State of Asia

India is having an eventful year. It led the G20, worked to welcome more members into the BRICS, and it landed on the moon. Despite persisting domestic issues, from economic inequality to shrinking civil liberties, India is thriving in its foreign relations – which may help Prime Minister Modi, as he gears up for elections due next spring. India has an ambitious goal: to become the world's third largest economy and to emerge as a geopolitical superpower. Will it be able to deliver on that growth and ambition?In this bonus episode of STATE OF ASIA, listen to four experts debate whether India will become a global superpower in the next decade, or see itself crippled by the many obstacles it still faces. The debaters, who presented clear-cut, time-constrained, well-thought-out arguments in an Oxford Debate we hosted on November 2, 2023, are:Frédéric Grare, senior policy fellow with the Asia Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations.Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive at the independent Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.Garima Mohan, who heads the India Trilateral Forum at the German Marshall Fund.Rathin Roy, managing director of independent global think tank ODI.Watch the entire debate here, and learn more about the speakers, on our website.Our Oxford Debate series offers insights into complex issues, presented in short and clear arguments. Find all the debates here.Stay up-to-date on all our activities: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5, bonus episode 2 - Published: November 7, 2023Host and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

C. Raja Mohan is a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Delhi, India who has published widely on India’s foreign and security policies, Asian geopolitics, and the global governance of advanced technologies.Last November, he delivered our annual State of Asia Address, which he kicked off by saying he wouldn't have minded talking about Europe, as he was 'deeply fascinated and troubled' by what he saw happening there. So, for this episode, we dialed up Raja in Delhi to ask him about his views on the State of Europe. He explains why he's troubled by Europe's inability to take charge and measure up to the many challenges playing out within and at its borders. He implores Europe to stop ignoring what's happening in the rest of the world, to recognize the dangers of its decline, and to rethink its strategies. "The party is over. Come back to the real world."Raja's 2022 State of Asia Address is available in an earlier episode of this podcast here, and on YouTube.This year's State of Asia Address will be delivered by Singaporean diplomatic veteran Bilahari Kausikan in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 21, 2023. Information on how to get tickets is  on our website.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5, episode 4 - Published: October 31, 2023Host and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society SwitzerlandAssociate Producer: Manuela Coldesina, Operations Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

Simona Grano is an associate professor at the University of Zurich and a Senior Fellow at Asia Society's Center for China Analysis, where she focuses on Taiwan and its upcoming presidential election.In this episode she gives us a lay of the land ahead of Taiwan's January 2024 presidential election. Instead of the usual 2, this time 4 candidates are on the ballot. How will this split the vote? And how will China react if, for the first time ever, the pro-independence DPP manages to  win the presidency for a third time in a row?Simona  will speak at the STATE OF ASIA conference in Zurich on November 22, 2023. Find information on how to get tickets on our website.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5, episode 3 - Published: October 17, 2023Host: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

Things are heating up in Solomon Islands. The South Pacific island nation of 700,000 people is gearing up to host its greatest event ever: the 2023 Pacific Games. China has built and financed most of the venues for the games, while Australia paid for dormitories for the 5,000 athletes from 24 countries, and Japan is improving the roads. All this, as the U.S.  reopened its embassy after 30 years, to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.In this bonus episode, hear from two Solomon Islanders on what it's like to be wooed by multiple powers. Dorothy Wickham is a veteran journalist from the Solomons. Jay Bartlett is a leading local entrepreneur, who served as chairman of the country's Chamber of Commerce, and sits on the board of the central bank.In February 2023 they spoke with Simona Grano, associate professor at the University of Zurich and frequent contributor to programs at Asia Society Switzerland, as part of our online series A Closer Look. This is an outtake of that conversation.Watch the full conversation on our website.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5, bonus episode 1 - Published: October 10, 2023Host and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

Alexander Gabuev is the Director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, based in Berlin.In this episode, he talks about having to leave Moscow and how he now gauges what's happening in Russia from abroad. He explains how Russia is out of options and increasingly seems to become a vassal state of China, and he talks about how alienation between China and Russia on one side, and the West on the other, is here to stay – and what that means.Alexander  will speak at the STATE OF ASIA conference in Zurich on November 22, 2023. Find information on how to get tickets on our website.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5, episode 2 - Published: October 3, 2023Host: Serena Jung,Program and Communications Director, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

Bilahari Kausikan, a veteran diplomat with 37 years in Singapore's Foreign Affairs, dives deep into the current state of global diplomacy. He discusses why he maintains a sense of hope amid global chaos and explores the challenges China faces under Xi Jinping. Kausikan emphasizes the agency small nations can leverage on the world stage, sharing insights into Singapore's diplomatic strategies and the complexities of BRICS dynamics. His experiences reveal how clarity in communication can transform international relations.

State of Asia, the podcast from Asia Society Switzerland, is back with a new season of engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.The season premieres Tuesday, Sep 19, with a conversation with Bilahari Kausikan, former Ambassador and Permanent Secretary at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. New episodes follow every other Tuesday.Bilahari, as well as other guests featured this season, will be in Zurich, Switzerland, to speak at our flagship STATE OF ASIA conference on November 21 and 22, 2023. More info here.Over the coming months, special episodes of State of Asia will also bring you insights from some of the many events organised by Asia Society Switzerland.Stay up-to-date on all our activities: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.State of Asia is a podcast series from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 5 trailer - Published: September 12, 2023Hosts:Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society SwitzerlandSerena Jung, Program and Communications Director, Asia Society SwitzerlandRemko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor/Producer:Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, discusses Japan's diplomatic initiatives, America's presence in Asia, and the evolving Japanese society. They explore defense and economic policies, the US military presence in Japan, reinforcing alliances in the Indo-Pacific region, America's presence in Southeast Asia, Japan's clean energy transition, and changing attitudes towards trade and investments.

Evan Feigenbaum, Vice President at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has a career spanning the highest levels of government, academia, think tanks, and the private sector, covering Central, South, and East Asia. It makes him uniquely qualified to discuss the State of Asia writ large on this final episode of the season.He talks about how China and the US act as 'security narcissists', creating a danger for the whole region, and how other Asian countries are nervously trying to navigate this predicament.Plus: hear why Even calls India a 'dissatisfied power' and why it's a problem that Europe is not being serious about Asia beyond China.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all. We'll be back this fall with a new season. Until then, look out for bonus episodes in this feed, featuring content from other Asia Society podcasts and some of the many events we organise at Asia Society Switzerland.Stay up-to-date on all our activities: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 4, episode 6 - Published: July 4, 2023Host: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor/Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

In this bonus episode of STATE OF ASIA, listen to four experts debate whether Europe should side with the U.S. on China, or carve out its own path in the relationship with Beijing.They participated in an Oxford Debate in front of a live audience in Zurich on June 26, 2023, organised by Asia Society Switzerland. Presenting clear-cut, time-constrained, well-thought-out arguments are:Noah Barkin, Senior Advisor in Rhodium Group's China practice, based in Berlin, Germany.Philippe Le Corre, Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, based in Paris, France.Simona Grano, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies and Director of the Taiwan Studies Project at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.Marina Rudyak, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chinese Studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.Watch the entire debate here, and learn more about the speakers, on our website.Our Oxford Debate series offers insights into complex issues, presented in short and clear arguments. Find all the debates here.Stay up-to-date on all our activities: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 4, episode 5.5 (bonus episode) - Published: June 27, 2023Host and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland