Pakistonomy

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Tanvi Madan about how India is dealing with a rising China and the current state of India-China relations. We also talked about what tensions between India and China mean for the country’s relations with the United States. Dr. Tanvi Madan is a senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program, and director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Dr. Madan’s work explores India’s role in the world and its foreign policy, focusing in particular on India's relations with China and the United States. She also researches the U.S. and India’s approaches in the Indo-Pacific, as well as the development of interest-based coalitions, especially the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad. Dr. Madan is the author of the book “Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations during the Cold War” Reading recommendations: - How China Sees India by Shyam Saran - The Long Game by Vijay Gokhale - Smoke and Mirrors by Pallavi Iyer - India’s China Challenge by Ananth Krishnan Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:10 Current state of affairs between India and China 9:20 India’s diplomacy around Chinese debt 16:55 Modi’s trip to Washington 25:15 Anti-Americanism in India 35:06 India’s diplomacy in East Asia 42:30 Trends to watch out for 50:05 Reading recommendations

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Hassan Abbas about his latest book, The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan After the Americans Left. Dr. Hassan Abbas is Distinguished Professor of International Relations at the Near East South Asia Strategic Studies Centre (NESA), National Defense University in Washington DC. He has also authored The Prophet’s Heir: The Life of Ali ibn Abi Talib (Yale University Press, March 2021), and The Taliban Revival (Yale University Press, June 2014), which chronicles the Taliban’s survival and resurgence after 2001, through firsthand research and interviews in the area. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Why did Kabul fall so quickly? 18:28 How did the Taliban evolve? 33:42 Pakistan’s role and impact on the country 53:26 Global impact of Taliban’s resurgence 1:04:57 Political instability in Pakistan and ethnic issues

In this episode, we dive deep into fiscal deficits in Pakistan and how they wreak economic havoc. In addition, we talk about the linkages between the fiscal deficit, higher interest rates, and external sector vulnerabilities. Dr. Derek H. C. Chen joined the World Bank in 2000 where he has held a number of positions. Currently, he is the Senior Economist for Pakistan, based at the World Bank office in Islamabad. He oversees the macroeconomics and fiscal programs and leads the production of various economic reports at the Islamabad office, including the most recent Pakistan Federal Public Expenditure Review 2023. You can read the Pakistan Federal Public Expenditure Review (PER) 2023 here - https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099041223153536828#/P17507702d44490bd0bb660b4b60037e930 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Why are deficits so high? 8:50 Impact of these deficits 16:40 Links between economic instability and deficits 22:40 Government spending issues 26:10 Subsidies for the rich 32:20 Recommendations to solve this

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Ilhan Niaz about what is going on in Pakistan today and what we can learn from history to understand the present and what may come in the future. We also talked about why the political class is morally bankrupt, how the judiciary has ceded space, and why the military has been able to reassert itself in the country’s political economy. Dr. Niaz is chair of the history department at the Quaid-e-Azam University and author of several books, including The State During the British Raj: Imperial Governance in South Asia, 1700-1947. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:55 Understanding the present 8:10 How the military draws power 16:26 The supreme court’s role today 27:15 Maintaining unity among civilians 32:15 Has Khan awakened the masses? 40:37 Scenarios for the future 46:05 The role of geopolitical rents 50:54 Is Shehbaz the worst PM in history?

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Ayyaz Malick about the ongoing crises in Pakistan and where he sees things going. Dr. Malick is a university lecturer, with research interests in Marxist and post-/anti-colonial theory. He has recently written a must-read essay on the ongoing crisis which can be read at the link below. https://jacobin.com/2023/05/imran-khan-arrest-pakistan-politics-crisis-military-alienation-ruling-class-oppression Tweet on military lands for agriculture - https://twitter.com/Benazir_Shah/status/1660897023531585539?s=20 Previous discussion with Ayyaz - https://youtu.be/_Qv0GrxM0-Y Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:40 Framework for understanding the crises 17:20 Shifting alliances and the importance of May 9 33:00 Why are PTI leaders leaving so quickly? 55:23 Role of the PDM parties in this and future scenarios 1:19:25 Can a savior like Khan save Pakistan? Reading Recommendations: - Antonio Gramsci - On the Southern Question (for understanding hegemony and how ruling classes rule) - Aijaz Ahmad - Lineages of the Present (for understanding Bonapartism, Bhuttoism, and fascism in South Asian politics) - Gyorgy Lukacs, History and Class Consciousness (for understanding structural blindness of ruling classes i.e. why elites cannot reform themselves)

We continue our special series on the US-China strategic competition this week by looking at Australia’s evolving foreign policy with Professor Jane Golley. Professor Jane Golley is an economist at the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University (ANU). Jane is an ANU graduate (BEc, Hons, 1993). Jane's life-long interest in China began with a brief stint in the Asia Section of the Australian Commonwealth Treasury in 1993, before she left for the University of Oxford, where she wrote her Dphil thesis on 'The Dynamics of Chinese Regional Development: Market Nature, State Nurture'. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:50 The Australian view on China 11:08 Assessing Australia’s China policy 14:50 Technology and geoeconomics 23:15 Debt-trap diplomacy 31:30 Who wins this competition? 37:50 What should Global South countries do? 44:15 Key trends to watch for 48:20 Reading recommendations Reading Recommendations: - The China Choice by Hugh White - Fear of Abandonment by Allan Gyngell - No Enemies No Friends - Six Faces of Globalization by Anthea Roberts

We continue our special series on the US-China strategic competition this week by looking at the deepening military ties between Pakistan and China with Sameer Lalwani. Sameer Lalwani is a senior expert on South Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is also a non-resident senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. From 2015 to 2022, Dr. Lalwani was a senior fellow for Asia strategy and the director of the South Asia program at the Stimson Center. He has also spent time as an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and as a Stanton nuclear security postdoctoral fellow at the RAND Corporation. Sameer recently published a report titled A Threshold Alliance: The China-Pakistan Military Relationship which is a must-read: https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/03/threshold-alliance-china-pakistan-military-relationship Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 What is a threshold alliance? 4:50 Pakistan’s procurement of Chinese weapons 10:25 Where is the Pakistan-China relationship going? 19:30 China’s influence in Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea 29:40 Important trends to monitor 37:37 Reading recommendations

Over the next few episodes, we are going to be focusing on the US-China rivalry and what it means for the world. In addition, we will try to bring to the forefront a diverse set of views on this rivalry and what key actors are concerned about and trying to do. To start things off, I spoke to Andrew Small on China’s rise, what are the key things concerning countries in East Asia, and where he sees things going. Andrew Small is a senior transatlantic fellow with GMF's Indo-Pacific Program, which he established in 2006. His research focuses on U.S.–China relations, Europe–China relations, Chinese policy in South Asia, and broader developments in China's foreign and economic policy. He is the author of The Rupture: China and the Global Race for the Future, which was named one of the 2022 Financial Times Politics Books of the Year, and The China-Pakistan Axis: Asia's New Geopolitics. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:50 China’s rise and key concerns 10:00 Military escalation in East Asia 21:37 Assessing Washington’s approach 32:10 Emerging markets, debt, and Chinese influence 40:20 What should South Asia pay attention to? 48:06 Reading recommendations

In this episode, we talk about the meat industry in Pakistan, key components of this sector, and why meat prices are going up in the country. Suleman Anwar joined us to share his insights on these topics, what a roadmap for reforms should look like, and why price caps will not work. Suleman is a six-sigma trained business development & turnaround professional, successful at driving sustainable top-line growth, improving customer retention rates, and continuous bottom-line improvements. After extensive corporate sector work for +14 years with international brands, in 2017 he started his entrepreneurial journey and co-founded three successful startups. He is also a member of SBN ExCom for Pakistan under the umbrella of the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives and has been a member of the working group of the State Bank of Pakistan on special initiatives. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:45 Key components of the meat value chain 12:20 Synergies in agriculture sector 30:30 Cold storage and dairy supply chain 40:50 Role of incentives in policy 46:50 McDonalds in India 52:00 Contracts and property rights 57:28 Key reasons for meat inflation 1:05:20 Roadmap for change 1:13:15 Reading recommendations Reading Recommendations: - Char Admi by Amjad Saqib - Getting Things Done by David Allen - Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger Readings for McDonalds in India: - https://mcdonaldsblog.in/2016/10/20-years-the-potato-revolution/ - https://www.forbesindia.com/article/my-learnings/in-search-of-the-perfect-potato-mcdonalds-in-india/21052/1 - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/we-source-all-our-ingredients-locally-mcdonalds-india/articleshow/17480753.cms?from=mdr

In this episode, Uzair talks to Leila Serhan about Visa’s strategy, role, and mission for digitizing payments and promoting financial inclusion in Pakistan. We talk about how the company views Pakistan’s market, what it is doing to have a meaningful impact in the country, and ways in which digitization of payments can be accelerated in Pakistan. Leila Serhan is the Group Country Manager and Senior Vice President for NALP. Leila brings more than two decades experience of leadership positions, including 20 years gained at Microsoft. Leila most recently led Microsoft’s public sector business across the Gulf region, and previously served as General Manager for its operations across North Africa, East Mediterranean, and Pakistan. She previously held roles spanning country management, finance and marketing and has driven public and private sector digital transformation initiatives in finance, government and education. Leila is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment, founding and currently serving as President for the Women in IT Association in Lebanon. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Visa’s business and core competencies 8:50 Barriers to financial inclusion 18:40 Visa’s impact strategy in Pakistan 23:06 Digital public infrastructure 32:40 Reading recommendations Reading recommendations: - How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie - Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt - A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles