South Asia Chat

Episode 156: Indian Presidential Elections

On 25 July 2022, Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance candidate, President Murmu is a former governor of Jharkhand and a two-time legislator from Odisha. She is also the first person from a tribal background and the second woman to occupy the office. In this episode, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, spoke to Dr Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor, The Hindu, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, ISAS. They discussed the role and powers of the president, the BJP's potential political gains, the state of opposition unity, and what we can expect over the next five years.

Episode 155: The Rise of Chinese Private Security Companies

With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese private security companies (PSCs) have expanded their footprint worldwide to protect Chinese nationals and projects, making private security a lucrative emerging industry. Many observers and analysts have attempted to examine the emergence of such private security companies with Chinese characteristics. In this episode, Ms Claudia Chia, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses the presence of Chinese PSCs in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as related issues surrounding the global expansion of Chinese PSCs, with Dr Alessandro Arduino, Principal Research Fellow, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

Episode 154: ‘The New BJP’ - A Book Discussion

In this episode of South Asia Chat, we look at the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through the prism of Hindu Nationalism, or Hindutva. Critics see the BJP’s back-to-back general election victories, the start of the construction of a Ram temple in the north Indian town of Ayodhya and the rise of ‘Hindu majoritarianism’ as a danger to India's liberally secular foundations. Proponents of Hindu nationalism, to compare, argue that it offers a “vital cultural corrective to the cultural foundation of the nation”, which is already grounded in a respect for diverse communities. Given the chasm in this debate, this episode dives into how the BJP is recasting modernity in the 21^st century. John Vater, an Independent Writer and Ex-Research Associate at ISAS, speaks to Professor Nalin Mehta, ISAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow and author of the book, ‘The New BJP’.

 

Episode 153: Revisiting India-Japan Ties

India and Japan share a rich bilateral relationship today. Though historically, this hasn’t been the case, their ties have evolved significantly against the background of China’s Rise, shifting South Asian dynamics, and increased regional cooperation. In current times, both countries are involved in various common projects and initiatives such as the recently launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework(IPEC) and Quad. This discussion further analyses the future trajectory of this bilateral relationship taking into consideration historical factors and contemporary restraints. In this episode, Ms Kunthavi Kalachelvam, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses the overview of India-Japan ties and what’s to come, with Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain, School of Social Sciences, The University of Adelaide.

Episode 152: Socio-Economic Developments in Balochistan

Balochistan is the largest province in Pakistan with several mega projects taking place there. The province is strategically located near a coastal belt and is home to the Gwadar port. Though the province might seem to be economically thriving, there are current concerns related to the future of socio-economic development in Balochistan and how sustainable this growth can be. It is vital to understand how these factors affect both local perspectives and state-level policy-making. In this episode, Ms Kunthavi Kalachelvam, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses the intricate socio-economic dynamics in Balochistan with Dr Hafeez Jamali, Social Anthropologist and a civil servant.

Episode 151: Environmental Security in South Asia

In 2022, the World Bank declared South Asia to be one of the most vulnerable regions to climate shocks. With intensifying heat waves, cyclones, droughts and floods across the subcontinent, governments, businesses, and citizens are having to adapt to their 'new climate normal'. South Asia is home to more than 600 million poor people, where climate resilient solutions have become the need of the hour. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses South Asia's environmental security and related issues with Dr Sufia Khanom, Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies.

Episode 150: India’s Agnipath Scheme

In June 2022, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment in the armed forces. While there has been resounding opposition on the streets, top defence personnel have clarified that there will be no rollback of the scheme. In this episode, Dr Yogesh Joshi, Research Fellow, ISAS, analyses the motivations behind the Agnipath scheme, and the opportunities and challenges it presents. He is in conversation with Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS.

Episode 149: Bangladesh’s Economic Outlook

Bangladesh’s economy is in the midst of tackling a host of macro-economic issues including rising prices, exchange rate volatility and subsequent widening of its current account balance. The pandemic is far from over and geo-political conflicts have fueled inflationary pressures and commodity shortages worldwide. Additionally, Bangladesh’s economy is due to undergo a change owing to its impending graduation from the United Nation's List of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the upcoming general elections in 2023. In this episode, Ms Divya Murali, Research Analyst, ISAS, spoke to Dr Mohammad Masudur Rahman, Visiting Research Fellow, ISAS, to understand how internal and external factors facing Bangladesh affect its economic outlook in the next few years.

Episode 148: India’s New VPN Rules

The Indian government's recent announcement will force Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to retain user data for five years. This move is set to have important ramifications for data protection and user privacy in India. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Dr Karthik Nachiappan, Research Fellow, ISAS, spoke to Mr Gurshabad Grover, Information Controls Fellow, Open Observatory of Network Interference. They discussed India's new VPN rules as well as broader issues related to internet governance in the country.

Episode 147: Pakistan’s Foreign Policy

Pakistan has seen various tumultuous events take place within a short period of time over this past year. With an economic crisis on the horizon and a change in political leadership, both its foreign and domestic policies trajectory has been subjected to multiple changes. In this episode, Professor Touqir Hussain, Former Pakistan Diplomat and Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISAS, discusses the nuances in Pakistan’s geopolitical strategies and analyses its various foreign policy considerations. He is in conversation with Ms Kunthavi Kalachelvam, Research Analyst, ISAS.