Daily Newspaper Notes: February 28, 2026

Emerging Strategic Tensions In The Indian Ocean Region

Core Points

• Earlier global tensions centred on the western Pacific due to US–China rivalry over the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and East China Sea.
• Recent strategic focus has shifted toward the Indian Ocean, particularly around Iran.
• The US has undertaken significant military mobilisation in the region.
• The Iranian nuclear issue remains central, with US insistence on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
• Negotiations reportedly demand that Iran halt enrichment at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
• A potential conflict over Iran’s nuclear programme could involve multiple Indian Ocean states.
• Iran has resisted US pressure and conducted joint naval exercises with Russia in the Arabian Sea.
• Countries hosting US military bases in West Asia may be drawn into any escalation.
• The sovereignty transfer of the Chagos Islands from the UK to Mauritius has strategic implications.
• Under the agreement, Mauritius would lease Diego Garcia back to the UK for 99 years; ratification by the UK Parliament is pending.
• Strategic concerns have been raised regarding continued access to Diego Garcia in the event of conflict.
• The Maldives has formally objected to the Chagos transfer, claiming historical sovereignty and seeking recovery of maritime areas.
• This development risks tensions between Maldives and Mauritius.
• Simultaneously, tensions have escalated between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with airstrikes reported.
• Indian Ocean powers, including India and Indonesia, must assess the evolving security environment.
• India supported the UK–Mauritius agreement and maintains traditional ties with Iran and Afghanistan.
• The situation raises questions regarding India’s prospective role in fostering trans-Indian Ocean cooperation.

Artificial Intelligence As A Strategic And Defence Imperative

Core Points

AI As A Geopolitical Asset

• AI is now integral to national power and strategic balance.
• US undersea cables linking the United States and India consolidate critical data corridors.
• Indian telecom firms have signed MoUs to expand domestic AI capacity.
• Control over data flows, computing infrastructure and advanced algorithms will shape 21st-century power dynamics.

AI And Modern Warfare

• AI applications include autonomous systems, cyber defence and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
• Warfare now spans land, sea, air, space and the electromagnetic spectrum, with AI embedded across domains.
• AI-enabled micro-drones and sensor-fusion platforms enhance detection and targeting accuracy.
• Decision-support systems compress operational cycles; faster information processing yields advantage.
• AI augments soldiers; operational gains depend on low-latency data processing.

India’s Current Initiatives

• DRDO has established AI-focused centres.
• The iDEX framework supports defence start-ups.
• Pilot projects are underway in surveillance, predictive maintenance and unmanned systems.
• Overall R&D expenditure remains below 1% of GDP.
• Defence AI research is fragmented and constrained by funding and procedural delays.

Strategic Infrastructure And Sovereignty

• Undersea cables carry most global data traffic and are vital for AI systems.
• AI sovereignty requires secure cloud infrastructure, indigenous semiconductor capability and resilient data governance.
• Indigenous computing capacity and secure defence cloud infrastructure are critical.

Quantum And Emerging Technologies

• Quantum computing may disrupt encryption and enhance optimisation tasks.
• Defence applications include secure communications, logistics and war-gaming.
• Translating quantum research into deployable capability requires sustained investment and military alignment.

Ecosystem And Institutional Gaps

• Private sector strengths include telecom expansion and dual-use technologies such as 5G, edge computing and IoT.
• Integration between armed forces and private AI firms remains limited.
• Procurement timelines are long; start-ups face uncertainty beyond prototype stage.
• Defence innovation requires faster trials, sandbox experimentation and assured induction pathways.

Governance, Doctrine And Way Forward

• Clear doctrinal and ethical frameworks are required for autonomous systems.
• AI must support, not replace, human judgment.
• AI systems are vulnerable to adversarial attacks and data manipulation; cybersecurity and robustness must evolve together.
• A mission-mode National Defence AI programme with defined priorities and multi-year funding is necessary.
• Focus areas include ISR, autonomous systems, cyber defence and predictive logistics.
• Civil-military talent mobility and alignment of quantum research with defence needs are essential.

16th Finance Commission And Enhanced Grants To Urban Local Bodies

Core Points

Constitutional Role Of The Finance Commission

• The Finance Commission is a Constitutional body recommending the division of tax revenues between the Centre and States.
• It is reconstituted every five years with fresh recommendations.
• Since the 10th FC, grants have been provided to urban local bodies and rural panchayats following the adoption of a third tier of government.

Increased Allocation To Urban Local Bodies

• The 16th FC has raised the share of grants to urban local governments to 45%.
• This is higher than the 15th FC’s 36% and the 13th FC’s 26%.
• The 16th FC recommends ₹3.56 lakh crore for urban local bodies.
• This amount is more than double the 15th FC’s ₹1.55 lakh crore allocation.
• It represents a 15-fold increase compared to the 13th FC’s grant.
• The 13th FC is significant as it followed the 2011 Census.
• These shares determine financial capacity at the grassroots level.

Urbanisation As The Underlying Rationale

• The higher allocation reflects projected urbanisation of 41% by 2031.
• As per the 2011 Census, 31% of India’s population lived in urban areas.
• This level was lower than China (45%), Indonesia (54%) and Brazil (87%).
• A 2015 World Bank report estimated 54% urban population and 24% in urban clusters (total 78%).
• Rapid migration trends are not fully captured in available data.
• Inadequate and inconsistent urban data constrain policy planning.
• Enhanced grants aim to reduce financial gaps in urban governance.

Implications Of The Revised Share

• The increased share may cushion urban local bodies against future Census revisions.
• If Census 2027 reflects higher urbanisation (e.g., 48%), the 45% allocation ensures preparedness.
• The shift marks a departure from earlier allocations of 36% (15th FC) and 26% (13th FC).

State-Level Variations

• Grants are distributed using the 16th FC’s population-based formula.
• Allocation increases vary significantly across states.
• Kerala’s grants have increased by over 400%.
• Maharashtra’s grants have increased by over 300%.
• Odisha’s grants have grown by 13%.
• Bihar’s allocation has been reduced by 8%.

India–Israel Innovation Centre For Advanced Agricultural Cooperation

Core Points

Institutional Framework

• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Israel’s agency for international development cooperation (MASHAV).
• The agreement was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel (February 25–26).
• The centre will be established at ICAR as a joint innovation platform.

Scope Of The Innovation Centre

• Development of advanced agricultural technologies such as precision farming and satellite-based irrigation.
• Promotion of advanced machinery and integrated pest management.
• Focus on civilian drones and satellite-based forecast data for irrigation and fertigation management.
• Support for farm mechanisation, pest and disease control, nematode management and beekeeping.
• Facilitation of germplasm exchange and management in horticultural crops.
• Implementation of post-harvest solutions and crop-specific demonstrations.
• Capacity-building initiatives for faculty, students and institutions including Krishi Vigyan Kendras in both countries.

Expansion Of Agricultural Collaboration

• India and Israel have an existing ‘Centres of Excellence’ programme in fruits and vegetables.
• 35 Centres of Excellence are operational; target expansion to 100.
• Proposal to establish ‘Villages of Excellence’ to extend Israeli technology to Indian villages.
• Objective: enhance farmer productivity and income.

Research And Academic Cooperation

• Launch of 20 joint fellowships in agricultural research.
• Indian researchers to work at the Volcani Agriculture Research Organization in Israel.

Fisheries And Aquaculture Cooperation

• Separate agreement signed on fisheries and aquaculture cooperation.
• Focus on sustainable and technology-driven systems.
• Areas include advanced production systems, disease management, mariculture and seaweed cultivation.
• Cooperation to cover research and development, trade, training, innovation and establishment of Centres of Excellence.

Resilience Of International Law Amid Contemporary Geopolitical Crises

Core Points

Debate On The Decline Of International Law

• Escalating geopolitical conflicts have led some scholars to argue that the world is entering a norm-free order.
• This debate intensified after the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022), Israel’s military actions in Gaza and West Asia, and actions by the United States in Venezuela.
• Withdrawals from international organisations and references to a “rupture” in the global order have reinforced this perception.
• Despite current challenges, declaring the end of international law is misleading.

Prohibition On Use Of Force Under The UN Charter

• Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations.
• Though repeatedly breached, similar claims about its demise were made during the Cold War.
• Past conflicts — including Afghanistan (1979–89), Falklands (1982), Gulf War (1990–91), Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria and Libya — strained but did not eliminate the norm.
• The prohibition on force remains the primary normative framework for accountability.

Legal Justifications And Normative Framework

• Historically, powerful states justified military actions within international legal frameworks, preserving scope for dialogue.
• The interpretation of self-defence was expanded in the 1990s and 2000s to justify certain interventions.
• In the current populist-authoritarian climate, fewer attempts are made to legally justify actions.
• Rising populist-authoritarianism poses a deeper threat to international law than isolated military actions.
• International law compels states to explain conduct within legal parameters and offers weaker actors a framework to question power.

Beyond The UN Charter

• International law extends beyond the UN Charter and governs trade, investment, aviation, maritime resources, outer space, human rights, climate change, and arms control.
• The legalisation of international relations over eight decades has produced a diverse and expansive framework.

Continuing Evolution Of International Law

• International law-making continues, including free trade agreement negotiations between India and the European Union.
• Recent treaties include the High Seas Treaty (marine biodiversity sustainability) and a Pandemic Agreement (pandemic prevention).
• Judicialisation of international relations is evident through global and regional courts, including the International Criminal Court and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
• These courts continue to resolve disputes peacefully.

Silent Functioning Of International Law

• Much of international law operates routinely beyond media attention.
• It facilitates cross-border trade, mobility and communication networks.
• Abandoning the international legal order due to violations would strengthen destabilising forces rather than address them.