The Lok Sabha Discusses the Ukraine War
Dear Reader,
We hope you and your loved ones are well. This edition analyses the Lok Sabha’s discussion on the Ukraine War, highlights China’s cyber warfare policy, and discusses the causes and consequences of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
Lok Sabha’s Discussion on the Ukraine War
The Ukraine war was discussed in the Lok Sabha discussion on April 5, followed by a response by Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on April 6. In a new blog post, Manoj summarised key comments by the MPs and identified broad takeaways from the discussion. These include:
The language is not as harsh as what we’ve heard in Europe or the US,, but there is clear unhappiness with the Russian invasion.
While there is a sense of appreciation for the historical relationship with Russia, there is significant concern about the deepening Moscow-Beijing partnership.
Most MPs seemed to argue that we are entering a new divided world order, presenting new challenges for Indian foreign policy. There is a clear desire for India to maintain a non-aligned position and retain its strategic autonomy. But if one reads between the lines, there’s also an understanding that Indian policy has structurally shifted towards a closer partnership with the West over time. Importantly, no one in their comments was critical of this shift.
Most MPs were rather clear that China presents India’s biggest strategic and security threat.
Finally, there were calls from many MPs for a more proactive Indian policy, potentially even attempts at mediation.
China’s New Focus on US Cyberattacks
Chinese companies have released several reports accusing US agencies of cyberattacks on Chinese infrastructure in the last few years. Although China has long released data on the numbers of US hacking attempts, detailed reports were not a common occurrence. Recent reports indicate that Beijing is intensifying its efforts at narrative-building by focusing on malicious cyber activities of the United States.
Megha Pardhi wrote an article in The Diplomat outlining how China is publicising cyber attacks by the US to justify its own cyber offensives. This is also critical to note from an Indian security perspective, given recent reports of Chinese cyberattacks targeting electricity distribution centres near Ladakh. Megha writes:
The [Chinese] Foreign Ministry is also releasing the separate remarks for its spokesperson on U.S. cyberattacks. The ministry has released separate spokesperson’s remarks highlighting the findings from all three reports by Qihoo 360, the report from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT), and the report from Qi An Pangu Lab, respectively. This is Beijing’s new strategy for responding to Washington.
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What Went Wrong With Sri Lanka’s Economy
Sri Lanka is facing a historic economic crisis, the biggest since the country’s independence in 1948. The crisis has resulted in massive inflation, power outages and a shortage of essentials such as medicine. Sri Lankans have begun arriving on Indian shores, and some are worried that India might face a refugee crisis. On the April 5 episode of All Things Policy, Anupam Manur and Atish Padhy discussed how the island nation got here and what it should do next.
Listen now!
What We Have Been Reading
This week’s book is Desperately Seeking Shahrukh: India’s Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence by Shrayana Bhattacharya. In her review of the book in The Hindu, Suman Joshi says:
With a title that screams Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh, you would perhaps be forgiven if you thought this book fits in the chick-lit genre. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was anything but. This genre-bending book looking at women in post-1991 India draws you in from the word go. The book chronicles the experiences of women across economic classes, including those in the informal economy. It presents a powerful commentary on the lives of Indian women and the ways they deal with inequities.
The watershed moment of the 1991 reforms serves as an anchor, as the author traces the rise of the Indian economy and the simultaneous arrival of Shah Rukh Khan as a superstar. The author wears her economist hat lightly, but combines hard economic data, such as falling female labour force participation rate, hidden taxes women pay and a whole host of metrics, with surveys and interviews to paint a picture of the state of women in modern India.
Written with great humour and empathy, Desperately Seeking Shahrukh is a wonderful and important read. Get reading!
That’s it from us this week. Take care and stay safe!