South Asia Chat

Episode 208: Maldives Presidential Elections 2023

The Maldives is preparing for its upcoming Presidential elections on 9 September 2023, a significant event that will shape the country's leadership going forward. This election stands out due to the unusually large number of candidates participating, the highest since the 2008 Maldivian Presidential Election. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Dr Rasheeda Didi discusses potential election results, the challenges the current President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih faces, and the implications for the Maldives' relations with other countries. She is in conversation with Ms Wini Fred Gurung, Research Analyst, ISAS.

Episode 207: Two Years of Taliban Rule in Afghanistan

It has now been two years since Taliban took over control in Afghanistan, following the US withdrawal and the fall of the Afghan government. Afghanistan has since seen significant changes in most aspects of social, political and economic life. In this episode, Dr Imran Ahmed, Research Fellow, ISAS is in conversation with Dr Haroun Rahimi, Assistant Professor of Law, American University of Afghanistan. They discuss how Taliban came to power, how Afghanistan has evolved in the last two years, and how Afghanistan features in the global security landscape.

Episode 206: Climate Resilience in Indian Cities

Globally, cities contribute to over 70 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, cities are also very prone to the effects of climate change and the extreme weather events emanating from it. This makes climate resilience and environmental sustainability a foremost issue in urban policy. In this role, cities emerge as spaces of innovation, and across the world we are witnessing newer ideas, policies, technologies and systems being deployed. To discuss these themes in the Indian context, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS is in conversation with Ms Anumita Rouchowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment.

Episode 205: Sri Lanka in 2023 - Economic, Political, and Foreign Policy Developments

Sri Lanka faced an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022, which culminated in the country declaring bankruptcy and long power cuts and fuel shortages. These led to mass street protests and the incumbent president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, being ousted from power. To discuss the 2023 economic and political situation in Sri Lanka, Dr Rajni Gamage, Postdoctoral Fellow, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Tilak Abeysinghe, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, ISAS. The podcast also discusses visits by the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to India, Singapore, and Japan, and what future trends can be expected with elections scheduled for 2024.

Episode 204: Data Protection in India - Cybersecurity Implications

Nearly six years after the Indian Supreme Court declared that privacy was a constitutional right for all citizens, the government is now close to passing the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (2022). The bill was cleared by the Indian Cabinet on 5 July 2023 and will be tabled in the parliament during the ongoing monsoon session. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses data issues and cybersecurity in India with Dr Anuradha Rao, Founder, CyberCognizanz, Singapore. Dr Rao is also Non-Resident Fellow, ISAS and Associate Faculty, Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Episode 203: Feminist and Colonial Discourses in India

Feminist and Colonial discourses are key in understanding India’s socio-political landscape. Studying the contemporary operationalisation of these discourses draws from historical contexts, personal experiences and comparative analysis. To discuss these factors on this episode, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Suruchi Thapar-Bjorkert, Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Uppsala. They discuss feminism and colonial thought and how they operate in politics and policy in India.

Episode 202: Modi’s Visit to France - 25 Years of Strategic Partnership

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France celebrated 25 years of strategic partnership between India and France. This occasion was marked by the release of a roadmap – Horizon Communique 2047- which emphasised on the key areas of cooperation between the two states. Partnership in Security for Sovereignty, Protection of Planet and People-to-People Connect were critical themes under discussion during the bilateral talks. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Jean-Loup Samaan, Senior Fellow at Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore to discuss India and France’s multidimensional partnership, and what the recent bilateral talks and roadmap of future relations mean for the two countries and geopolitics in Europe and Indo-Pacific.

Episode 201: SCO Summit 2023

In July 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), for which India holds the rotating presidency this year. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Mr Nandan Unnikrishnan, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, India. They discuss issues pertaining to the SCO and the Quad, the composition of the SCO, Russia-China relations and India's strategic identity.

Episode 200: Modi’s Visit to the US

In June 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an official state visit to Washington, marking the third official to be hosted by United States (US) President Joe Biden during his term. The visit has been hailed as a demonstration by both sides to take their bilateral cooperation to the next level. While there have been significant developments over the past years, a number of challenges remain. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses Modi's recent visit and its implications on India-US ties with Dr Yogesh Joshi, Research Fellow at ISAS.

Episode 199: IPEF: Turning a New Corner - Thai and Regional Perspective

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a group of 14 countries led by the United States, was launched in May last year. As a non-traditional economic arrangement that does not offer market access concessions and tariff liberalisation to its members, the IPEF presents a blueprint for a new but untested kind of economic engagement in the region. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Kaewkamol "Karen" Pitakdumrongkit, Assistant Professor and Head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, and Ms Priyanka Kishore, Economic and Forum Director, IMA Asia, Singapore. They discuss the decisions delivered by the IPEF till now and examine the prospects of its further progress.