Could Puccini Lend Us a Lesson?
Set in 20th century Japan, one of Giacomo Puccini’s most famous operas, Madama Butterfly, recounts the tragic love story of an American naval officer and Cio-Cio San, a young Japanese geisha. It’s noted that on its opening night in La Scala opera house in Milan in February 1904, the audience was said to have jeered and booed openly at the performance because of the opera’s theme and its pitiful heroine.
Puccini responded by pulling the performance for further trimming of the opera’s second act and re-released it in Brescia later that year to a receptive audience, that consequently marked it’s first success. Two more revisions of the opera followed in 1905 and 1906, according to historic accounts.
In this regard, Puccini’s instinct to revisit his original approach to this opera, is one that is shared with Director Nitin Pai, who may have the same advice for India’s defence expenditures. It’s perhaps time for India to revisit its approach.
In his latest Op-Ed in the Mint, Nitin borrows from William B. Yeats to describe the “might is right” reality of the world in 2024, from his famed 1920 poem, “The Second Coming”:
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,/The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/The ceremony of innocence is drowned;/The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity."
He provides the following analysis and advice on India’s military capability:
“While our armed forces have acquired new capabilities and moved forward in the modernisation process, we have yet to implement some of the most significant recommendations made in the Kargil Committee Report nearly a quarter-century ago. Both the integration of the three services and the formation of theatre commands remain works-in-progress.
Circumstances have changed rapidly. India’s military capability must keep pace with that of the People’s Republic of China, which, for its part, seeks to keep pace with that of the United States. As the fights in Ukraine and West Asia have shown, generational superiority matters.”
Click here to read Nitin’s commentary on how and why either a ‘gradual’ or ‘surge’ approach to defence expenditure will be needed for India’s military
A Closer Examination of India-China Ties: A Two-Parter
Across a two part interview for Rediff.com, Takshashila Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, Manoj Kewalramani, carefully traces for readers the nuances of the India-China bilateral relationship, including concerns around Eastern Ladakh:
“Both sides recognise that the relationship appears to be in a state of suspended animation since the events of the summer of 2020. And both also seem to appreciate that this is an unsustainable situation in the long term. Yet, neither seems to have ceded any substantive ground. Within India, there is clearly a new discourse around China policy that is taking shape. This is evident in the recent discussions around the nature of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh and Chinese investments, which was sparked by the Economic Survey.”
“On the other hand, there has been a stylistic shift in the Chinese approach towards India. This can be seen in the recent dialogue between the two foreign ministers and the engagements of the new Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong.”
In the lead up to the BRICS Summit in Russia this week, he provides timely analysis on three structural reasons for why we can and should not expect stability and predictability in this heated relationship.
Read Part 1 and Part 2 of his interview, here.
India-China: High-Stakes Diplomacy
“...beginning of a new round of high-stakes diplomacy between the two Asian giants” is how Takshashila’s Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, would characterise the aftermath of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) patrolling agreements between India and China.
Take heart, dear reader. The prognosis from Manoj on this front is that of cautious optimism, as he writes in his latest Op-Ed for The Indian Express.
Click here to take a closer look at his five reasons for saying so.
China-Taiwan Relations: Tense?
In her latest Op-Ed in Moneycontrol, Takshashila Staff Research Analyst for the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, Anushka Saxena examines the state of China-Taiwan bilateral relations. If I were her, I may label them as…tense? But I’ll leave you to come to your own conclusions, dear reader, after reading through Anushka’s analysis of China’s military exercises (known as Joint Sword 2024B) around Taiwan.
Her analysis draws out relevant contextual details and highlights two key features of these activities: one, these latest military exercises keep with China’s usual engagement when it comes to Taiwan, and the second: China’s capacity to encircle Taiwan does not bode well for regional stability.
Click here to read more of her detailed analysis of these ongoing regional developments.
Time for SCO to Go?
If you’re anything like Takshashila’s Staff Research Analyst, Amit Kumar and Research Analyst, Vanshika Saraf, you may not have too bleak view of the future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), despite India’s decision to host the Head of State Summit 2023 virtually and Prime Minister Modi’s notable absence from the event.
But what does the SCO offer India? Amit and Vanishka have ventured to provide their reasons including exploring the stated outcomes of the grouping, which led to India’s decision to join in 2017, and why Afghanistan's presence in the forum should be among the reasons for India’s choice to remain a part of the SCO.
Click here to read their joint analysis in their recent Op-Ed on the above in the Deccan Herald.
Hello, Neighbours! India’s Approach to the Maldives and Sri Lanka
What could be India’s approach to its two island neighbours? Our Indo-Pacific Studies Staff Research Analyst, Anushka Saxena, tackles this exact question in her recent discussion document.
For the Maldives, among other suggested courses of action, she proposes a renewed attention on water policy and outlines why “coercive diplomacy will be ineffective for the a China-leaning government in the Maldives”.
For Sri Lanka, among other recommendations, she recommends India’s continued attention to Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs), amidst the establishment of the Dissanayake government.
Click here to take a closer look at her thoughtful analysis.
All, Yes, All Things Digital Policy
This week, we’re excited to highlight our recent All Things Policy episode where our researchers are chatting about all things digital policy.What is India’s approach to AI governance? Why does India struggle with cybersecurity?
Join Bharath Reddy, Rijesh Panicker and Lokendra Sharma in conversation with Michael (Mike) R. Nelson (Senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program) on this range of interesting issues in the AI landscape.
Click here to listen to their insightful conversation.
India and Pakistan: Climate Change is Where Twain Shall Meet?
Are concerns around climate change…concerning enough to India and Pakistan? For better or for worse, both countries are up against this shared challenge and Takshashila Research Analyst, Adya Madhavan, would like for this to be higher up on both nations’ bilateral discussion agendas.
Click here to read more of her detailed analysis, paying particular attention to how collaboration on the 2020 locust swarms played out for both countries.
What’s Bob Dylan Got to Do With Global Supply Chains?
If there’s one thing that Bob Dylan, Takshashila’s Deputy Director and Chair of our High-Tech Geopolitics Programme, Pranay Kotasthane and Research Analyst, Lokendra Sharma, can agree on, it’s that: the times they are a-changin’.
But when Pranay and Lokendra speak of “the times”, they really mean the times as they pertain to global supply chains. They astutely observe the following in their recent Op-Ed for The Hindu:
“Global supply chains are at an inflection point. While the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the focus from efficiency (just in time) to resilience (just in case), two developments in September 2024 indicate that another shift is underway in how supply chains are envisioned and operationalised — this time towards security (just to be secure).”
Click here to read their analysis and their proposition for a ‘two-pronged’ approach for India to ensure that its own supply chains are secure.
India and Myanmar Are Discussing What?
For those closely watching the recent discussions between India and Myanmar, you’ll catch an interesting item on the bilateral agenda - a local currency trade settlement mechanism using the Indian Rupee and the Myanmar Kyat.
Takshashila’s Geoeconomics Research Associate, Anisree Suresh, gives you a close up look at this development including the significant authorisation the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made on July 21, 2024 and her four factors to consider when implementing such a mechanism. She further elaborates on what challenges the Indian rupee has faced
Click here to read her recent Op-Ed in Moneycontrol on these ongoing developments.
Takshashila’s Tabletop Trove!
This new section of Dispatch is intended to be a digital repository of the books that sit in Takshashila’s physical office space in Bengaluru, Karnataka. So what’s this week’s book theme? Read on, nobel reader (there’s a clue there).
Our theme this week is: Nobel Season! What better way to celebrate the innovative solutions put forth through the years by laureates for the benefit of humankind, than to curate a top-5 reading list? Hence, we suggest 5 must-reads from world-famous Nobel Laureates, who have pioneered revolution in the economic domain, specifically.
This week’s high-top table selection comes to you curated by Miheer Karandikar and Anushka Saxena:
Capitalism and Freedom (Milton Friedman)
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson)
The Constitution of Liberty (F.A. Hayek)
Poor Economics: Rethinking Poverty & the Ways to End it (Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo)
A World of Three Zeros (Muhammad Yunus)
But Wait, There’s More!
The eighth cohort of Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy (PGP) just concluded their second in-person workshop in Goa. We gathered these smart minds for four days (October 24 to 27) to have them work collaboratively on a policy simulation exercise.
Needless to say, they’ve landed on a range of meaningful solutions to complex policy challenges facing India today and we look forward to how these ideas continue to grow as they continue their programme.
This edition of the Dispatch was written by Kripa Koshy, Programme Manager for Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy.