HomePosts tagged 'India'
01/14/2021 01/14/2021 Brandon Christensen Links	freedom, India, moderation, morality
Must the president be a moral leader? Michael Blake, Conversation
Why I am not a moderate Jacob Levy, Open Society
Afraid to be free (pdf) James Buchanan, Public Choice
Is India's federal order doomed? Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Indian Express
"A criticism of Indian Americans by an Indian national in the US"
01/06/2021 01/05/2021 Brandon Christensen Culture, Economics	American culture, India, Indian Americans, Pranab Bardhan
[This is from my inbox, by Vishnu Modur. I reproduce it here with his permission – BC]
This Atlantic article got me thinking. As an Indian national in the U.S., I would like to make a limited point about some (definitely not all) Indian Americans. In my interactions with some Indian Americans, the topic of India induces, if you will, a conflicting worldview. India —the developing political state—is often belittled in some very crude ways, using some out-of-context recent western parallels by mostly uninformed but emboldened Indian Americans.
Just mention Indian current affairs, and some of these well-assimilated Indian Americans quickly toss out their culturally informed, empathetic, anti-racist, historically contingent-privilege rhetoric to conveniently take on a sophisticated "self-made" persona, implying a person who ticked all the right boxes in life by making it in the U.S. This reflexive attitude reversal comes in handy to patronize Indians living in India. They often stereotype us as somehow lower in status or at least less competent owing to the lack of an advanced political state or an "American" experience—therefore deficient in better ways of living and a higher form of "humanistic" thinking.
This possibly unintentional but ultimately patronizing competence-downshift by a section of Indian Americans results in pejorative language to sketch generalizations about Indian society even as they recognize the same language as racist when attributed to American colored minorities.
In the last decade, I have learned that one must always take those who openly profess to be do-gooders, culturally conscious, anti-racist, and aware of their privileged Indian American status as a contingency of history with a bucket load of salt. Never take these self-congratulatory labels at face value. Discuss the topic of India with them to check if Indian contexts are easily overlooked. If they do, then obviously, these spectacular self-congratulatory labels are just that — skin-deep tags to fit into the dominant cultural narrative in the U.S.
Words of the economist Pranab Bardhan are worth highlighting: "Whenever you find yourself thinking that some behavior you observe in a developing country is stupid, think again. People behave the way they do because they are rational. And if you think they are stupid, it's because you have failed to recognize a fundamental feature of their current economic environment."
12/16/2020 12/16/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	American culture, higher education, India, NATO
Mormonism and the culture war McKay Coppins, Atlantic
Europe outspends Russia on defense Barry Posen, Survival
The onion bomb and Hindu nationalism Rohit Inani, Newlines
The revolt of the baristas Jacques Delacroix, NOL
11/11/2020 11/11/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	Achille Mbembe, economic development, federation, India
The self-made British working class Helene Guldberg, spiked!
India and the Mughal Empire William Dalrymple, Literary Hub
On decolonization in Africa Sindre Bangstad, Africa is a Country
Federalism in Europe, America, and Africa (pdf) Jörg Broschek, F&D
A short note on Iran and India
10/13/2020 10/13/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events	connectivity, CPEC, geopolitics, India, Iran, sanctions
Ever since the withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), or the Iran nuclear deal, in 2018, Iran-India economic linkages have taken a hit. The impact on the bilateral economic relationship between New Delhi and Tehran became even more pronounced after India stopped purchasing oil from Tehran in 2019. The US had ended the waiver from sanctions, which had provided to India and a number of other countries, the continued ability to import oil from Iran.
In 2018-2019, bilateral trade between India and Iran was estimated at over $17 billion (mineral oil and fuel imports accounted for a significant percentage of the $17 billion). In 2019-2020, for the period from April-November, bilateral trade was estimated at $3.5 billion. There was a significant drop in Iran's imports to India, owing to the reduction of Iranian petroleum imports by India to zero.
Downward trajectory in the bilateral relationship
2019 witnessed a downward trajectory as far as New Delhi-Tehran ties were concerned, with Iran expressing its disappointment with New Delhi for not taking a firm stance against Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, in 2019, while making the above point in an interaction with Indian journalists, also stated that 'if you can't lift oil from us, we won't be able to buy Indian rice.'
Chabahar Port and the India-Iran relationship
The US on its part has exempted the strategically important Chabahar Port Project, India's gateway to Afghanistan, from sanctions. The Port was earlier touted by many as India's counter to the Gwadar Port (Balochistan Province, Pakistan), which is at a distance of 70 kilometres and an important component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Government of India had taken over Phase 1 of the Shahid Beheshti Port in December 2018 (according to an agreement India was to operate two berths within Phase 1 of the project). During the Covid-19 pandemic, India had used the Chabahar Port to deliver relief materials to Afghanistan.
After India's decision to stop the purchase of oil from Iran, and the souring of ties between both countries, Iran has given indicators that it is keen to get Pakistan (Iran had proposed to connect the Chabahar Port with Gwadar Port) and China on board. Iran has also complained that progress on the Chabahar Port was slow due to India's cautious attitude towards the project, (as a result of both American pressure and delays in funding).
In the aftermath of the Iran-China 25-year agreement, India has been paying greater attention to ties with Iran in general, and the Chabahar Project in particular, a point strongly reiterated by the back-to-back visits of India's Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, to Tehran respectively. Connectivity, economic linkages, and issues of regional security (specifically Afghanistan) were discussed during both visits.
There were reports that India had been elbowed out of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway project, an important component of the Chabahar Project, but Iran has categorically dismissed this claim.
Indian exports of Basmati to Iran hit by sanctions
While the India-Iran bilateral relationship is often viewed from the prism of the Chabahar Port and Oil, Iran also accounts for a large percentage of India's Basmati (an aromatic long grain rice) exports – 34%. There is likely to be a dip this year, due to sanctions, and Iran is already substituting Indian Basmati with Pakistani basmati.
The North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana account for 75 percent of Basmati exports. Indian Basmati exporters and growers have expressed their concern over the likely fall in exports to Iran (which is an important market).
The impact of US sanctions on Iran's economic ties with India, with Basmati exports being an important example, reiterate the point that the Iran-India relationship is far deeper and multifaceted than is often perceived. While the thrust is on connectivity and geopolitics, the economic links are often overlooked. It is important for New Delhi to seek the views of all domestic stakeholders as far as economic ties with Iran are concerned.
New Delhi should also take a cue from the UK, France, and Germany – also referred to as the E3 – which set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV), known as Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), in 2019, to circumvent US sanctions. (During the Covid-19 pandemic, INSTEX was used to provide relief materials to Iran). New Delhi clearly needs to think out of the box, and accord its ties with Iran greater priority given the economic, historical, and political context. The visits of India's Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Tehran in the month of September clearly emphasize the point that India is doing a re-think with regard to its Iran policy, factoring its strategic and economic importance. There is also a realization that Washington's approach towards Tehran may witness a significant shift if there is a change of guard in November 2020 (which can not be ruled out).
07/22/2020 07/23/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	bureaucracy, India, liberal world order, weapons of mass destruction
Is there a social history of Indian liberalism? Anirban Karak, JHIblog
In praise of the liberal world order Freisinnige Zeitung
The great cover-up of biological weapons Daniel Immerwahr, New Republic
What on earth is happening in Portland? Jamelle Bouie, NY Times
International students, international trends
07/17/2020 07/17/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events	China, COVID-19, higher education, India, internationalism, pandemics, students
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous discussions with regard to the impact it will have on the sphere of international higher education. Recent decades have witnessed a rise in the number of international students pursuing higher education in the US, the UK, and Australia (in recent years, Chinese and Indian nationals have been the two largest groups within the international student community in these countries).
According to UNESCO, there were over 5.3 million international students in 2017. This was nearly thrice the number of 2000 (2 million). The rise of globalization, which has led to greater connectivity and more awareness through the internet, have contributed towards this trend. It would be pertinent to point out that the global higher education market was valued at a whopping $65.4 billion in 2019.
In a post-corona world, a number of changes are likely to take shape in terms of higher education.
Likely changes in a post-corona world
The first change likely to occur in a post corona world is a drop in the number of Chinese students seeking to enroll at higher education institutions in not just the US, but also in Britain and Australia.
In the case of the US, a number of changes have been introduced with regard to student visas for Chinese students. In 2018, certain changes had already been introduced for Chinese students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Management (STEM) courses. Only recently, further changes have been made in the context of student visas for Chinese nationals. According to the new policy, F1 and J1 visas cannot be issued for graduate level work to individuals involved with the People's Republic of China's military-civil fusion strategy.
China has warned students planning to pursue higher education in Australia to reconsider their decision given both the COVID-19 pandemic and instances of racism against Asians. Chinese students account for a staggering 28% of the total international community (estimated at 750,000).
And, in Britain, where students from China were issued a total of 115,014 visas in 2019 (a whopping 45% of the total), recent tensions with China after the imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong could mean a significant drop in the number of Chinese students enrolling at British universities.
Second, given the disruptions in international travel, a number of students have revised plans with regard to pursuing higher education overseas. According to estimates, international student enrollment in the US could drop by 25%, which will have a significant impact on the economy (in Britain and Australia too, there is likely to be a drop in the number of students enrolled).
Third, universities have made concessions in terms of entrance tests, waiving application fees and even financial assistance, so as to ensure that there is not a drop in take. A number of universities have already confirmed that they are shifting to an online mode of education for the academic year 2020. This includes top universities like Harvard (USA) and Oxford (UK).
Fourth, countries that have an open door immigration policy, like Canada, are still likely to be attractive for international students — especially from India.
Importance of international students
What has also emerged from recent developments is that while governments may not be sensitive to the concerns of international students, universities (and companies) realize the value which international students add by way of talent and skills. Two US institutions, Harvard and MIT, filed a law suit against the US government (Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Custom Enforcement) for bringing out a notification which stated that international students studying at institutions where classes were being held online would either need to transfer or return home.
All Ivy league institutions and 59 other private colleges signed a court brief supporting the law suit. The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, which includes 180 colleges, also lent support to Harvard and MIT. As a result of this law suit, the Trump Administration had to rescind its decision, which would have impacted 1 million students.
Commenting on the judgment, Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow said:
"We all recognize the value that international students bring to our campuses, to this nation, and to the world."
In recent decades, the free movement of students has been taken for granted. Higher education was an important bridge between countries. In the aftermath of the pandemic, and the souring of ties between China and the rest of the world, international higher education is likely to witness major changes. At the same time, the use of technology also provides opportunities, and there is space for greater collaborations between higher education institutions in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and those in the developing world.
The View from New Delhi: Trump vs. Biden
07/05/2020 07/05/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events	alliances, American elections, China, Donald Trump, free trade, geopolitics, human rights, India, Joe Biden, multilateralism
In the run-up to the US elections, presumptive Democrat candidate Joe Biden's lead over Donald Trump has been steadily rising, and is well over 10%, according to various polls. There are four months to the election, however, and it is too early predict the outcome. Many believe that the mercurial Trump is likely to have an ace up his sleeve, and that his popularity within his core constituency is very much intact. Interestingly, one area where Trump has a lead over Biden is confidence with regard to handling the US economy. Trump also scores over Biden in terms of enthusiasm. The current President is lagging behind Biden in terms of important issues like law enforcement and criminal justice issues, foreign policy, the coronavirus outbreak, race relations, and keeping the country united.
Commentators, strategic analysts, and policymakers the world over are keeping a close watch on the US election. The question on everybody's mind is whether Biden's foreign policy will be similar to earlier Democrat Presidents like Clinton and Obama, or distinct given the massive economic and geopolitical changes which have taken place globally. According to Trump's former National Security Advisor, John Bolton – whose memoirs The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir have stirred up controversy and come at the wrong time for Trump – a Biden Presidency would essentially mean 'another four years' of Obama's foreign policy.
It is true that Biden has been part of what is dubbed as the 'Beltway.' and would be preferred by US liberals and the class of 'East Coast Intellectuals' who are dominant not just in academic circles, but the policy circuit as well, given the fact that he may not be as isolationist as Trump, and is likely to be less abrasive vis-à-vis US allies.
In the changed economic and geopolitical environment, globally, the former Vice President will need to tweak his approach on complex economic and geopolitical issues. We may thus witness a significant departure from the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, for example, as attitudes towards trade had already begun to change during the Obama presidency.
One strong reiteration of the above point is Biden's stand on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was former President Barack Obama's brainchild, and an important component of what had been dubbed the 'Pivot to Asia' policy, which sought to contain China's growing role in the Asia-Pacific region. (The Trump Administration has sought to build strategic partnerships in Asia through the 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' narrative.) Biden said that he would only join a 're-negotiated TPP' (one of the first steps which Donald Trump had taken when elected to office was to pull the US out of the TPP).
On China, too, Biden is likely to be more hawkish than Obama, though maybe he is less predictable and abrasive than Trump. Biden has already referred to some anecdotes in Bolton's memoirs, where the Former NSA highlights the point that Trump, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, lent support to draconian measures against the Uighur minority in Xinjiang
Interestingly, in spite of Trump's tough stance against China on economic issues, such as the imposition of trade tariffs as well as sanctions against Huawei (only recently, Chinese telecom vendors Huawei and ZTE Corporation were declared 'national security' threats), a number of Chinese commentators seem to prefer Trump, mostly because he has a simplistic approach, with US business interests being his primary concern. The US President has also not been very vocal on Human Rights Issues. Apart from this, Trump has given mixed signals vis-à-vis US allies. On the one hand, the Administration has spoken about the US working closely with its allies to take on China, and on the other hand Trump has taken measures which have riled allies. A recent instance being the Trump Administration's announcement of withdrawing US troops stationed in Germany.
Similarly, Trump's call for reforming the G7 and including Russia was not taken too kindly by countries like Germany and Canada, who believe that an expanded G7 should consist of democracies.
Trump's rapport with authoritarian leaders
While Trump's lack of gravitas in foreign policy has had an adverse impact on relations with US allies, he has got along well with authoritarian rulers like Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and even praised them. Trump has not just turned a blind eye to human rights violations in Xinjiang, but looked the other way when it came to the brutal killing of Egyptian journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 (the CIA concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince, Muhammad Bin Salman, with whom Trump shares a close rapport, was involved in the killing of Khashoggi).
In the midst of the pandemic, and India's escalating tensions with China, the US President also suspended non-immigrant work visas, including H1Bs (in recent years, Indians have received well over two-thirds of the total H1B visas which have been issued) until the end of the year. Biden, on the other hand, has been an ardent advocate for closer economic ties with India. The former Vice President had also backed the Indo-US Nuclear deal in 2008 (Biden was then a Senator), and during his visit to India in 2013 he also spoke in favour of a greater role for India in Asia, and the need for both countries to work closely towards this goal.
What has irked many in India, however, is Biden's criticism of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), NRC (National Register of Citizens), and his support for the restoration of liberties in Kashmir on Biden's campaign website. It would be important to note that not just Democrats, but even many Republicans, have criticised the increasing religious polarization in India in recent years, and a US government report also underscored the need for religious pluralism in India, highlighting cases of discrimination against minorities. Many right-thinking Indians, too, have been emphasizing on the point that India can not progress without social cohesion and warned against the perils of religious polarization and social divisions.
No US administration can afford to be soft on China any longer, and neither can India with its rising clout be ignored. The US under Biden is likely to cement ties with countries like India and Vietnam while ensuring that allies like Germany, France, and Australia are kept in good humor. What could change is the simplistic approach of Trump, where even links with allies are driven by short term economic gains. It is important to realize that US-India relations are driven by mutual interests, not just individual chemistry between leaders.
07/02/2020 07/02/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	annexation, Christianity, India, Judaism
Annexation as a policy issue is here to stay Michael Koplow, Ottomans & Zionists
Ashoka's moral empire Sonam Kachru, Aeon
Against damnation (is hell Christian?) Michael Robbins, Bookforum
Lockdown among Stamford Hill's Haredi community Toby Lichtig, TLS
Vacation links (Friday)
06/26/2020 06/25/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	Brazil, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Korea
Excellent piece on economic history and Indonesia
The geographical dilemma facing South Asia
The heroic Gwangju Uprising of 1980
A blinkered explanation for the rise of Jair Bolsonaro
01/23/2020 01/23/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	free speech, India, Iran, Palestine
The enemies of writing George Packer, Atlantic
The headaches of war Irfan Khawaja, Policy of Truth
The politics of annexation Michael Koplow, Ottomans & Zionists
Political thought in India under the British Rahul Sagar, Scroll
01/19/2020 01/19/2020 Brandon Christensen Links	Africa, British Empire, Elizabeth Warren, India
Liberating the precolonial history of Africa Toby Green, Aeon
The real Gujarat Model is not about economic growth Shikha Dalmia, the Week
The Methodist split everybody should be talking about Todd Webb, Age of Revolutions
The economic policy of Elizabeth Warren Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Despite pressure from Trump, Iran's world role will continue to be important
12/13/2019 03/09/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events	Afghanistan, Belt and Road Initiative, China, connectivity, diplomacy, geopolitics, India, Iran, Pakistan
Ever since taking over as President, Donald Trump's approach towards Iran has been excessively rash and lacking in nuance. The US withdrawal from JCPOA (Joint Comprehension for Plan of Action), the imposition of sanctions, and brash statements by Trump have heightened tensions between both countries. Allies of the US, including EU member states (especially Germany and France), have expressed their disapproval of Trump's Iran policy on numerous occasions.
In August 2019, during the G7 Summit at Biarritz (France), it seemed that Trump might have changed his approach towards Iran. The US President expressed his openness to engaging with Iran and dubbed it as a country of immense potential. After the attack on Saudi Oil facilities, there has been a visible shift in the approach of Germany, France, and the UK towards Iran. All three countries blamed Iran for the attacks. In a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) these three countries issued a statement condemning the attack. They also held Iran squarely responsible for the attack. Said the joint statement:
It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack
Why China is giving importance to Iran Continue reading →
09/24/2019 09/24/2019 Brandon Christensen Links	British East India Company, India, Russian Empire, Soviet Union
When the Soviet Union freed the Arctic from capitalist slavery Bathsheba Demuth, New Yorker
The East India Company and corporate excess Maya Jasanoff, Guardian
The relentless rise of the East India Company Jason Burke, Guardian
The legacy of communism in the Russian Empire's "-stans" Samuel Goff, Calvert Journal