In Focus by The Hindu

This episode is a short explainer on a news issue that’s dominated the day which is prominent voices from outside of India speaking in support of the farmers’ protests and the Indian government’s unprecedented response. The whole issue started with tweets by the pop singer Rihanna and the climate activist Greta Thunberg, but has sort of taken on a life of its own with several developments. Ther latest is that the Delhi police has now filed an FIR against Ms Thunberg as part of what it calls an investigation into an international conspiracy. We’ll give you some of the details of the story but we’ll also ground it in a larger context, a question that we’ve asked before on this podcast, non interventionism in international politics.Guest: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we turn our attention to international affairs and take a deep dive into what’s happening in Myanmar, where the military has once more taken over the country, declaring a year-long state of emergency and placing elected leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi under detention.It seized control following a general election which Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide. The armed forces had backed the opposition, who were claiming widespread fraud. And though Myanmar’s election commission said there was no evidence to support these claims the coup was staged as a new session of parliament was set to open.To understand why this coup happened now we have to go back in time to understand the strained relationship between the army and NLD, even in the years in which it seemed as if Myanmar was transitioning out of military rule. And looking ahead, we also try and understand the geopolitical implications of the situation in Myanmar and what the future now holds for Ms Suu Kyi.Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India has begun its massive COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and over 16 lakh frontline workers have been vaccinated so far. This however, falls somewhat short of the government's targeted number. There has also been some debate with regard to the emergency use authorisation granted to one of the vaccines being used.Experts point to vaccine hesitancy as one of the reasons the expected numbers have not been met. To speak to us about how the country has fared so far with the vaccine rollout, what the government can do about hesitancy and the need for transparency to build trust, is Dr. Shahid Jameel, virologist and director, Trivedi School of Biosciences. Ashoka UniversityHosted by Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We do a quick status check on the border situation with China, both about a clash that was recently reported and the continuing efforts at corps commander level talks to come to some kind of agreement on de-escalation.News broke on Monday, January 25, that Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Naku La in North Sikkim last week, in what the Army termed a “minor face-off”, resulting in some minor injuries on both sides. This was denied completely by Chinese media, but we’ll start by looking at the details of what we know about that incident.Also, on the preceding Sunday the ninth round of corps commander talks took place and by all accounts it was a marathon affair though the statement that finally emerged was rather cryptic.As we head into the tenth round of talks what can we expect? And what can we read into the incident at Naku La? We're joined by Dinakar Peri, The Hindu’s defence correspondent and Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu’s China correspondent to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We turn our attention to foreign policy in this episode and we’re going to be looking at the India-U.S. relationship specifically keeping the China factor in mind. These discussions take on particular significance as a new administration has just taken charge in the U.S. and that means a change in tone and style in the way that they deal with diplomatic relations around the world.Speaking at his confirmation hearing, President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, said that India is ‘bipartisan success story’, and made it clear that strategic ties with India will remain strong, especially on the Indo-Pacific and there would be continuity from the Trump administration in dealing with China’s aggressive actions. Yet, while the Trump administration maintained a consistently acrimonious relationship with China, something that suited India as it was looking for assurances on security, there are indications that the Biden administration may try something more of a balancing act, taking a hard line on some issues and seeking cooperation on others like climate change and..What could this change in style, and the new personnel that the Biden administration will soon confirm, mean for the three way relationship between India-US and China. And as we look back on the Trump Presidency, we ask what is the legacy it has left on India-US relations and how it can be built on.Guest: Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft, named Tejas. These would be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of around ₹47,000 crore, which also includes infrastructure development costs. Of the 83, 73 would be Tejas Mk1-A fighter aircraft and the remaining 10 would be Tejas MK-1 trainer aircraft.This deal has been hailed as a landmark event – in terms of achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing, and also for addressing the longstanding problem of depleting squadron numbers. The deal also raises several questions: How indigenous really is the Tejas, given that key components are foreign-made? How soon can they realistically be inducted into the IAF? How does this acquisition fit in with the IAF’s strategic requirements? To understand these and other aspects of this deal, we speak to Sushant Singh, Senior Fellow with the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi.Hosted by G. Sampath Guest: Sushant Singh, Senior Fellow with the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode recorded on January 20, 2021 comes on a pivotal day for America. Later today, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, following an extraordinary few days that have marked a very turbulent end to the Donald Trump presidency, following Trump's second impeachment, as well as the unprecedented mob attack on US Capitol. In the course of this podcast we will discuss what the Biden presidency may mean for India, US relations, the US role in the world as well as America's relations with China.Host: Ananth KrishnanGuest: Suhasini Haidar, National and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As India emerges as a major provider of vaccines in the neighbourhood, this episode examines India's vaccine diplomacy. From Nepal and Bangladesh to Sri Lanka and Myanmar, India is in talks to supply vaccines. How is Delhi balancing India's domestic needs with its commitment to help abroad? What are the considerations in India's outreach? What has been the impact of China's recent South Asia-focused multilateral COVID-19 diplomatic initiatives?Host: Ananth Krishnan Guests: Suhasini Haidar, national and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The HinduKallol Bhattacherjee, correspondent covering foreign affairs, The HinduMeera Srinivasan, correspondent covering Sri Lanka and the Maldives, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode we take a detailed look at the bird flu outbreak in India, look at how serious it is and how it can be contained.Cases of bird avian influenza or bird flu have been reported from Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks. During the first week of January, reports of unusual deaths of a large number of birds, including wild ones, started coming in from many States, indicating that the virus is being actively transmitted among various bird groups.So what causes bird flu and how does it spread? What is its impact on birds and what is the kind of threat it can pose to human beings? Crucially, how does one come up with strategies to contain it?Guest: G. Ananthakrishnan, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Jeffrey A. Engel, who heads the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University analyzes the attack on the U.S. Capitol, its significance and consequences. Mr. Engel goes into the historic parallels to recent events and the decisions made by U.S. President Donald Trump in their aftermath.Host: Sriram Lakshman, U.S. Correspondent, The HinduFind the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for ‘In Focus by The Hindu’.Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices