The Takshashila Podcast

As China asserts itself once again in the South China Sea, the United States outlines a new position, and regional actors react cautiously, Suyash Desai

Even as the world is buffeted by a global pandemic and massive economic slowdowns, China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is quietly adapting to the new realities.

Can celebrities help build trust in a new vaccine? Shambhavi Naik and Anirudh Kanisetti talk to Aditya Ramanathan about the historical role celebrities have played in facilitating vaccinations in India since the early 1800s

Why did the Competition Commission of India rule in favour of Amazon in an antitrust case brought by a fashion brand? Rohan Seth and Prateek Waghre discuss this ruling and its implications.

Why did the United States aid and abet China's rise instead of "strangling the baby in the cradle"? Manoj Kewalramani, Pranay Kotasthane, and Aditya Ramanathan

From 1939 to 1945, the Royal Indian Navy fought on the high seas in the greatest conflict in human history. In this episode, Commodore Odakkal Johnson,

The Internet in India is governed by the IT Act. But the powers this law gives the state need to be balanced with due process and adequate safeguards. Rohan Seth and Prateek Waghre are joined by Gopal Jain, a Supreme Court advocate and

Recent Pentagon reports indicate that China is quickly leveling the scales against the US by building up its military. New frontiers in military technology are constantly being pushed,

India's national and state/city level serosurveys have come up with concerning results. The disparity between the estimated number of cases based on seroprevalence and the actual number of cases reported is,

Ever since Xi Jinping assumed power in China in late 2012, concerns about domestic stability, external challenges, and the resilience of Party rule have led to the building of a national security state.

Do statues, monuments and buildings represent history? Or just the preoccupations of those that erected them? Should statues of problematic figures be taken down? Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan

CIB or Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour is a precise-sounding term that remains imprecise. As the recent Buzzfeed exposé on Facebook highlights, platform action against such activities is often subjective and haphazard.

Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative that is foregone when exercising a particular option. Any good public policy needs to take this into account, to avoid an inefficient allocation of scarce resources

Once a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is available, who should get inoculated first? And how will India vaccinate at least 800 million of its citizens? Shambhavi Naik and Ameya Paleja discuss their new vaccine strategy with Anirudh Kanisetti.

Is the joint statement between India and China on 10th September a sign that the two sides are finding a way to end their standoff on the LAC? Manoj Kewalramani

The Imjin War of the late sixteenth century changed the fates of Japan, Korea, and China. But what was it all about? And why does it have such a powerful grip on modern imaginations?

Reports suggest that India is looking to formulate guidelines for consistent content moderation across social media platforms.

As India struggles with the COVID19 pandemic, questions about the capacity of the state have come to the forefront.

The new National Health Data Management Policy creates a framework for collecting citizens' medical data. Sunila Dixit, Shambhavi Naik, and Prateek Waghre discuss the provisions of this policy, and what it means for health and privacy.

The Pentagon’s 2020 China Military Power report emphasizes the advances made by the Chinese armed forces towards achieving "world-class" force status. Manoj Kewalramani