Dr. Sharinee Jagtiani

In 2026, trade negotiations with the US and EU will need to be balanced by India with the demands of its BRICS presidency amid a shifting global order. Complex ties with China and the US, state elections, and tensions with the South Asian country’s diverse neighbours will test the ruling government.

Serbia, a land-locked nation with a population of under seven million, has emerged as a key player in the PRC’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative within the Western Balkans. Its strategic location has positioned Serbia as a valuable springboard for the PRC to market its technologies to the EU.

In this article, we advocate for mainstream International Relations (IR) to acknowledge the agency of ‘global thinkers’ who have been overlooked or insufficiently engaged with in the discipline. This article serves as an introductory intervention, setting the stage for further exploration of global thinkers within IR’s disciplinary core.