South Asia Chat

Episode 196: India-Nepal Bilateral Relationship

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India between 31 May and 3 June 2023 marked his first foreign visit since he took office in December last year. During the visit, India and Nepal announced several projects on trade and energy. The Prime Ministers expressed their desire to take the partnership between the two countries to “Himalayan heights”. The unique relationship shared by India and Nepal has seen its share of highs and lows and this visit is being hailed as a success for the bilateral relationship. In this episode, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Mr Amish Mulmi, Author, All Roads Lead North. They discuss the outcomes of the visit in the context of broader India-Nepal relations. 

Episode 195: ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise

The inaugural ASEAN-India maritime exercise (AIME) took place at Changi naval base in Singapore from 2 to 8 May 2023. This exercise holds immense importance for the region and signifies a turning point in the relationship between India and ASEAN. While India has previously engaged in bilateral exercises with individual ASEAN member states and even conducted a trilateral exercise with Singapore and Thailand, this is the first joint exercise between India and ASEAN as a collective entity. In this episode, Shavinyaa Vijaykumarr, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, ORF, to discuss the implications of the ASEAN-India maritime exercise and delve into the evolving landscape of this vital regional partnership.

Episode 194: India-EU FTA - Issues and Implications

The European Union (EU) and India are currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to strengthen their economic and strategic partnership. After the failure of talks in 2013, both sides resumed negotiations in 2022 for an agreement on trade, investment protection and Geographical Indication (GI). In the run-up to the fifth round of negotiations between the two sides, this episode looks at the background, issues and implications of the India-EU FTA. Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Ms Pallavi Bajaj, International Trade Policy Advisor and Partner at TCube Consulting, India.

Episode 193: Decoding the Karnataka Verdict

On 13 May 2023, the results of the Karnataka state elections were announced. The Congress party won a comfortable majority with 135 seats while the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won only 66 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) party was reduced to 19 seats. The Congress party not only won a clear mandate but also increased its vote share to 43 per cent. In this episode, Dr Ronojoy Sen, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Politics and Governance), ISAS discusses the election results and the implications with Dr Chandan Gowda, Ramakrishna Hegde Chair Professor of Decentralization and Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru.

Episode 192: India’s SCO Presidency

The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign minister’s meeting in May 2023 seems to have complicated the aims of the SCO and interests of the individual countries that are part of it. While it has shed light on new areas of cooperation among its members – ranging from defence cooperation to economic and cultural cooperation, it has also shown the deeply fragmented relations amongst its member countries. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Ambassador Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary of India, to discuss what the SCO’s presidency holds for India, its bilateral relations with the region and most importantly, the future of the intergovernmental forum itself.

Episode 191: Indian Foreign Policy amidst India’s G20 and SCO Presidency

2023 will go-down as one of the most action-packed years for India, as it assumes the presidency of not one but two inter-governmental forum, the G20 or group of 20 economies and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Both the presidencies would require India to do heavy-lifting on significant geo-political issues such as the Ukraine-Russia Conflict, US-China competition, post-conflict stabilisation in Afghanistan, and severe energy and food security crisis; however, the true challenge for India would be to bring all stakeholders on one table. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Happymon Jacob, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at ISAS to discuss what the Indian presidency means for the international order, the Global South and most importantly, India’s foreign policy.

Episode 190: South Asia Geoeconomics

The recent Indo-Japanese initiatives in South Asia, including the initiative to promote sub-regional connectivity with Bangladesh and the joint effort by Delhi and Tokyo to support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, marks a major structural change unfolding in the subcontinent. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS is in conversation with Professor C Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor, ISAS. They discuss India's recalibration in its regional policies, China's role in South Asia, the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war on the subcontinent, the increasing importance of the Indo-Pacific Region, and the benefits of rising regional competition for small countries.

Episode 189: Indian Foreign Trade Policy 2023

On 31 March 2023, Indian Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal announced the country’s latest Foreign Trade Policy (FTP 2023). This policy replaces the previous FTP (2015-2020), which was extended several times due to the pandemic and geopolitical developments. In the episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses the new policy and its implications with Ms R V Anuradha, Partner, Clarus Law Associates, New Delhi. They cover the key features of the FTP, its new aspects as well as the implications on India's overall economic outlook.

Episode 188: Examining a Decade of the BRI and CPEC

Since President Xi launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in September 2013, the global infrastructure development strategy has been a focus of many contemporary studies on China. Many academics and professionals have investigated several issues surrounding the sources of funding, project viability, accusations of tricking countries into ‘debt traps’ and implications of elite capture under the BRI. Despite the occasional criticisms, the BRI remains attractive to many countries in need of infrastructure development and investment. As of January 2023, 151 countries have signed up. In this podcast episode, Claudia Chia, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses with Ammar Malik, Senior Research Scientist, AidData, the evolution of BRI over the last 10 years and the challenges it faces in Pakistan.

Episode 187: Political and Economic Crisis in Pakistan

Pakistan is in the midst of major instability and polarisation in the political and economic spheres. Former Prime minister, Imran Khan, is leading a popular opposition movement across Pakistan. This contention and conflict continues in courts and on the streets. Simultaneously, the economic situation in the country has been on the brink of default. Foreign reserves dropped to dangerously low levels, an energy crisis ensued, and Pakistan was back in conversation with foreign lenders for bailouts. In this episode, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Imran Ahmed, Research Fellow, ISAS. They discuss the structural aspects of the Pakistan polity that have led to the emergence of today’s situation.