South Asia Chat

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.

Episode 64: Decoding Bihar Election Verdict

The recently concluded assembly elections in Bihar was a closely contested one with the National Democratic Alliance winning by a small margin. While Nitish Kumar has been sworn Chief Minister for the seventh time, the Janata Dal (U) performed poorly. Asserting itself, two Deputy Chief Ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party were also sworn in. In this episode, Dr Ronojoy Sen, Senior Research Fellow, spoke to Dr Neelanjan Sircar, a Senior Visiting Fellow at CPR, Assistant Professor at Ashoka University and a close Bihar-watcher, to understand the politics at play, the impact of the pandemic on the election result, women turnout and the much larger question of the role Hindutva.

Episode 63: The Biden Presidency and South Asia

Two days after the United States elected Joe Biden as their next President and Kamala Harris as the Vice President, uncertainties and anticipation about the current President conceding remains. However, the election outcome was welcomed in South Asia with greater emphasis on the first female Vice President and her Indian ancestry. The region is at the cusp of competition with India and the US on the one hand and China on the other. The recent visit of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to South Asia - India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – has been viewed by many as an 'anti-China roadshow.’ Additionally the Trump administration's promise of pulling out troops from Afghanistan poses security challenges in the region. With all these structural changes underway, what are the likely implications? Prof C Raja Mohan, the Director of ISAS, sheds his insights into Biden’s Presidency and what it means for South Asia.

Episode 62: Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Politics - One Year On

Last year, the Shiv Sena broke up with its traditional partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and entered into an alliance with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and a few others to form the government in Maharashtra. Since then it has faced many challenges including the COVID-pandemic and interference from the BJP which is in power at the Centre. The party has also decided to contest 40 seats in the Bihar elections, without entering into any pre-poll partnerships. To share her views on the current state of Maharashtra politics and the Shiv Sena in particular, we spoke to Dr Rajeshwari Deshpande, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Interdisciplinary School (Humanities and Social Sciences), Savitribai Phule Pune University. 

Episode 61: Trade Prospects of South Asia

A recent ADB reports points to developing Asia experiencing its first recession in more than six decades, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is expected to have profound influence on Asia-Pacific's geopolitics leading to restructuring of supply chains and realignments in global trade. What must South Asia do to take advantage of these changes and which sectors could be the game-changing strategic industries for the region? To give us more insights into these developments, Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) spoke to Dr Sanjay Kathuria, Retired Lead Economist and Coordinator for regional integration of South Asia, World Bank and Senior Visiting Fellow, Center for Policy Research.

Episode 60: Political Rumblings in Pakistan

The recent political protests and rallies by a united opposition seem to be part of a campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan. Interestingly, the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led PML (N) also chose to take on the all-powerful Army, criticising the hybrid model of governance where the Army leads the Imran Khan government from behind. Also, the government has announced elections in the disputed Gigit-Baltistan province on 15 November 2020. To gain more insights into these developments, we spoke to Dr Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, Associate Professor of Political Economy at the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. He also shared his views on the Afghanistan peace process and the forthcoming US Presidential elections. 

Episode 59: Changing Geopolitics of South Asia

The current India-China rivalry has revealed the fault lines in South Asia. The increasing Chinese interests in the region, be it elections in Sri Lanka or involvement with Nepalese communist parties, has resulted in a complex dynamics between New Delhi and Beijing. How do South Asian countries navigate between China, which has risen to be a great power and India, that is at the heart of the subcontinent? In this backdrop, Professor C Raja Mohan spoke to Ambassador Shivshankar Menon about the geopolitics of South Asia. Ambassador Menon is currently a Professor at the Ashoka University in India, the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington. He served as national security advisor to the Prime Minister of India from January 2010 to May 2014 and as Foreign Secretary of India from October 2006 to August 2009. A career diplomat, he was Ambassador or High Commissioner of India to Israel, Sri Lanka, China, and Pakistan.

Episode 58: American Elections - Implications for India

Soon after the first American Presidential debate for 2020 concluded on September 29, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19. While there is uncertainity over the next two debates set for 12 and 22 October, one thing is certain - whoever wins, there will be implications for India. With growing understanding between New Delhi and Washington, the Indian diaspora too has gained prominence. What role will the significant population of Indian Americans play and would the nomination of Kamala Harris as the Vice-presidential candidate of the Democrats make a difference in the way they vote? We discussed these factors with Dr Sanjoy Chakravorty, Professor of Geography and Urban Studies and Global Studies at Temple University and Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania.