Who’s Afraid of Coalition Dharma?
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who, as Prime Minister, led a fragile government of 18 regional allies in 1999, was asked about coalition politics, he gave the country an immortal phrase that subsequent heads of government would do well to remember: Coalition Dharma.
It may have sounded a bit of a copout at the time, given that Prime Minister Vajpayee was under tremendous pressure from allies, but his sheer ability to complete a five-year term when no one even bet on one was perhaps a testament to his consensus-building ability. His successor, Dr Manmohan Singh, faced exactly the same questions every single day.
So why is the phrase relevant now? After 10 years of virtually single-party governance in New Delhi, we are back in the era of coalition politics. The electoral results of June 4, therefore, will have long-term repercussions. Takshashila co-founder Narayan Ramachandran delves deep into the idea of coalition politics in his latest column for Mint, published last week.
India is not alone, Narayan reminds us.
“The word “coalition” traces its etymological root to the Latin word “coalitus” meaning to grow together. It was first used in the political context in the 18th Century and has come to mean a coming together of political formations with different backgrounds because they share the same goal.”
He adds,
“It is too early to tell whether the worldwide disenchantment with politics and politicians that gave rise to Populist-Nationalists (Pop-Nats) starting about 15 years ago is evolving to its own stage of disenchantment. The manifestation of this has meant a yo-yoing of power between opposite sides in Presidential elections (witness Brazil and the United States) and much more mixed legislatures in parliamentary systems (such as in the European Parliament, India, and Pakistan). Even in Türkiye, where poster-child Pop-Nat Recep Erdogan was returned to power in 2023, the parliamentary seats for his AK party have dipped well below majority for the first time since he came to power two decades ago. In Europe, which has had a long history of coalition politics, the rise of the far right in the parliamentary elections and to power in Italy is suggestive of political “multi-polarity.” Currently, the center ground is being attempted by a barbell between those parties pandering to the minority and rivals pampering the majority. The definitions of majorities and minorities in each country and context varies, but confusion reigns about how to drop those extremes.”
You can read his full piece here.
What Role Does The 1+N Policy Play in China’s Climate Change Path?
Despite being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China, until mid-2007, placed minimal emphasis on addressing climate change within its local governance structures. However, a shift occurred in early 2007, with the central leadership establishing the National Leading Group on Climate Change, Energy Conservation, and Emission Reduction. This development spurred provincial governments to create their own dedicated bodies to tackle climate challenges. In response, numerous provinces formulated action plans for mitigating and adapting to climate change, with some initiating and financing research programmes to better understand and address climate-related issues within their jurisdiction.
Takshashila’s Rakshith Shetty analyses the experience of 14 provinces’ carbon neutrality action plans alongside an assessment of nationwide progress in decarbonisation efforts, reveals major challenges in the path to achieving carbon neutrality.
He writes:
“Between 2020-2023, energy intensity decreased by only 2%, well below the targeted 13.5% (from 2020 levels) reduction by 2025. Carbon intensity also remains far from the 2025 goal of 18% reduction (from 2020 levels), with only a 4.6% cut achieved as of 2023. Despite the action plan calling for strict control and gradual reduction of coal consumption, coal still dominates China’s energy mix at 61% (in 2021), while its share of total energy consumption was 55.3% in 2023. In fact, 114 GW of new coal capacity was approved in 2023 alone. These gaps underscore the difficulties China faces in transitioning from coal and aligning provincial actions with national carbon neutrality objectives.”
Rakshith’s detailing sets this paper apart. You can read the full document here.
Dissecting the 2024 US-India iCET Joint Factsheet
On June 17, the second US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) meeting took place in New Delhi. The iCET is a collaborative framework established by the United States and India to strengthen cooperation in key technology areas. After the announcement in 2022, the inaugural meeting between top bureaucrats of both nations, chaired by the National Security Advisors, took place in 2023. The recent meeting marks this partnership's second chapter and drives it forward.
In the latest post of the Technopolitik newsletter, Satya Sahu and Ashwin Prasad dissect the 2024 US-India iCET Joint Factsheet.
There is significant progress between last year and 2024 across various technologies, including quantum, semiconductors, jet engines, maritime security, surveillance and reconnaissance, space, telecommunications, biotechnology, advanced materials, critical minerals and clean energy, health, agriculture and food safety, autonomous vehicles, and finally other military tech that is not covered by any of the above heads.
Read their decode here.
Cooling Chennai, And Other Important Questions
Takshashila collaborated with the University of Madras last week for a three-day workshop on ‘Cooling Chennai: Developing Resilient Urban Strategies against Heat waves and Urban Heat Islands’. It may sound a mouthful, but, as Dr Y Nithiyanandanam says,
“The workshop aimed to build capacity among various departments within the state of Tamil Nadu and raise awareness among the youth about the impacts of heat, particularly those caused by local effects such as urban heat islands and global phenomena like prolonged heat waves.”
The year 2023 was the hottest on record ever since temperature records have been maintained, and it is quite possible that 2024 will beat that record. Surely, we all need to be part of this?
Nithiya told this correspondent,
“My expertise in remote sensing, particularly in thermal remote sensing, aligns with my interest in urban microclimatic conditions, especially in understanding heat release from surfaces. My PhD work primarily focuses on the urban heat island effect, which refers to the temperature difference between urban and rural areas. Drawing from my experience and an op-ed I wrote on the rising temperatures in cities and effective mitigation strategies, I was invited to contribute to efforts in Chennai. So, the University of Madras asked me to help in addressing this issue.”
The workshop was covered by the local media as well. It was inaugurated by Lt. Gen. K S Brar, the General Officer Commanding of the Dakshin Bharat area. Lt. Gen. Vinod Karnare, Advisor, Ministry of Defence, gave a special address, along with other distinguished professors.
Lt. Gen. Brar stressed the importance of military and civilian collaboration to tackle challenges caused by extreme heat. He highlighted strategies the army uses to manage these impacts and discussed case studies that illustrate their effectiveness. Lt. Gen. Kandhare emphasised the importance of effectively addressing heat mitigation and the necessity of considering it as a nexus of other related issues.
The workshop featured several sessions from leading experts in Chennai and others who joined online from across the country. Over 110 participants from various organizations and academic institutions attended.
The event concluded on the 21st with a valedictory session led by Dr. Mohan Babu, IRS income tax commissioner in Chennai, who spoke about the economic impact of heat on the country. The workshop also explored important topics like the relationship between heat and soil moisture, groundwater, and quality of life. These discussions aimed to set the stage for larger capacity-building activities in Chennai.
At Takshashila, we can only congratulate Nithiya for making this happen at short notice. Looking forward to more impactful collaborations on topics that matter to us the most.
Decoding China’s Aggression in The South China Sea
In an interview with the Turkish news channel TRT World, Takshashila’s Anushka Saxena explains China’s latest round of aggression against the Philippines in the South China Sea.
To provide context, a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided with a Philippine civilian ship near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China accused the Manila boat of illegally intruding into waters adjacent to areas of the South China Sea it claims as its own. But Manila refuted those charges, saying its boat was in international waters.
You can listen to Anushka’s explainer here.
Our Favourite All Things Policy Podcast Episode of the Week
The PCA (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act, 1960, though progressive on paper, is outdated and lacks the teeth to make an impact in today's day and age. There have been efforts since 2016 to improve this law, from increasing penalties to sensitising stakeholders. In this podcast, Takshashila’s Policy School head, Malathi Renati, interviews Mousumi Gupta and Shreya Paropkari on what those amendments are and their significance in the industry and in society.
Listen to the podcast here.
Wait, There’s More!
How will military-civilian relations evolve during the present Modi 3.0 government? What are some of the key reforms that will bolster the relationship? Read Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon's piece in ThePrint here.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently met the Dalai Lama. What is the strategic importance of this meeting? Read Sachin Kalbag’s take here.
What if we told you that you could speak to a family member who passed away? Takshashila’s Rohan Pai explains what Grief Bots are in this week’s #AttentionSpan. You can watch it here.
The Takshashila Academic Conference was held on 1st and 2nd June, and some enthusiastic students from the GCPP38 cohort visited the Takshashila office! Here's what they had to say.
That’s all, folks! See you next week.