Hari Seshasayee

Co-founder, Consilium Group - Fellow @ORFonline
India, Latin America, foreign policy, energy
[email protected]

[Hindustan Times @htTweets]

#Opinion | It is rare to see new academic theories permeate into the vocabulary of world leaders. That is precisely what has happened with “active non-alignment” (ANA), an idea propagated by Chilean practitioners Jorge Heine, Carlos Fortin, and Carlos Ominami. Heads of government and foreign ministers from Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, and South Africa have used this term recently to describe their country’s foreign policy positions.

In response to the war in Iran, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took a position “consistent with the principle of active non-alignment to continue to push for a peaceful resolution and prevent the spread of conflict.”

Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim adopted a “posture of active non-alignment, to preserve our ability to act on our own terms.” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly reaffirmed his “commitment to the policy of active non-alignment.” Brazil’s chief foreign policy advisor notes that “on some issues, we will vote alongside the US; on others, we may converge with China. This is the logic of active non-alignment.”

The Chilean scholars coined ANA in 2019 as a doctrine with a “pragmatic, non-ideological, almost transactional character.” In their recent book, The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition, they describe the effectiveness of ANA in a world where geopolitical uncertainty reigns supreme.

@hariseshasayee ✍

Know more 🔗 https://t.co/SdeFkuwiWX

[Hari Seshasayee @haricito]

My op-ed in the Hindustan Times @htTweets on the recent book, The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition, where @jorgeheinel describes the effectiveness of ANA in a world where geopolitical uncertainty reigns supreme https://t.co/ibAyADz2U3

[Hindustan Times @htTweets]

#Opinion | It is rare to see new academic theories permeate into the vocabulary of world leaders. That is precisely what has happened with “active non-alignment” (ANA), an idea propagated by Chilean practitioners Jorge Heine, Carlos Fortin, and Carlos Ominami. Heads of government and foreign ministers from Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, and South Africa have used this term recently to describe their country’s foreign policy positions.

In response to the war in Iran, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took a position “consistent with the principle of active non-alignment to continue to push for a peaceful resolution and prevent the spread of conflict.”

Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim adopted a “posture of active non-alignment, to preserve our ability to act on our own terms.” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly reaffirmed his “commitment to the policy of active non-alignment.” Brazil’s chief foreign policy advisor notes that “on some issues, we will vote alongside the US; on others, we may converge with China. This is the logic of active non-alignment.”

The Chilean scholars coined ANA in 2019 as a doctrine with a “pragmatic, non-ideological, almost transactional character.” In their recent book, The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition, they describe the effectiveness of ANA in a world where geopolitical uncertainty reigns supreme.

@hariseshasayee ✍

Know more 🔗 https://t.co/SdeFkuwiWX

[Jorge Heine @jorgeheinel]

Un privilegio ser nombrado profesor honorario en el Instituto de Estudios Internacionales de la Universidad de Chile.Mis agradecimientos a la Directora,Dorotea Lopez, al Consejo de Facultad, y a la Rectora Rosa Deves.Desde 1967,el @ieiuchile me ha marcado y me siento muy honrado!

[Hari Seshasayee @haricito]

@benjamingedan Glad you said it, Benjamin. And it's the same with the pink tide. Looking at right or left is missing the point. Anti-incumbency is closer, but at the center this is just about having and exercising democratic choices

[Benjamin Gedan @benjamingedan]

The rightward turn in Latin America is an illusion, an artifact of anti-incumbent sentiment. Milei’s approval rating is at its lowest level, support for Kast dropped *16 points* in his first three months in office, and protesters in Bolivia are demanding Paz’s resignation.

[Hari Seshasayee @haricito]

@jorgeheinel: A U.S.-China détente of sorts, if it comes to pass, should be welcomed by all. What should not be in the cards, though, is for the US to play footsie with China while attempting to block Latin America from doing business with the Asian giant.
https://t.co/HrvKJBJlhu

[Abhay K. @theabhayk]

“In 1968 Octavio Paz resigned his post as the Mexican ambassador to India…”
My conversation with @RobertFay1 https://t.co/Xo5e2K7QLn

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

A woman from New Zealand was briefly detained in Kazakhstan after officials questioned whether her country actually existed. They then asked her to point it out on a map that, ironically, didn’t even include New Zealand.

Chloe Phillips-Harris, a 28 year old from New Zealand, arrived at an airport in Kazakhstan after being told by the Kazakh embassy that she could receive a visa on arrival using her New Zealand passport. Instead, officials refused her entry, claimed New Zealand was simply a state of Australia, and demanded that she provide an Australian passport.

When she argued that New Zealand was an independent country, officials reportedly escorted her to an interrogation room and asked her to identify it on a world map. Ironically, the map did not include New Zealand at all.

She was then held in a guard room for roughly a day and a half without food or water, although some guards quietly brought her drinks during the night. Eventually, contacts within Kazakhstan helped her secure the proper documents and gain release.

After the ordeal, she later said: “It is corrupt and there are problems, but there are a lot of good people there. It’s just really unfortunate there was a world map that didn’t have New Zealand on it.”

[Oliver Stuenkel 🇧🇷 @OliverStuenkel]

via @LatamData

[Brian Winter @BrazilBrian]

On Cuba, a reminder: The number of people who correctly guessed that…

1) U.S. would invade Caracas under cover of darkness & capture Maduro

2) U.S. would leave Delcy & entire remainder of chavista regime in place to do their bidding

… was exactly ZERO
(to my knowledge)

[Hari Seshasayee @haricito]

@ChrisSabatini Who's to tell what he will do @ChrisSabatini I doubt even Trump himself knows which of his pronouncements he will follow through on. The MAGA crowd isn't exactly happy about Iran, but he did it anyways

[Lula @LulaOficial]

Recebi, nesta segunda (11), a ex-presidenta do Chile Michelle Bachelet para tratar de sua candidatura ao cargo de Secretária-Geral da ONU. Discutimos vários temas da agenda internacional e o papel que uma ONU reformada precisa ter para a promoção da paz e do desenvolvimento sustentável, bem como para o fortalecimento do multilateralismo

Sua experiência como chefe de Estado e profunda conhecedora da ONU a credencia a ser a primeira mulher latino-americana a liderar a organização.

📸 Breno Araújo

[NWS Fairbanks @NWSFairbanks]

☀️ Today in Utqiagvik (the northernmost city in the United States), the sun rose above the horizon at 2:57 AM and won’t set again for 84 straight days or until August 2nd! Here's a look at a timelapse showing the sunset and sunrise this morning. #akwx

[Jorge Heine @jorgeheinel]

1.En unos dias, el CANCILLER PEREZ MACKENNA VISITARA INDIA. Ello refleja prioridad que gobierno da al gigante asiatico, pais mas poblado del planeta, quinta mayor economia, y con gran potencial para Chile. Que hacer para aprovechar ese potencial ? Abro hilo. @sebastian_gray

[Brian Winter @BrazilBrian]

More on Lula's White House visit tomorrow:

* I suspect Brazil's goals are primarily DEFENSIVE. Prevent Trump from being a factor in October's election, from interfering on the Bolsonaros' behalf. Keep US-Brazil relationship positive, as it has been since September, despite voices inside Trump admin pushing for return to a bellicose approach.

* White House's main goal is rare earths -- Brazil has world's #2 reserves behind China -- but lacks capital and know-how to exploit. Lula govt seems amenable to US investment -- BUT doesn't want any country to have monopoly -- and also wants to add value in supply chain, not just be an extractive colony

* Tariffs and organized crime also on the agenda. Brazil has a plan to combat PCC & other mafias but will it be enough to avoid a terrorist designation as Trump has applied to other cartels? I don't know. Vulnerable area for Brazil.

* This is, as always with Trump, an UNPREDICTABLE meeting. Arranged quickly and odd timing. It probably goes fine but there's a ~10% chance it devolves into a Zelensky 2, especially if Lula insists on Brazil's position on Iran or Venezuela

Will be interesting to watch

[Brian Winter @BrazilBrian]

Lula reportedly will visit Trump in Washington this week.

The two leaders’ interests converge on critical minerals (Brazil is #2 reserves, but lacks capital & expertise to exploit; US urgently needs to diversify supply ex-China) and organized crime (Lula looking to show tougher stance pre-election and also avoid FTO designation for Brazilian PCC gang)

— but —

no one I know understands the timing of this visit! Sudden and comes at odd moment in political cycle for both

[Hari Seshasayee @haricito]

@BrazilBrian Productivity ≠ GDP growth, its not so simple. India's productivity is $10.8, half of Latin America, but India's GDP growth is 3x Latin America's.

What's more relevant is why is this productivity so low. I think too much dependency on commodities is one reason

[sukumar ranganathan @HT_Ed]

With over 20% of votes counted, safe to call Tamil Nadu now. TVK leads in 107 with a vote share of 34.1%. DMK+ is third with 52 leads and a vote share of 31.1%. AIADMK has held its own with 74 leads and a share of 31.1%. Clear anti- establishment vote

[Javier Blas @JavierBlas]

Exxon CEO Darren Woods on Venezuela.

From (Jan 9, 2026) "univestable"

to (May 1, 2026) "... Venezuela is a huge resource that's now opened up more freely to the world [...] I think we'll be uniquely positioned and play an important role in bringing those barrels to market..."

[Jan Rosenow @janrosenow]

Denmark's coal-to-wind transition is one of the most dramatic energy transformations of the past three decades.

In 1990, coal provided 90% of Danish electricity. Today it is under 3%.

Wind now covers roughly 60% of electricity generation.