Episode 72: President Biden and South Asia

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46^th president of the United States of America, bringing to an end one of the most dramatic political transitions in the country’s history. In another historic moment, Kamala Harris became the first female, black, Indian-American vice-president. Since the Presidential election in November 2020, there is much interest in the future of Washington’s engagement with the subcontinent, which faces several opportunities and challenges. Amongst them, are China’s growing engagement with many South Asian countries, geopolitical contestation in the Himalayan belt and the peace process in Afghanistan, to name a few.

In this episode, our guest Ambassador Shivshankar Menon is in-conversation with Professor C Raja Mohan, Director of ISAS to discuss some of the key issues before the new Biden administration in relation to the subcontinent, including security and trade. Ambassador  Menon is a Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow at ISAS, former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India and a career diplomat.