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South Asia Chat

South Asia Chat podcast series will feature conversations with analysts, academics and thought leaders on topical issues impacting South Asia.

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All Episodes

22:39

Episode 79: India-China Military Disengagement

South Asia Chat ·

2021/03/16

After several rounds of military and diplomatic negotiations, the nine-month long standoff between India and China came to an end with the disengagement of troops along the line of actual control in Eastern Ladakh. While the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has said that "China and India should be friends and partners,” the new Biden administration has not deviated from Trump's stance on China. What led to this thaw and what lay ahead for the two countries especially in the light of the recent

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27:29

Episode 78: Ceasefire Along the Line of Control

South Asia Chat ·

2021/03/09

In a surprising turn of events in the relationship between India and Pakistan, both countries recently signed a ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control. While this development is a positive step in improving bilateral relations, it is bound to affect domestic politics as well as have broader regional implications. To discuss the foreign policy strategies at play as well as the factors and rationale behind these developments, Dr Yogesh Joshi, a Research Fellow at ISAS spoke to Professor C Raja

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37:02

Episode 77: India’s Divestment Programme

South Asia Chat ·

2021/03/03

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

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27:21

Episode 76: India's Pakistan Policy

South Asia Chat ·

2021/02/23

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

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33:31

Episode 75: Myanmar’s Military Coup - Implications

South Asia Chat ·

2021/02/16

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

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14:08

Episode 74: India's Vaccine Diplomacy

South Asia Chat ·

2021/02/09

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

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23:43

Episode 73: Decoding The Farmers’ Protests

South Asia Chat ·

2021/02/02

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

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36:57

Episode 72: President Biden and South Asia

South Asia Chat ·

2021/01/26

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th 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

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17:46

Episode 71: Bangladesh and Bhutan Trade - Way Forward

South Asia Chat ·

2021/01/19

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

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45:07

Episode 70: Prospects for South Asia in 2021

South Asia Chat ·

2021/01/12

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.

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24:33

Episode 69: Rise of the Right Wing

South Asia Chat ·

2020/12/23

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

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28:23

Episode 68: Sri Lanka’s China Policy - A Continuation...

South Asia Chat ·

2020/12/15

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

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27:30

Episode 67: Religion, Secularism and State in Bangladesh

South Asia Chat ·

2020/12/08

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

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27:21

Episode 66: The Afghan Peace Prospects

South Asia Chat ·

2020/12/02

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

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21:38

Episode 65 : RCEP - The Road Ahead for Regional Trade

South Asia Chat ·

2020/11/24

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

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26:54

Episode 64: Decoding Bihar Election Verdict

South Asia Chat ·

2020/11/17

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

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19:21

Episode 63: The Biden Presidency and South Asia

South Asia Chat ·

2020/11/10

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

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27:14

Episode 62: Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Politics - One...

South Asia Chat ·

2020/11/03

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

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42:23

Episode 61: Trade Prospects of South Asia

South Asia Chat ·

2020/10/27

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,

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29:18

Episode 60: Political Rumblings in Pakistan

South Asia Chat ·

2020/10/20

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

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