What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: ​The Saudi-Pakistan deal upends India’s strategic thought

Context

While often understated, the Riyadh-Islamabad agreement has far-reaching geopolitical consequences.

Introduction

The announcement of a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has, predictably, unsettled New Delhi. Of particular concern is the clause stating that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” which has sparked both apprehension and questions about the future of India-Saudi relations.

India’s Diplomatic Push Faces Challenges Amid Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact

• Following the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which triggered the largest India-Pakistan military exchange since 1971, India launched a global diplomatic effort to isolate Pakistan.
• Despite these efforts, attempts to internationally quarantine Pakistanhave fallen short, with the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Defence deal serving as a significant diplomatic win for Islamabad.
• In May, Operation Sindoorwas launched to target terrorist camps inside Pakistan, coinciding with Saudi and Iranian diplomats visiting New Delhi as tensions escalated across the border.
• During this period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on an official visit to Riyadh, rushed back to Indiafollowing the terror attack.
• Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, soon visited India to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
• Al-Jubeir’s meeting at the Prime Minister’s Officeattracted attention; although details remained undisclosed, it likely reflected Riyadh’s efforts to ease escalating India-Pakistan tensions.

Linked to geopolitical changes

• Beyond South Asia, these developments highlight a wider geopolitical fracas in West Asiafollowing the Hamas terror attack on Israel in October 2023, which has reshaped regional strategic calculations.
• By September 2025, the Riyadh-Islamabad agreementhas been downplayed publicly but carries significant geopolitical reverberations.
• India’s interests remain peripheralfor Riyadh, while for Pakistan, the deal serves dual purposes: strengthening ties with the Kingdom and challenging New Delhi’s security concerns.
• The pact marks a return to normalcyafter strained Saudi-Pakistan relations; in 2015, the Nawaz Sharif government refused to send troops to join Saudi operations against Houthi forces in Yemen.
• Saudi Arabia has long valued the Pakistani militaryfor its extensive combat experience, primarily against India, to bolster its domestic and regional security.
• With the US increasingly seen as an unreliable partner, Riyadh is returning to traditional alliancesin the region.
• For Islamabad, its nuclear capability is again delivering strategic dividends, though more by opportunity than design, demonstrating influence from Washington to Riyadh.
• Reports suggest the deal had been in the works for about three years, and India’s Ministry of External Affairs had been aware of discussions.
• Pakistan, as the only Islamic nuclear-armed country, has been considered a potential source for Riyadh’s nuclear requirements.
• The “12-day war” between Israel and Iran, with missile exchanges involving Qatar, has heightened regional stakes, increasing the strategic relevance of the pact.

The fundamentals are solid

• The Saudi-Pakistan agreementreflects broader changes in the international order, beyond immediate regional concerns.
• There is a misconception about India’s influence in West Asia, assuming it could create an institutional wedge between Islamabad and Arab states.
• Bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistanare deeply rooted in Islam, ideology, and theological principles, particularly centered around Sunnism, making these relationships fundamentally resilient.
• Riyadh is pursuing strategic autonomy, multipolarity, and multialignment, aligning with stated foreign policy objectives.
• These approaches mirror India’s aspirational foreign policy goalsto emerge as a major global power, but often result in major partners taking positions contrary to Indian strategic interests.

The message for India

• The Saudi-Pakistan formalisationhighlights challenges related to the ‘Islamic bomb’, a term coined by the Pakistani press in the early 1980s.
• While the immediate challenge may not be immense, it signals shifts in the global geopolitical chessboard.
• For India, it underscores a disconnect between its culturally risk-averse strategic thinkingand the fast-changing international realities.
• The slow pace of strategic adaptationrisks leaving India behind in regional and global power dynamics.
• Indian leadership must embrace the risksthat come with both the exercise and mobilisation of power.
• Continuing a fence-sitting approachor clinging to an idealistic ‘chief pacifist’ role could limit India’s strategic options and reduce its traction on the global stage.

Conclusion

The world is undergoing a profound reshaping and will not pause for what India perceives as “its time.” The Saudi-Pakistan pact reflects Islamabad—and particularly the Pakistan Army—leveraging disruptions and gaps in the global and Western order to its advantage. Another chance to influence the rules of international engagement may not come again this century. It is therefore imperative that India’s strategic calculations are accurate and that it acts with decisive resolve.

 

Editorial 2: ​Hot air

Context

Trump’s dismissal of climate science is counterproductive.

Introduction

The evolving global landscape is marked by shifting alliances, strategic pacts, and contentious debates over science and power. From the Saudi-Pakistan defence agreement to climate discourse at the UNGA, nations are recalibrating their positions to safeguard interests. Understanding these developments is crucial, as they reflect both the assertion of influence and the challenges India faces in adapting to a dynamic world order.

Trump’s UNGA Address and Climate Denial

• President Donald Trumpaddressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with claims largely contrary to scientific facts.
• He described climate changeas the “greatest con job” and criticized Europe for reducing its carbon footprint, blaming job losses and factory closures.
• Trump argued that scientists initially predicted global cooling, then global warming, and now use the term “climate change” to remain correct regardless of outcomes.
• His statements ignored key facts, including a 1°C global temperature dip (1945–1970)caused by sulphur emissions from coal.

Misunderstanding Scientific Processes

• Trump overlooked the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which since the 1990s has coordinated thousands of scientists to separate natural vs. human-caused climate effects.
• The term climate changereflects disruptions in ocean currents and erratic weather, not simply hotter temperatures everywhere.
• His statements show a dismissal of scientific consensusin favor of a political and industry-driven narrative.

Fossil Fuels vs. Renewable Energy

• Trump’s concernis less about climate science and more about protecting the fossil fuel industry.
• He characterized the global shift toward solar and wind energyas evidence of countries being on the “brink of destruction” due to a green agenda.
• This stance illustrates a broader decline in deference to scientific wisdom, even from leaders of technologically advanced nations.

Scientific Process and Global Climate Action

• While multilateral climate processeshave challenges—including justice, equity, and trade-related conflicts—the scientific method continues to advance understanding.
• Measured evidence, falsifiable conjecture, and long-term analysishave guided the world toward a post-fossil-fuel future.
• Despite political rhetoric, climate scienceremains robust, and global momentum toward renewable energy and sustainable policy

Conclusion

In a rapidly changing world, strategic foresight and decisive action are essential. While Pakistan leverages alliances and global disruptions, India must align calculations with reality rather than idealism. Similarly, scientific evidence and multilateral processes continue to shape global priorities, from climate policy to energy transitions. Success will hinge on adaptation, resolve, and the courage to embrace both opportunity and risk.