Ilmaz Syed

Founder and Editor

Founder and editor of Raisina Wire and founder of Calibrex. An OSINT expert, defence investigative journalist and geopolitical analyst with more than fifteen years in Indian news.

Stories

• US midterms on 3 November: how they work, and why India is watching United States · Midterm elections · Ilmaz Syed · 2 November 2026

  All 435 House seats and a third of the Senate are on the ballot. The result will decide how far Trump can push tariffs, H-1B curbs and his foreign policy.

• Gaza's children went back to school. Now they are being killed on the way there Gaza · Children under fire · Ilmaz Syed · 1 November 2026

  Classes resumed on 19 September. Since then, Israeli strikes and sniper fire have killed pupils on the road home, at assembly and near the shifting Yellow Line.

• Israel's hung Knesset: what a weakened Netanyahu means for India, Iran and Gaza Israel · Elections · Ilmaz Syed · 1 November 2026

  Netanyahu's bloc fell to 53 seats, eight short of a majority. India's defence ties will hold, but an Iran flare-up would hit it fast.

• ₹17 lakh crore at risk? NPS employees' union asks PM for CAG audit over ₹17,000 crore startup bet India · Pensions · Ilmaz Syed · 26 October 2026

  The All India NPS Employees Federation wants the NPS Trust dissolved and threatens to blockade PFRDA on 20 December. Its claims are yet to be verified.

• China's spending problem: why its people won't buy, and why the world, India included, is paying for it China · Economy · Ilmaz Syed · 26 October 2026

  Consumption is about 56% of China's GDP against 70% in most economies. The unsold goods flood abroad, and India's $112 billion deficit shows where they land.

• The Iran war explained: eight months that killed a supreme leader, choked Hormuz and remade West Asia Iran · War explained · Ilmaz Syed · 26 October 2026

  From the 28 February strikes to the fight for the Strait of Hormuz: how the war unfolded, what it has cost, and why India is watching every tanker.

• India's ₹3,030-crore chemical parks bet: infrastructure is the easy part India · Industrial policy · Ilmaz Syed · 25 October 2026

  BHAVYA Rasayan will build three parks to cut chemical imports. Experts say anchor investors and lab-to-plant support will decide if it works.

• Russian diesel reprieve helps India, but Washington's volatility will not always favour New Delhi India–US · Energy diplomacy · Ilmaz Syed · 25 October 2026

  Trump's U-turn on Russian oil eases pressure on India-US ties and the trade deal. The next swing may not be so kind.

• US State Secretary visits Jamnagar Refinery: Energy in Focus India US Strategic Ties · Ilmaz Syed · 25 October 2026

  Rubio’s Unusual India Visit Signals a Changing India–US Equation: Strategy Gives Way to Transactions?

• Shadow War: Is the CIA Using Mercenaries to Destabilize India’s Northeast? Northeast · Security · Ilmaz Syed · 18 March 2026

  An operation at Kolkata and Delhi airports, and what it signals about foreign actors on India’s soil.

• The “Iron Dome” of the East: Why Kolkata is Becoming India’s Strategic Nerve Center for 2026 Eastern India · Strategy · Ilmaz Syed · 15 February 2026

  Kolkata is no longer in the rear. It is the command, intelligence and logistical anchor that ensures the frontlines move forward.

• The Dhaka Reset: Tarique Rahman’s Landslide, the Jamaat Shadow, and India’s High-Stakes Border Security Bangladesh · Border security · Ilmaz Syed · 14 February 2026

  Bangladesh has spoken. What the shift in Dhaka means for radicalisation networks and infiltration along India’s border.

• Delhi’s Red Line: Inside the ‘Jamaat-MIM’ Pincer and R&AW’s Explosive Message to Tarique Rahman Bangladesh · Intelligence · Ilmaz Syed · 14 February 2026

  While the world watches the return of Tarique Rahman, New Delhi is looking at a much more dangerous map.

• How India is Redefining Geopolitical Deterrence Without Firing a Single Bullet South Asia · Deterrence · Ilmaz Syed · 8 February 2026

  Economic leverage, technology and “invisible” weaponry: India is no longer merely reacting to provocations.

• The 135-Minute Midnight Call: Why Gen. Naravane’s Stalled Memoir is Shaking the Indian Establishment Defence · Civil–military · Ilmaz Syed · 5 February 2026

  Why an unpublished memoir by a former Army chief brought proceedings in Parliament to a halt.

• The CIA’s Invisible Front: Decoding the Narrative Warfare Targeting India’s Global Rise Information environment · Ilmaz Syed · 4 February 2026

  Warfare is no longer only tanks, missiles and boots on the ground. Reading the narratives aimed at India.

• Is Pakistan Facing Its 1971 Moment? The Unraveling of Balochistan and the End of the CPEC Dream Pakistan · Balochistan · Ilmaz Syed · 1 February 2026

  A seismic shift on South Asia’s map, and what it means for the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.

• From Begging Bowls to Terror Hubs: Is Pakistan Speed-running Its Own Collapse? Pakistan · Economy · Ilmaz Syed · 31 January 2026

  While the world races toward a digital future, a neighbour trapped in a cycle of its own making.

• Bangladesh at a Breaking Point: Economic Collapse, Industry Shutdowns, and a Humanitarian Crisis Bangladesh · Economy · Ilmaz Syed · 26 January 2026

  The story of Bangladesh as South Asia’s “economic tiger” is rapidly unravelling.

• The Silent Superpower: Why the World is Moving its Arms Factories to India Defence industry · Ilmaz Syed · 26 January 2026

  From electromagnetic railguns to ₹100-per-shot lasers, India is becoming a defence manufacturing hub.

• Is India’s $500M Masterstroke in Iran Under Threat? West Asia · Connectivity · Ilmaz Syed · 23 January 2026

  Behind the protests in Tehran lies a high-stakes game for India’s trade, energy security and Chabahar Port.

• India’s Secret Himalayan Tunnel: The Underground Strategy to Dismantle Pakistan’s Water Lifeline Water security · Infrastructure · Ilmaz Syed · 19 January 2026

  The Himalayan rivers as strategy, and what it means for Pakistan’s most vital lifeline.