The Reason Prime Minister Modi Visited Ukraine
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine in August 2024 was historic in many respects. The optics of the visit aside, the Indian mainstream media was busy trying to decode the purpose of the visit. Was it to show our neutrality vis-à-vis Russia? Won’t it anger Russia, one of our prime suppliers of oil and defence equipment? What is India’s role in global geopolitics more than two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
Takshashila’s Yusuf Unjhawala penned an op-ed for The Print in which he precisely answered the reason for Modi’s visit.
One, India needs marine engines for its warships, and upgrade its large air transport fleet and technologies—particularly propulsion. Ukraine knows that cooperation with India will bring in much-needed money for its defence companies, which are struggling financially and are severely impacted by the war with Russia. Factories of key Ukrainian defence companies—Antonov Serial Production Plant in Kyiv and the Zorya-Mashproekt complex in Mykolaiv—have been bombed by Russia.
Two, Zelenskyy may engage in some hard talk regarding India’s neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, but welcoming Modi to Kyiv and announcing that several agreements will be signed signals a readiness to focus on broader, strategic issues.
Three, by leveraging this visit to negotiate strategic partnerships in defence manufacturing and engage in a candid dialogue on the ongoing conflict, India can position itself as a key player in shaping the future of the region.
Read Yusuf’s full piece here.
Yusuf later appeared on a YouTube show on this very topic hosted by The Print’s Pia Krishnakutty. You can watch the episode here.
The Modi visit was also the subject of discussion of the Global Express show hosted by Neena Gopal of The New Indian Express, where Takshashila’s Manoj Kewalramani made an appearance along with other experts like Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh and Dr Gulshan Sachdeva, JNU Professor at the Centre for European Studies and Co-ordinator Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
You can watch the episode here.
Why Independent India Has Not Produced Great Political Thinkers
Takshashila co-founder and director Nitin Pai explores this important question in his latest column for Mint. In essence, Nitin has responded to a perceptive column by analyst-activist Yogendra Yadav in The Indian Express.
Nitin illustrates his point with a personal story:
“Several years ago,” he writes, “while I was helping a leading college design a master’s programme in public policy, I proposed that classes should be an interaction among faculty and students. I was shocked that the management was shocked by this, because they had been told by the UGC that subjects like history and politics were sensitive, and hence a narrative method should be adopted. Questioning was discouraged. Our education system thus forces students to memorise a politically-filtered curriculum in school and prevents its discussion in college.”
He adds,
“The second constraint is the colossal power of Gandhian, Ambedkarite and Nehruvian thought. Our intellectual life is conducted in the shadow of these giants. Even if we did not have a culture of veneration and hero-worship, it is hard to counter the depth, connect and popularity of the ideas of these early-20th century political geniuses. Just like how some scholars argue that political philosophy in ancient India dried up in the wake of Kautilya’s brilliance, it may be that we are so much in awe of the greats that fresh thinking is stifled.”
Nitin illustrates other points as well, and they are worth pondering upon. Read his full column here.
In The South China Sea, Philippines Responds to Chinese Assertiveness
For the past one year, the China-Philippines relationship has been simmering as a result of regular skirmishes between their navies in the South China Sea. During the ninth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on July 2 this year, the two sides reached a provisional understanding on avoiding miscalculation and miscommunication around the disputed islands in the Sea to allow for a moment of diplomatic respite. But does this provisional understanding indicate a temporary proverbial ceasefire or long-term rapprochement?
Takshashila’s Anushka Saxena explores this very question in her column for The Diplomat. In one word, the answer to the question in the above paragraph is no and no.
For one, Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels deployed in the area around the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, in the Spratly islands, have increasingly engaged in threatening manoeuvres to deter movement of Philippine ships in the region.
Since June this year, however, the Philippines has changed its tactics and its armed forces have responded in kind to Chinese aggression.
What exactly is motivating these manoeuvres, though? The China-Philippines dispute in the South China Sea is essentially a political conflict regarding the territorial ownership over features such as the Second Thomas and Scarborough shoals, and the resources around them. It has consistently been the Chinese position that these disputed regions have been part of Chinese territory since ancient times.
But there is nuance, though. As the conflict is non-kinetic in nature with no clear political winners, the two sides also engage in nomenclature warfare to assert claims over the disputed islands.
Recently, China proposed a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) meeting in a bid to resolve tensions. The meeting took place on July 2 in Manila, and was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Xiaodong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro. The differing perceptions of the agreement reached at the meeting are evident from the two sides’ post-facto statements.
In her piece, Anushka decodes these nuances and more. Read her column here.
India-China Relations Have Become More Competitive. Here’s Why
Takshashila’s head of the Indo-Pacific programme, Manoj Kewalramani was featured on the India’s Global Impulse YouTube channel where he spoke on various issues related to the two Asian giants.
With the host Prajwal, he discusses whether there is a thaw in India-China relations, the significance of high-level talks between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping, and the latest developments in trade between the two nations since there is pressure on the Indian government from the India business leaders calling for easing in restrictions on doing business with China.
They also cover the impact of the recent US delegation’s which included Michael McCaul, US House Foreign Affairs Committee and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Dalai Lama, the evolving dynamics in India-Taiwan relations and the expansion of the trade ties between the two sides, and the deepening of the Russia-China alliance. And finally, they explore the potential for Russian mediation in the ongoing tensions between India and China.
Listen to their insightful chat here.
Decoding Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s Moscow visit
Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russia has been hit by a growing number of sanctions by western nations. The EU alone has applied 11 rounds of economic sanctions against Russia since 2014, way before the war began. And the US increased its regime this year with more than 500 new sanctions. Russia’s ally, China, is also in the crosshairs of Western embargoes, with the EU imposing duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles in 2024. But such tactics have pushed the two countries closer together.
In his latest appearance on TRT, the Turkish public broadcaster, Takshashila’s head of the Indo-Pacific Programme, Manoj Kewalramani, speaks about Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Moscow and its larger impact. Listen to his interview here.
Wait, There’s More!
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Takshashila is hiring a research analyst on Pakistan. Full details on our Careers page!
Our pick for All Things Policy episode of the week is this discussion between Sachin Kalbag and Yusuf Unjhawala on the Bangladesh crisis and its impact on India. Listen to the podcast here.
Whatever you may accuse our Takshashila scholars of, you can’t point a finger at them for their acting. Our guys got together to shoot this #VeryDemureVeryMindful ad to promote our latest Graduate Certificate in Public Policy cohort. Apply fast, the deadline is September 1. Watch the video here!
And lastly, our guys are going places. Pranay Kotasthane and Abhiram Manchi’s blockbuster book When the Chips Are Down found its way to an Arabic magazine Itijahat Al-Ahahdath (Trending Events). The first and last chapters were translated for the magazine’s latest issue. Thanks to Muhammad Alaraby and FARAS (Future for Advanced Research and Studies).