developments such as the Mecca Agreement.
By Dylan Morgan
While the CCP may view Cheng as an opportunity to revive engagement, Taiwan’s political realities continue to place limits on how far she can move towards accommodating Beijing. Her current efforts to moderate her platform and temper pushback may be able to help her make inroads with a broader audience.
By Andreas Kuehn and Tara Chawla
The AI buildout is not simply a race for more advanced accelerators, but an infrastructure-centered contest to turn technology, energy, and capital into usable computing capacity. The decisive measure will not be announced spending or planned capacity, but how quickly those commitments become reliable, operational computing capacity.
By Anit Mukherjee and Caroline Arkalji
The consecutive presidencies of Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa within the G20 offers a blueprint for how the Global South can continue shaping global governance at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and a rapid rebalancing of the globalization process itself.
By Sarah Box
The AI Action Plan is a clear signpost towards American dominance in AI and its impact will be felt globally. The hope is that it will indeed lead to the industrial and information revolution and cultural renaissance anticipated by the administration, and that this is not a winner-take-all race but one that allies and partners can share in.
By Anit Mukherjee
The BRICS Leader’s Declaration lays out in detail the process for a revision of quotas at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, representation of the Global South in the governance of artificial intelligence and other transformative technologies that will shape the future, and increasing the accessibility and affordability of climate finance.
By Ashita Jain
The India-UK FTA reflects a significant shift in India’s digital trade approach. The commitments it makes, particularly on customs duties on electronic transmissions, data flows, and source code protection, will serve as benchmarks in India’s ongoing negotiations with the EU and the United States.
By Lindsey Ford
There is much that feels reassuringly familiar about the joint statement that came out of the July 1 Quad meeting in DC, which maintains significant continuity in its overall tone and content. However, a close review also points to notable shifts that could erode the group’s regional influence over time.
By Ammar Nainar
Despite trade and tariff wars and continuing security tensions in Europe, the Middle East, and Indian subcontinent, Quad cooperation continues. But the trends this year also reflect a new and more focused agenda for Quad cooperation in the second Trump administration, including maritime, economic, and technology security, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
By Elsa Debargue and Jeffrey D. Bean
The Pall Mall Process is a work in progress, and only time will tell if it proves durable and successful. However, it does hint at a potential turning point in current cyber governance efforts by adapting to the realities of a decentralized, privatized, and often invisible marketplace of digital intrusion.
Observer Research Foundation America, 1100 17th St. NW, Suite 501, Washington DC 20036 USA