South Asia Chat

Episode 77: India’s Divestment Programme

One of the biggest announcements made by the Finance Minister of India in the recent budget was the large divestment proposal that targets raising Rs 1.75 trillion (S$32 billion) to shore up the economy. The government plans to exit most of the sectors, except four strategic ones and the list of companies to be privatised include Air India, Life Insurance Corporation, IDBI Bank and some others. Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow; and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) at ISAS shares his views on the complexities of the disinvestment process and the possible challenges that this strategy could face.

Episode 76: India's Pakistan Policy

The relations between India and Pakistan are consequential not just for South Asia but for the globe. The two countries have been engaged in three wars since 1947, with Kashmir and terrorism being at the centre of dispute. Dr Imran Ahmed, Consultant at ISAS, spoke to Dr Stuti Bhatnagar, Sessional Academic – University of New South Wales, Sydney, on India's Pakistan strategy. They also discussed her book titled India's Pakistan Policy: How Think Tanks Are Shaping Foreign Relations that examines the role of these institutes as foreign policy actors. Currently there are 509 operational think tanks in the country with many having considerable interest in India-Pakistan relations. 

Episode 75: Myanmar’s Military Coup - Implications

Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders of the National League for Democracy were arrested in a series of raids by the military causing imbalance in the tensed civil-military relations on February 1. While, the American President Joe Biden slapped sanctions on Myanmar, India has taken a calibrated stand on the coup. To discuss this implications of this development on democracy, human rights and the larger geopolitical implications on South Asia, Nithya Subramanian, Editor at ISAS, spoke to our guest Dr Avinash Paliwal, a Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Deputy Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies, South Asia Institute.

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.