All Things Policy

Ep. 381: Did India Win in Doklam?

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The 2017 India-China standoff in Doklam, at a crucial trijunction between India, China, and Bhutan, was widely hailed as a victory for India. But was ...

Ep. 380: Disconnecting From Huawei

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The past few weeks have been tough for Huawei, as the UK and France have moved to reduce their dependence on it for their 5G networks. What’s prompt...

Ep. 379: The Twitter Hack and Data Protection

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter’s recent hack has raised concerns about data protection. But would the current Indian Data Protection Bill, which is being reviewed by Parli...

Ep. 378: India's Arctic Ambitions

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why should India care about what happens in the polar regions? And why has it sought greater influence in Arctic governance? Aditya Ramanathan talks t...

Ep. 377: Why Don't We Have Underwater Aircraft Carriers?

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the Second World War, Japan tried to develop a whole class of submarines that worked as small aircraft carriers. Why did the idea not catch on afte...

Ep. 376: Personal Memory and History

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why do diaries written in times of tumult have such appeal to us even today? What place do they hold in history? Manoj Kewalramani and Ganesh Chakrava...

Ep. 375: The Grand Challenge of Weaponising the Economy

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economic interdependence was supposed to bring peace but it also gives states the leverage they can use to coerce each other.

Ep. 374: Beijing's Bid for Supremacy in the South China Sea

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Even as China seeks to enforce its territorial claims in the South China Sea, the United States has reacted strongly.

Ep. 373: Getting Children Back to Schooling

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on school education. But if schools can't open, how can students continue their education in a coun...

Ep. 372: How to do More COVID-19 Testing

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

India has no shortage of diagnostic labs but it isn't testing enough people for COVID-19. To understand why, Takshashila's Pranay Kotasthane talks to ...

Ep. 371: A COVID-19 Vaccine Made in India?

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The ICMR recently stoked controversy by asking hospitals to participate in clinical trials for developing a COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. Is this a r...

Ep. 370: How China Sees India

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do China's public policy thinkers and strategic community view India's rise? How did social media in China react to the Galwan clash? Delhi Policy...

Ep. 369: Should Companies Boycott Social Media?

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Social media platforms, especially Facebook, have been facing an ad boycott from companies such as Unilever and Starbucks that are demanding they addr...

Ep. 368: A Mountain Strike Corps to Deter China?

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As India considers its options to deter China along the LAC, some are pushing for a revival of the Mountain Strike Corps idea. But what is a Mountain ...

Ep. 367: The State of India's Judiciary

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How has India's judiciary functioned in India's changing social conditions and political milieu? Are there differences in the way the Supreme Court, h...

Ep. 366: Talking Turkey in India

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are there parallels between Turkish and Indian politics? Why has Turkey been drawn into the Middle East's wars? And how do Turkey and India see each o...

Ep. 365: Crafting India's Strategy for China

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should India balance against China by drawing closer to the United States?

Ep. 364: China Tightens it Noose Around Hong Kong

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

China is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through a new national security law. The law's sweeping provisions give Beijing powers to crack down on poli...

Ep. 363: Oil Prices and the Hidden Game of Governments

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why are consumers paying more for their petrol and diesel when crude oil prices are low? What do the Union and state governments do to control prices ...

Ep. 362: COVID and Coronil

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ayurvedic formulations touting to cure COVID-19 have raised questions both about their claims and the scientific rigour of their clinical trials. Prat...

Ep. 361: China Through Indian Eyes

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's it like to study politics and international relations in China? And how does India fit into the Chinese world view? Manoj Kewalramani speaks to...

Ep. 360: Will the TikTok Ban Work?

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Government of India has banned 59 apps developed by Chinese companies - but what does it actually mean to "ban" an app? How will this affect tensi...

Ep. 359: China's Ambitions in the Subcontinent

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been a growing debate in India about China’s influence in the Indian subcontinent.

Ep. 358: How Should India Deal With China?

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Even as it tries to make sense of what happened in the Galwan Valley, India needs to make a serious reassessment of its policy towards China.

Ep. 357: Galwan Clash: Understanding Chinese Propaganda and Reportage

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How has the Chinese media reported the LAC standoff with India? Why has Chinese media not pushed for clarity on casualty figures from the Galwan clash...

Ep. 356: Making Sense of the Galwan Valley Incident

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The 15 June clashes in the Galwan Valley have resulted in heightened military and political tensions between India and China.

Ep. 355: Can India and China Fight and Trade?

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should India boycott Chinese goods? In this episode, Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane look at some of the common reasons given for banning Chinese p...

Ep. 354: Ordering the Information Disorder

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has also unleashed a parallel pandemic of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.

Ep. 353: COVID-19: A Testing Strategy for India

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As COVID-19 continues to spread in India, it’s becoming clear that governments at all levels, not just the Union, need to get involved in fighting i...

Ep. 352: How a Pandemic Creates New National Security Risks

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are the new national security threats India will face amid a global pandemic? How can it anticipate these threats and prepare for them? Pranay Ko...

Ep. 351: What the Second World War tells us about COVID-19

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1930s, the US was an inward-looking country struggling with a collapsing economy and spiralling unemployment. But by 1945, it was on the winnin...

Ep. 350: The Geopolitics of a COVID-19 Vaccine

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Companies, institutions and governments around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. How will the country that gets there first ...

Ep. 349: Treating COVID-19

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While much attention is paid to developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, what are the treatments being tested or developed? Shambhavi Naik and Sunila Dixi...

Ep. 348: How Russia Plans for Nuclear War

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What does Russia's new document on nuclear deterrence say about how it thinks about the ultimate weapon?

Ep. 347: SARS-CoV-2 and the Biological Weapons Convention

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most scientists have rubbished the idea that the novel coronavirus is a biological weapon.

Ep. 346: Modi and Morrison - India and Australia Draw Closer

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison for a "virtual summit" last week, with the two countries striking significa...

Ep. 345: A Chip on China's Shoulder: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever thought about what goes into manufacturing a smartphone that you might order online? It involves highly-optimised global supply chains s...

Ep. 344: When Should India Reopen Its Schools?

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As lockdown restrictions are lifted across India, some states have announced plans to reopen schools. India’s children need to continue their educat...

Ep. 343: What's Happening on the LAC With China?

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

China and India are involved in intense stand-offs at multiple points across the LAC for over a month. China's aggression has approval from Xi Jinping...

Ep. 342: Locking Horns on the LAC

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For over a month now, troops from India and China have been locked in a standoff along the LAC in Ladakh.

Ep. 341: Is the Clock ticking for TikTok?

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of banning the TikTok app has been continually trending on Twitter. Critics cite the app's Chinese roots and some of its problematic user-gen...

Ep. 340: One Country, One System: China’s Toughening HK Policy

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

China’s decision to press ahead with a new national security legislation has led to much speculation about the future of Hong Kong.

Ep. 339: Choppy Waters: Assertion in the South China Sea

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What’s driving China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea? Is this a matter of pandemic opportunism or could there be other factors motivating B...

Ep. 338: Spying on your Neighbour

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Governments are advocating for social pressure to ensure compliance with lockdowns.

Ep. 337: Cheap Internet: Reliance and the Telecom Sector in India

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

India has one of the cheapest internet rates in the world. One gigabyte of data can cost as little as ₹18, while in other countries it may run into ...

Ep. 336: Managing Civil-Military Relations?

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With the establishment of the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) there also came the new Department of Military Affairs (DMA). In this episode, ...

Ep. 335: Lift Off: Space policy reforms and the private sector in India

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced that the Union government will provide a predictable space policy and regulatory environment fo...

Ep. 334: Call of Duty: Short-term service in armed forces

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Union government recently announced a new recruitment plan called "Tour of Duty" to recruit young soldiers and officers for a term of three years....

Ep. 333: Krishnadevaraya: The Man and the Myth

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Krishnadevaraya, emperor of Vijayanagara, was a remarkable man, a transition between an ancient Indian king and a recognisably "modern" political lead...

Ep. 332: Intervention Using Tech: Solutions for Tackling COVID-19

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Technology touches almost every aspect of our daily life. But what's the use of it during a pandemic? In this episode, Rohan Seth talks to Prateek Wag...

Ep. 331: Economic Stimulus for Post-COVID India

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rupees twenty lakh crore. That's the size of the stimulus package promised by the government. But how will it work?

Ep. 330: Putin's Pandemic

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Vladimir Putin's Russia faces its most serious threat since its annexation of Crimea in 2014. COVID-19 has spread rapidly, placing enormous str...

Ep. 329: Preparing for the Second Wave: India Against COVID-19

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With India easing restrictions on the movement of people, is it possible that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over? Unfortunately, no. There's a...

Ep. 328: Improving India’s Testing Capacity

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With barely 300 tests per million people, India, the world’s most populous country, has a long way to go before it has a clear picture of the way CO...

Ep. 327: Why India Needs Arms Imports

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat recently said the armed forces should not push for large arms imports and be realistic about their requirem...

Ep. 326: India’s Post-Covid Opportunities

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a lasting impact on the global order. While Sino-US competition is expected to accelerate, middle powers like ...

Ep. 325: Going Conventional: Europe and the Future of Arms Control

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The death of nuclear arms control seems imminent. But what about conventional arms? In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan and Pranav RS talk to Dr. Ulric...

Ep. 324: Facebook’s Supreme Court

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook has announced a 20-member content oversight board that many are calling a "Supreme Court". Are 20 members really enough to moderate all the c...

Ep. 323: Command of the Officer

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A recent attack in northern Kashmir killed the Commanding Officer (CO) and three other soldiers of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles.

Ep. 322: WhatsApp with Jio-Facebook?

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook - which owns WhatsApp - has recently acquired a stake in Reliance Jio. This might have profound implications for the future of Indian e-comme...

Ep. 321: India: The World's Factory?

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the risks of depending on China for global manufacturing. Is this a call for India to manufacture for the world inst...

Ep. 320: The Virus Ravages West Asia

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 is taking a terrible human toll in West Asia even as it re-wires the region's geopolitics in surprising ways.

Ep. 319: When Will We Get a Vaccine?

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are the challenges in developing a vaccine for Covid-19? How soon can we have one? And what if there is none? Shambhavi Naik and Sunila Dixit joi...

Ep. 318: How MAD was the Cold War?

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many accounts of the Cold War accept the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). But did leaders and policymakers actually believe in MAD? And i...

Ep. 317: Containing the Misinformation Virus

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The spread of misinformation has complicated the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the misinformation ecosystem has thrived on both the no...

Ep. 316: Other Strategic Reserve: Securing Medical Equipment for India

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID outbreak has resulted in shortages of key PPE and medical equipment. Building a strategic reserve of these could help encourage indigenous m...

Ep. 315: COVID-19: Crisis or Opportunity?

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Every crisis is also an opportunity," the old saying goes. Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane have some ideas on when that actually happens - and wha...

Ep. 314: The PLA and Covid-19

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

China claims its military has been unscathed by the novel coronavirus pandemic despite being part of the containment effort. Could this claim be true?...

Ep. 313: Content Moderation During COVID Times

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Less than a year ago, the social media giants claimed that moderating content online was an arduous task. Yet, under the shadow of Covid-19, these com...

Ep. 312: India’s FDI Dilemmas

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Foreign investment will be critical to reviving the Indian economy as the threat from Covid-19 retreats. At the same time, there's concern about forei...

Ep. 311: A National Reopening Strategy For India

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As India prepares to ease lockdown restrictions and restore economic activity, most epidemiological models expect there to be fresh waves of infection...

Ep. 310: Learning from History: Bengal Famine and Covid-19

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Bengal Famine was one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern Indian history. What caused the famine and can it tell us how to handle a pand...

Ep. 309: Spending More in the Face of Covid-19

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The end of the nation-wide lockdown will inevitably force the union government to spend more money on healthcare and economic recovery. But is there m...

Ep. 308: Price Controls in a Pandemic

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Indian authorities have imposed price caps on face masks and sanitisers. Private labs have been told to conduct Covid-19 tests for free. While these m...

Ep. 307: The Shape of India's Nuclear Arsenal

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While India has a transparent nuclear doctrine, its nuclear arsenal is almost a black box to outsiders. Are India's existing nuclear weapons sufficien...

Ep. 306: The Hashtag Pandemic

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who is to blame for Covid-19? It depends on who you ask, and it might depend on which country's information operations they have been exposed to on so...

Ep. 305: Have the Hong Kong Protests Failed

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a pause in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The movement, however, continues to command public support and fr...

Ep. 304: Is There a Doctor on the Phone?

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Medical Council of India has announced guidelines for the practice of telemedicine by registered doctors. Can telemedicine help shield frontline h...

Ep. 303: Truth-Telling in the Military

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How should military leaders report difficult truths up the chain of command? As the coronavirus spread on board an American aircraft carrier, its capt...

Ep. 302: India's Neighbours and Covid

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been dealing with the global pandemic in their own ways. In this episode, Anand Arni, Pranay Kotasthane and Su...

Ep. 301: WHO and The Pandemic

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Did the WHO mishandle the SARS-Cov-2 outbreak? Should it have raised the alarm earlier and declared it a pandemic? Suyash Desai and Nischitha Suresh t...

Ep. 300: NPT, Covid-19 and the Future

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty turned 50 this year. But its landmark review conference this year has been postponed because of the global pandemi...

Ep. 299: China Invests in India

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The past six years have witnessed phenomenal growth in Chinese private sector investment in India. So which sectors have gained the most? How does thi...

Ep. 298: Post Pandemic Economics

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What will India's economy look like at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic? What should the union and state governments do to limit the damage and aid a ...

Ep. 297: COVID and China's Economy

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted China’s economy? Are we likely to see a swift recovery or a lengthy period of stops and starts? And what’s ...

Ep. 296: Pakistan's Pandemic Politics

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we know so little about how the coronavirus pandemic is hurting Pakistan? In this episode, Pranay Kotasthane, Sarthak Pradhan and Sakshi Arora ...

Ep. 295: India and the Oil Wars

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Russia-Saudi face-off on oil production combined with the global pandemic has sent crude prices plunging. What's the global impact of low energy p...

Ep. 294: A Grand Strategy with Chinese Characteristics

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is considered to be China's path to carving a new world order. But who conceptualized it first? And how do the Chin...

Ep. 293: The Geopolitics of Covid-19

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How is the Covid-19 pandemic reshaping the Sino-US relationship? Are we witnessing a geopolitical realignment in Europe? Is China’s influence growin...

Ep. 292: Sandalwood: A Sad Story

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when the government takes away your property rights? Why does the state government own all sandalwood trees in Karnataka? In this episode...

Ep. 291: Pandemic Winners

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While the Covid-19 pandemic has cast a gloom over the global economy, there are some sectors and companies that continue to thrive. Rohan Seth and Nis...

Ep. 290: Tech in the Time of Corona

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A number of states have leveraged technology solutions to combat the Covid-19 outbreak. What have they done? What can India learn from their experien...

Ep. 289: Viral World Order

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are probably still in the early days of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. What human and financial toll will it take? And what sort of a world will...

Ep. 288: The Two Ns Meet: The End of Pandemics?

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Could we be experiencing the last global pandemic? Will revolutions in computing and synthetic biology transform the way we deal with contagious disea...

Ep. 287: Narratives of COVID-19

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Covid-19 cases spread around the world, China says it has ‘turned the tide’ to contain the outbreak. Anirudh Kanisetti and Manoj Kewalramani di...

Ep. 286: Ruling the World-Island

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Vladimir Putin is consolidating his power both internally and along Russia's peripheries. Is there a method that underlies Moscow's behaviou...

Ep. 285: Stocking up on Oil: India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

India is one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world. But what can it do when hydrocarbon supplies are disrupted? Anupam Manur and Narayan Ra...

Ep. 284: Making Sense of China's Military Modernization

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The military reforms initiated by President Xi Jinping have brought sweeping changes to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). But are these measures mak...

Ep. 283: Yes, Banks Fail

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Yes Bank crisis has spurned the government to send State Bank of India (SBI) to its rescue. This has led to a further consolidation of public sect...

Ep. 282: The Two Ns Meet

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From the COVID-19 outbreak to the Yes Bank crisis, the Indian and the world economy are being buffeted by relentless waves of crises. Anupam Manur tal...