Interpreting India Carnegie India

In this episode, Arvind Subramanian joins Suyash Rai to discuss the rise and fall of India's economic growth. The pandemic has been costly for the Indian economy, delaying India's journey to prosperity by at least two years. But even before the pandemic, India's economy wasn't necessarily in the best shape. The official GDP estimates show a sharp slowdown since 2017, and investments and exports--the major drivers of growth--have been sluggish through much of the decade preceding the pandemic. How can we assess India's economic growth? Which indicators and factors are the most useful? What are some of the challenges and opportunities that India faces today?

In this episode, Tanvi Ratna joins Priyadarshini to discuss the cryptocurrency space in India. How could a renewed ban on all private cryptocurrencies play out? And finally, what does the global growth of cryptocurrencies indicate for the future of India’s financial system? What sort of investors characterize India’s cryptocurrency space?

In this episode, Deep Pal joins Shibani Mehta to delve deep into China’s influence in South Asia. In recent years, China’s engagement in South Asia has expanded significantly beyond commercial and development projects to encompass political and security interests. While this interaction often targets the needs of specific countries, even states with relatively robust state institutions and civil society struggle to grapple with the implications of China’s expanded footprint. Those without strong governance remain even more vulnerable to external interference in national affairs.

China’s meteoric economic rise has resulted in a massive expansion in its international economic aid and development programs. China is thus emerging as an attractive alternative to the established players in the global development space, such as the IMF and the World Bank. However, analysts suggest that development aid is often unsustainable for the host country, creating onerous debt obligations while making only marginal contributions to local employment.

How has China's profile as a key economic partner developed in the South Asian region? What impact has China’s economic aid had on its political influence in the region? And finally, how should India respond to China’s economic clout in South Asia?

In this episode, Matthew D. Green joins Udbhav Tiwari to delve into the debate surrounding end-to-end encryption. In February, the Indian government issued new rules requiring companies like WhatsApp to implement traceability in their end-to-end encrypted communications platforms. The decision originated from the government’s concerns about the proliferation of illegal activities on these services, including terrorism, child-abuse, and the spread of fake news. India’s actions come amidst a growing global debate concerning government access to encrypted data. While advocates claim that state access to end-to-end encrypted messages benefits national security, opponents argue that it constitutes a dangerous breach of privacy, while worsening cybersecurity standards.

Is it possible to apply traceability without impacting the core benefits of end-to-end encryption? Could India’s adoption of this requirement hamper the cybersecurity of the country? And finally, how will the growing concerns about this system impact the future of encryption technology?

In this episode, Shanthie Mariet D'Souza joins Shibani Mehta to analyze the question of aid and development in a Taliban led Afghanistan. The Western withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ensuing ascent of the Taliban has led to the collapse of the Afghan economy. The foreign aid, crucial towards sustaining the economy, has mostly stopped, resulting in food shortages, a decline in the value of local currency and a collapsing health system. While $1.2 billion has been pledged by international donors, it remains unclear whether this will be sufficient in restoring any semblance of normalcy in Afghanistan. How will aid to Afghanistan be structured after the ascent of the Taliban government? How will India, a key development partner in Afghanistan, approach its aid policy in the wake of the Taliban takeover? And finally, what will this situation mean for the future of Afghanistan’s development?

With the conclusion of the first in-person QUAD leaders’ summit, the 76th Session of the UNGA, the SCO summit, and the AUKUS alliance, the last two weeks have been momentous for world politics. In this episode of Interpreting India, Gautam Bambawale joins Deep Pal to discuss the major foreign policy events of the last two weeks and India’s contribution to them. How will the AUKUS alliance impact the QUAD and India in specific? How will the events of last week determine the international community's response to the Taliban? And finally, what significance do these events hold for the future of Indian foreign policy?