South Asia Chat

Episode 127: South Asia Outlook 2022 - Afghanistan

The takeover of the Taliban last year has had undeniable consequences for Afghanistan. At the start of 2022, Kabul is faced with political tensions within the Taliban government, an economic and humanitarian crisis, and strained relations with other countries in the region. To discuss more about challenges and prospects for Afghanistan, Ramita Iyer spoke to Dr Srinjoy Bose, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, University of New South Wales. His work focuses on critical peace studies including political order and violence, and state formation and democratisation in fragile states and societies.

Episode 126: South Asia Outlook 2022 - India (Political)

The year 2022 is an important one for India. On the domestic front, five states are going to the polls while on the international front, the continuing India-China rivalry, India's participation in the Quad and growing regional power of smaller countries are set to have significant implications for New Delhi. In this episode of the South Asia Outlook 2022 series, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS discusses India's politics, foreign policy and issues of regionalism with Mr Vinod Rai, Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, ISAS and former Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Episode 125: South Asia Outlook 2022 - Bangladesh

Bangladesh's growth story has been quite remarkable, and its regional presence has been steadily growing in recent years. However, the country faces some challenges in ensuring economic growth as well as foreign policy tensions due to major power competition in the subcontinent. In this episode, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS speaks to Dr Masudur Rahman, Visiting Research Fellow, ISAS on political and economic developments and challenges for Bangladesh in 2022. 

Episode 124: South Asia Outlook 2022 - Nepal

Over the past few years, Nepal has seen major convulsions in its domestic politics as well as an intensification of tensions with its neighbours, especially India. However, the country is in a very unique position in South Asia's emerging geostrategic theatre, especially due to the attention it has been receiving from major powers in the region and beyond. To discuss what the year 2022 potentially entails for the Himalayan nation's politics and geopolitics, John Vater, Research Associate, ISAS spoke to Amish Raj Mulmi, a Nepal analyst and the author of the book, All Roads Lead North: Nepal's Turn to China.

Episode 123: China’s Indian Ocean Ambition

In the first week of January, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited to Sri Lanka and the Maldives - two Indian Ocean countries where it is looking to strengthen its influence. This visit is important for these island states not only in the current geopolitical and economic context but also historically as they both celebrate landmark years in their bilateral ties with China. Professor C Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor at ISAS and Dr Chulanee Attanayake, Research Fellow at the same institute, share many insights into the current state of relationship between these countries and how India could navigate the China challenge.

Episode 122: South Asia Outlook 2022 - Pakistan

After performing well in the early part of 2021, Pakistan's economy has now taken a sharp turn with high inflation, wide trade deficit and larget debt. It's cabinet has also approved a supplementary budget seeking to withdraw tax exemptions and introducing other revenue generating measures in order to access the US$6 billion (S$8.12 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund. It has also collaborated with China on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project that is aimed at boosting the country's economy. To get greater insights into these developments, Ms Nithya Subramanian, Editor at ISAS, spoke to Dr Danish Khan is Assistant Professor of Economics and co-Director of the ‘Inequality, Poverty, Power & Social Justice’ Initiative at Franklin & Marshall College, USA.

Episode 121: South Asia Outlook 2022 - Sri Lanka

In 2021, Sri Lanka faced several challenges like high inflation, slow GDP growth rate, high foreign debt and tensions in its foreign policy relations, which was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To discuss where Sri Lanka stands at the beginning of 2022 and the various challenges it faces, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS spoke to Dr Chulanee Attanayake, Research Fellow, ISAS.

Episode 120: Spotlight On South Asia

The South Asian subcontinent is poised to witness many changes and challenges in 2022, which includes various political developments and key elections, security challenges, growing focus on technology, climate change and sustainable development, amongst others. This January, Dr Iqbal Singh Sevea took over as the new Director of ISAS, bringing with him expertise in contemporary and modern South Asia, with focus on politics, social and political thought, and governance. He spoke to Nithya Subramanian, Editor, on his association with ISAS, as well as his vision and plans for the institute.

Episode 119: Democracy Under Seige ?

American President Joe Biden recently held a virtual Summit for Democracy with over 100 countries to "renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad". Nithya Subramanian, Editor at ISAS, spoke to Dr Rahul Mukherji to discuss the geopolitical implications of this summit and the current state of democracy in India. Dr Mukherji is Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg University. He is also the Executive Director of the same institute and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at ISAS.

Episode 118: Cryptocurrency Boom In India

The cryptocurrency market in India has witnessed an unprecedented growth of about 600 per cent over the past one year. This has sparked several controversies regarding its usage as well as the government regulations surrounding it. To gain insights into the reasons for its growth, the potential implications for the government and consumers, Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics), ISAS spoke to Vivan Sharan, Partner, Koan Advisory, India. Mr Sharan is also Secretary, Esya Centre, New Delhi.