South Asia Chat

Episode 74: India's Vaccine Diplomacy

India has emerged as the largest producer of the COVID-19 vaccines globally with the locally manufactured Covishield and Covaxin. In January 2021, it began exporting Covishield to its neighbours and some countries beyond the region through its 'Vaccine Maitri' or 'Vaccine Friendship' initiative. It has, so far, committed to supply 10 million doses worldwide. In this episode, Dr Karthik Nachiappan, a Research Fellow at ISAS, shares his insights into India's vaccine diplomacy and its geopolitical implications against the background of a somewhat strained relationship with its neighbours and a growing Chinese presence in the South Asian region.

Episode 73: Decoding The Farmers’ Protests

The Indian government passed three agricultural legislations last September, which led to protests by farmers mainly belonging to the states of Punjab and Haryana. After months of peaceful demonstrations, on 26 January 2021, the agitation turned violent, resulting in one protestor's death and injuring several policemen. What is also interesting is that the protests have received the support of Sikh groups living in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, thus garnering international attention. To share more insights into these recent developments and its political ramifications, we are joined by Mr Vinod Rai, a distinguished Visiting Research Fellow at ISAS and former Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

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.

Episode 71: Bangladesh and Bhutan Trade - Way Forward

Bangladesh and Bhutan signed the first ever preferential trade agreement or PTA in December 2020 to boost bilateral trade. The agreement comes at a time when the two South Asian countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. Bhutan recognised Bangladesh’s independence on December 6, 1971, becoming the first country in the world to accept it as a sovereign nation. According to official figures, trade between Bangladesh and Bhutan was $12.77 million in the fiscal year 2008-09, which rose to $49.65 million in 2018-19. In this episode, Dr Mohammad Masudur Rahman, a Visiting Research Fellow at ISAS, shares his insights on the impact of this deal on bilateral trade between the two countries and what benefits they can reap.

Episode 70: Prospects for South Asia in 2021

The Indian subcontinent is witnessing several structural changes caused by the on-going China-India clash along the border in eastern Ladakh, renewed civil military tensions in Pakistan, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the economic rise of Bangladesh. In the first episode of 2021, Professor S D Muni, an Emeritus Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, discussed these broad prospects for South Asia with Professor C Raja Mohan.

Episode 69: Rise of the Right Wing

In recent times, the role of religious political parties in Pakistan has grown significantly, with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) being one of them. The party has been at the forefront of anti-France protests and opposed the amendments to blasphemy laws. However, it is now facing a leadership crisis after the untimely death of its charismatic leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi. To further discuss the TLP and its future, alongside the significant role religious political parties play domestically, we spoke to Visiting Research Associate Professor, Dr Iqbal Singh Sevea. He is also an Associate Professor of History at the University of North-Carolina-Chapel Hill with research focus on modern Islam and modern South Asia.

Episode 68: Sri Lanka’s China Policy - A Continuation or a New Policy Direction?

With Sri Lanka’s insistence on a “neutral” foreign policy, questions are being raised over Colombo’s relationship with other global and regional powers like the United States, China and India. One of the common foreign policy challenges that the country faces is navigating big power relations. To discuss the strategies in detail, Dr Chulanee Attanayake, Visiting Research Fellow, was in-conversation with Dr Palitha Kohona, the new Sri Lankan Ambassador to China. Dr Kohona shared more insights into his plans on enhancing bilateral ties, geopolitics in Sri Lanka and the new President of the US, Joe Biden’s policy towards the country.

Episode 67: Religion, Secularism and State in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim country in the world and one of the recent challenges that the country faces is religious extremism and violence. The existence of Islamic militant groups is not new to the country. However, these groups are now increasingly relying on transnational networks and narratives. Bangladesh, which was historically secular, is now increasingly turning towards religion as a source of its national identity. To discuss these developments and the transformation of the country from a secular to a religious state, Dr Imran Ahmed, a Consultant at ISAS spoke to Dr Shafi Mostafa, adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England (UNE) in Australia where he completed his PhD. He is also an Assistant Professor in Department of World, Religion and Culture at Dhaka University.

Episode 66: The Afghan Peace Prospects

Recently, there have been various developments in Afghanistan such as the withdrawal of US troops, Imran Khan’s visit to the region and talks with the Taliban. While the Trump administration has set a Christmas deadline for withdrawal of troops, it is unclear how the incoming Biden administration will impact the region in terms of policy and its relationship with the Afghanistan. In this episode, Dr Imran Ahmed, Consultant at ISAS, spoke to Dr Zahid Shabab Ahmed, a Research Fellow at Deakin University with research focus on peace and security in South Asia and Middle East, to further understand the significance of the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape of Afghanistan as well as the various domestic and international actors that continue to play a role in the state. 

Episode 65 : RCEP - The Road Ahead for Regional Trade

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP was signed by 15 countries including all Southeast Asian nations after eight years of negotiations on 15 November 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dubbed as the largest free trade agreement in history, it focuses on the reduction of tariffs and increasing market access. However, India decided to walk out of RCEP stating strong concerns over Chinese goods flooding Indian markets. At this juncture, India and the United States are the two big countries that are not part of this multilateral trade grouping. Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) explains the complexities of regional trade and the way forward for RCEP. He also analyses if Asia is emerging to be the centre of the global trade order.