South Asia Chat South Asia Chat

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events in India, a country amongst the most vulnerable to climate change, should send the alarm bells ringing. Natural disasters induced and aggravated by anthropogenic activities have significantly impacted lives and livelihoods across the country. How have political parties responded to this threat? Is climate change moving beyond the periphery of electoral interests? To answer some of these important questions, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is joined by Dr Navroz Dubash, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.

Infrastructure and connectivity have emerged as critical domains of cooperation between China and Nepal. China is engaged in several infrastructure projects in Nepal including the development of hydropower projects, construction of roadways and the recently inaugurated international airport at Pokhra. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shreshtha recently visited China and infrastructure and connectivity featured significantly on the agenda. To discuss the important developments of this meeting and the broader landscape of Nepal-China ties, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Puspa Sharma, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISAS.

The Himalayas, the world’s so called “third pole” are critical for life within and around the cold, mountainous region. They serve as a home for numerous communities and as the source of several water bodies that support large populations. The impact of climate change is very evident in the Himalayas. Melting glaciers are creating new lakes, rivers are flooding more frequently and more violently, urbanisation and deforestation are impacting the soil, and we are witnessing events like glacial-lake outbursts, which are likely to grow in frequency in the coming years. These problems are exacerbated with increasing economic development and infrastructure in the region. In this episode, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, discusses with Ambassador Tariq Karim, Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, ISAS, the tensions between the preservation of ecosystems and development policies in the Himalayan region.

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has stated that a presidential election is likely to be held between September and October 2024. If held, these will be the first elections held since the 2022 mass people’s protests which caused the political leadership at the time to step down from power. There are multiple political groups and factions that are taking form in the lead up to elections. In addition, the government faces the uphill task of managing prevailing economic crisis conditions. In this episode, ISAS Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Rajni Gamage talks to Ms Bhavani Fonseka, researcher and Attorney at Law in the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka, in an assessment of the state of democracy and levels of public trust in democratic institutions and processes in Sri Lanka.

Earlier this month, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar in one of his interactions in London stated that the Pakistani government is seriously examining resuming trade ties with India. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Prof C Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor at ISAS, dwell on the history of Indo-Pak trade ties, domestic factors playing a role and critical actors driving the relationship.

The World Trade Organization's (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) was concluded on 2 March 2024. While progress was made on certain commitments by member states, consensus has not been achieved on certain key long-standing issues. In this episode, Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics), ISAS, is in conversation with Stephen Olson, Senior Adjunct Fellow, Pacific Forum and Visiting Lecturer and Non-Resident Fellow at the Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance. They discuss the implications of the WTO MC13 from a global perspective, including the ongoing diversification of trade, the carbon border tax by the European Union, and the upcoming elections in the United States.