Important editorials from The Assam Tribune explained in simple language, connected with wider concepts, and converted into useful arguments for APSC and UPSC Mains answers.
Understand the issues first
Escalating conflict
The editorial examines the worsening US-Iran conflict and its growing impact on global energy security. It focuses on attacks involving oil tankers, the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, rising crude-oil prices and the increasing political cost of the conflict for the United States.
Read the Analysis →A regional conflict can quickly become a global economic problem when it threatens a strategically important energy corridor.
Education on hold
The editorial highlights the continuing difficulties faced by government schools in Assam. Flood disruption, census duties, teacher shortages, extended academic schedules and the burden of non-teaching responsibilities have further weakened regular classroom education.
Read the Analysis →A public education system cannot improve when teachers are repeatedly pulled away from classrooms and schools operate with inadequate teaching staff.
BRICS: big talk, thin trade
Sanjid Dutta argues that BRICS has developed considerable institutional and economic weight, but its real test lies in whether cooperation can make trade, payments, finance, standards and market access easier for businesses. The editorial calls for practical interoperability rather than another round of broad declarations.
Read the Analysis →The success of BRICS should ultimately be measured by whether cooperation becomes useful for real businesses, exporters and cross-border transactions.
Balancing growth for a sustainable future
Dr Upendranath Bora examines the relationship between development, environmental degradation and sustainability. Using disasters, ecological pressure, carrying capacity and the Sustainable Development Goals, the editorial argues that development must remain within ecological limits while improving human welfare.
Read the Analysis →Development cannot be sustainable when economic expansion continuously weakens the ecological systems on which future generations depend.
Escalating conflict
The editorial examines the intensification of the US-Iran conflict and its widening consequences for energy security, international trade and geopolitics. The immediate concern is the increasing targeting of oil tankers and the resulting pressure on the global energy system.
A regional conflict is creating wider global economic risks
The conflict has moved beyond direct military confrontation towards disruption of commercially important shipping and energy flows.
The editorial notes that at least seven oil tankers had been struck since Tuesday evening, signalling an escalation in attacks on vessels carrying energy supplies.
This matters because energy markets are highly sensitive to disruptions in major maritime routes. A conflict affecting shipping can therefore create consequences far beyond the immediate battlefield.
The conflict has entered a more dangerous phase
According to the editorial, the US and Iran had earlier refrained from targeting crude-oil carrying vessels because of the wider energy crisis.
The latest attacks indicate that this restraint is weakening. As tanker attacks increase, the economic consequences of the conflict become more difficult to contain.
Iran is also presented as having become more hardened after prolonged sanctions and missile attacks, making the conflict harder to resolve through pressure alone.
Geography has become a strategic weapon
The editorial highlights Iran’s ability to use its position around the Strait of Hormuz as a source of strategic leverage.
The Strait is presented as a crucial maritime passage through which around one-fifth of international trade in fuel and fertilizers moves.
Control over or disruption of such a chokepoint demonstrates how geography can influence international security and global economic stability.
Strategic chokepoint → Shipping disruption → Energy uncertainty → Higher prices → Global economic pressure
Conflict is directly feeding into energy prices
The editorial notes that oil prices have moved above $100 a barrel as the conflict intensifies.
Higher crude prices can affect transport, production and the cost of goods. Energy-importing economies therefore face inflationary pressure when geopolitical instability disrupts supply expectations.
The editorial connects this external economic pressure with domestic political consequences in the United States, where gasoline prices have risen above $4.15 per gallon.
Foreign policy can create domestic political costs
The editorial argues that the US President is struggling to match actions with words as the conflict continues.
The approaching midterm elections add another layer of political pressure. Polling concerns, Republican losses and declining approval ratings increase the domestic cost of a prolonged conflict.
This illustrates an important international-relations lesson: foreign policy decisions are often shaped not only by external strategic objectives but also by domestic political pressures.
Military pressure cannot be separated from economic and political consequences
The conflict demonstrates the interconnected nature of contemporary geopolitics. Military actions can affect shipping, energy prices, domestic inflation and electoral politics at the same time.
The deeper challenge is preventing escalation from turning a regional conflict into a wider disruption of global economic stability.
Reducing escalation and protecting global economic stability
- Prioritise diplomatic channels alongside military measures.
- Protect commercial shipping and civilian economic activity.
- Prevent strategic maritime chokepoints from becoming permanent theatres of confrontation.
- Reduce the vulnerability of energy-importing economies to sudden geopolitical disruptions.
- Keep domestic political calculations from further escalating an already unstable conflict.
Remember the wider chain
Education on hold
The editorial focuses on the weakening functioning of government schools in Assam. Floods, census duties, teacher shortages and non-teaching responsibilities are reducing the time and attention available for regular classroom education.
Education is the foundation of long-term human development
Government schools remain particularly important for children who depend on public education. Weak classroom functioning can therefore have consequences extending beyond examination performance.
The editorial points to the growing preference among parents for private schools, reflecting concerns about the quality and continuity of government schooling.
Floods and administrative duties have disrupted regular teaching
ASSEB has extended regular classes for Classes X and XII because of the recent devastating floods and the ongoing census exercise.
The Class X academic schedule may continue until February 22, 2027, while Class XII classes may continue until March 8, 2027. This is likely to affect the timing of the HSLC and HS examinations.
The editorial also points out that many teachers have been engaged in census-related duties, keeping them away from classrooms for an extended period.
The problem is not merely absence but inadequate staffing
Many government schools are functioning with only one or two teachers.
At the primary level, government schools in Assam have an average of only two teachers, according to the editorial.
When a teacher is required to perform administrative duties, the effect on a small school can be particularly severe because there may be no replacement available.
Teachers are increasingly carrying responsibilities beyond teaching
Teachers are being used for various administrative and government functions, including census-related work.
While teachers may legitimately be required to support public administration during exceptional circumstances, repeated or prolonged deployment can weaken the primary purpose of the school system.
Teacher → Classroom → Learning Outcomeshould not repeatedly becomeTeacher → Administrative Duty → Lost Classroom Time
Disaster vulnerability can deepen existing education inequalities
Assam’s recurring flood vulnerability creates an additional challenge for the education system.
When floods disrupt schools and teachers are simultaneously diverted towards administrative responsibilities, students can lose substantial instructional time.
The most vulnerable students are likely to be affected most severely when the public education system is unable to provide continuity.
Exceptional administrative needs should not become a permanent burden on schools
The census and disaster response are important public responsibilities, particularly during extraordinary circumstances.
However, the editorial raises an important governance question: how can the state meet emergency administrative requirements without weakening essential public services such as education?
The answer requires institutional capacity rather than simply transferring additional responsibilities to teachers.
Protect classroom time and strengthen government schools
- Reduce prolonged deployment of teachers for non-teaching administrative duties.
- Strengthen teacher availability, particularly in schools functioning with very small teaching staffs.
- Develop disaster-resilient mechanisms for continuity of education during floods.
- Protect adequate instructional time for students.
- Strengthen monitoring of attendance, learning outcomes and school functioning.
- Treat government school quality as a core human-development priority.
Education quality depends on institutional capacity
BRICS: big talk, thin trade
Sanjid Dutta’s editorial questions whether BRICS can convert its considerable demographic and economic weight into practical economic cooperation. The central argument is that the next phase should focus less on declarations and more on making trade, payments, standards and finance easier to use.
BRICS has scale, but scale alone does not create integration
BRICS now consists of 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, giving the grouping substantial demographic, economic and resource weight.
The editorial notes that the grouping accounts for around 49.5% of the world’s population, around 40% of global GDP and around 26% of global trade.
The key question is therefore not whether BRICS is large, but whether its institutional arrangements can make economic cooperation more useful.
India has an opportunity to shift the focus from symbolism to utility
India is chairing BRICS for the fourth time, after chairing the grouping in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
More than 350 meetings have been planned across 25 cities, with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.
The editorial argues that the practical value of these meetings should ultimately be judged by whether they improve economic interaction between member countries.
BRICS already possesses important economic instruments
The New Development Bank has approved more than $40 billion across more than 120 projects.
The Contingent Reserve Arrangement provides a $100 billion liquidity backstop.
These institutions demonstrate that BRICS cooperation is not limited to political declarations. The challenge is to extend this institutional capacity into practical trade facilitation.
Large trade volumes coexist with a large trade deficit
India’s bilateral trade with the other ten BRICS members was around $416 billion in 2025.
Imports stood at around $320 billion while exports were around $96 billion.
The editorial notes that this produced a goods trade deficit of around $224 billion.
This illustrates the difference between having large trade relationships and having balanced or mutually beneficial trade structures.
Tariffs and non-tariff barriers limit deeper integration
The editorial points out that BRICS members do not have a bloc-wide free trade agreement or comprehensive tariff preference system.
Average tariffs are considerably higher than in OECD economies, while anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures also remain significant among members.
This creates a structural contradiction: countries may advocate stronger cooperation politically while maintaining barriers that make actual trade more difficult.
Declarations about de-dollarisation need usable payment mechanisms
The editorial highlights the difficulty of creating practical alternative payment arrangements when banks remain cautious about transactions involving sanctioned countries.
The Special Rupee Vostro mechanism is presented as an example of how payment arrangements can face practical difficulties.
The lesson is that alternative payment systems require actual banking usability, settlement mechanisms and willing counterparties rather than simply political agreement.
Smaller bilateral arrangements may offer a more realistic path
The editorial points to India-UAE cooperation involving rupee-dirham settlement, payment connectivity through UPI-Aani and RuPay links, and a trade target of $100 billion.
Such working arrangements show that interoperability may emerge first through smaller practical corridors rather than through one universal BRICS-wide system.
Regional exporters need operational systems, not only grand frameworks
The editorial’s Northeast perspective is particularly important for APSC preparation.
An exporter from Dibrugarh or another part of Assam’s agri-processing economy does not benefit simply because a multilateral declaration promises greater trade cooperation.
What matters at the ground level is whether the exporter can identify a buyer, verify that buyer, obtain trade finance, complete certification requirements and receive payment smoothly.
Buyer Verification → Invoice Financing → Certification → Cross-border Payment → Market Access
BRICS should pursue interoperability before attempting complete economic integration
A single bloc-wide economic system may be difficult because member economies, political interests, financial systems and trade structures differ significantly.
A more realistic approach would be to connect working systems through common standards, payment corridors, trade finance and mutual recognition.
The strength of BRICS could therefore emerge through interoperability rather than uniformity.
Make BRICS easier to use for real economic actors
- Develop common technical standards for cross-border trade.
- Expand fast and reliable payment corridors.
- Create stronger trade-finance windows through the New Development Bank.
- Promote mutual recognition of testing and certification, beginning with sectors such as pharmaceuticals and processed food.
- Develop verified supplier and buyer registries.
- Focus on practical market access rather than only summit declarations.
Measure BRICS through utility
Balancing growth for a sustainable future
Dr Upendranath Bora’s editorial examines the relationship between population pressure, environmental degradation, disasters and sustainable development. It uses the Sustainable Development Goals and India’s progress to argue that development must balance economic growth with ecological limits and the needs of future generations.
Development without ecological balance creates long-term vulnerability
The editorial begins from the experience of disasters and environmental degradation to highlight the costs of ignoring ecological balance.
It refers to disasters including the Bhopal gas tragedy, Indian Ocean tsunami, Gujarat earthquake, Odisha super cyclone, Uttarakhand floods and Assam floods.
The underlying argument is that development decisions cannot be separated from environmental risk.
Human demand can exceed the capacity of natural systems
The editorial uses the distinction between geometric population growth and arithmetic growth in food production to highlight the pressure created by rising human needs.
Encroachment, human-animal conflict and artificial flooding are presented as examples of how human activity can disturb natural systems.
The broader lesson is that natural resources cannot be treated as unlimited.
Carrying capacity provides a framework for understanding sustainability
The editorial introduces the concepts of Biotic Potential and Environmental Resistance.
Biotic Potential refers to the capacity of organisms to increase their population under favourable conditions, while Environmental Resistance represents factors that limit such growth.
The concept helps explain why development must remain within the limits imposed by ecological systems.
Sustainable development emerged from the need to reconcile development and environmental protection
The editorial traces the evolution of sustainable development through major global development initiatives.
The Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2000 with eight goals and 18 targets.
The post-2015 development process eventually led to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
The 2030 Agenda contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets and became effective from January 1, 2016.
The SDGs provide an integrated framework for development
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good Health and Well-being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
- Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals
India has made measurable progress, but the gains remain uneven
The editorial notes that NITI Aayog oversees SDG implementation in India.
India’s SDG score is presented as 68.3 in the 2026 report, compared with 59 in 2015. India’s global rank is given as 94th, compared with 112th in 2015.
The improvement indicates progress, but the state-level differences highlighted in the editorial show that development remains uneven across different goals and regions.
Assam’s SDG performance shows both progress and persistent gaps
The editorial provides goal-wise state-level comparisons that reveal considerable variation in Assam’s performance.
Assam scores 75 under SDG 1, while its scores are lower under several other goals, including SDG 2, SDG 4 and SDG 5.
Assam records 85 under SDG 6 and 100 under SDG 7, while scores under SDG 9 and other development-related indicators remain comparatively weaker.
This demonstrates why overall development should not be assessed through a single indicator. Sustainable development requires simultaneous progress across poverty, nutrition, health, education, gender, water, energy, employment, infrastructure and institutions.
Social and economic indicators show important improvements
Social protection coverage increased from 22% in 2016 to 65.3%.
The maternal mortality ratio declined to 87 in 2022–24 from 122 in 2015–17.
The unemployment rate declined to 3.1% in 2025 from 6.1% in 2017–18.
Electricity access reached around 92% of the population, while internet access reached 74% in 2025 compared with 40% in 2015.
These improvements indicate that development outcomes can improve significantly when social protection, health, employment and infrastructure policies work together.
Economic growth must be evaluated alongside ecological and social outcomes
Development is necessary to reduce poverty, expand employment, improve infrastructure and raise living standards.
However, development that creates ecological degradation, disaster vulnerability or resource depletion can impose costs on future generations.
Sustainable development therefore requires an integrated approach in which economic, social and environmental objectives reinforce one another.
Build development within ecological limits
- Strengthen implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Improve Assam’s performance in weaker SDG areas, particularly education, nutrition and gender-related outcomes.
- Integrate disaster risk reduction into development planning.
- Protect forests, wetlands, rivers and other ecological systems.
- Reduce human-wildlife conflict through better land-use planning and conservation.
- Strengthen social protection and basic public services.
- Evaluate development projects through long-term environmental and social costs rather than short-term economic returns alone.
The central principle of sustainable development
Now use the ideas
Based on today’s editorials