Pravin Sawhney’s 'The Last War: How AI Will Shape India’s Final Showdown With China' doubles up as an encyclopedia of South Asia’s contemporary military, strategic and technical dynamics.

With Afghanistan much less reliant on the INSTC for access to the Indian Ocean due to its decision to participate in PAKAFUZ, India won't be able to robustly engage with the region.

This is especially so when one takes into consideration the fast-moving regional developments, specifically India's failure to isolate Pakistan, the Chinese-Iranian Strategic Partnership deal, and the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Despite passions running high, it is notable that both countries have made demonstrable progress in the direction of normalising ties over the past weeks, suggesting something major is in works behind the scenes.