The Takshashila Podcast

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a lasting impact on the global order. While Sino-US competition is expected to accelerate, middle powers like India could enjoy greater bargaining capabilities with both of them.

The death of nuclear arms control seems imminent. But what about conventional arms? In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan and Pranav RS talk to Dr. Ulrich Kühn about the history of conventional arms control and its impact on European security.

Facebook has announced a 20-member content oversight board that many are calling a "Supreme Court". Are 20 members really enough to moderate all the content on Facebook?

A recent attack in northern Kashmir killed the Commanding Officer (CO) and three other soldiers of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles.

Facebook - which owns WhatsApp - has recently acquired a stake in Reliance Jio. This might have profound implications for the future of Indian e-commerce and telecommunications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the risks of depending on China for global manufacturing. Is this a call for India to manufacture for the world instead? What will it actually take to achieve that? In this episode,

COVID-19 is taking a terrible human toll in West Asia even as it re-wires the region's geopolitics in surprising ways.

What are the challenges in developing a vaccine for Covid-19? How soon can we have one? And what if there is none? Shambhavi Naik and Sunila Dixit join Aditya Ramanathan to talk about the treacherous path to a safe and effective vaccine.

Many accounts of the Cold War accept the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). But did leaders and policymakers actually believe in MAD? And if they did, why did they engage in dangerous arms races? In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan

The spread of misinformation has complicated the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the misinformation ecosystem has thrived on both the novelty of the virus and pre-existing social biases. In this episode,

The COVID outbreak has resulted in shortages of key PPE and medical equipment. Building a strategic reserve of these could help encourage indigenous manufacturing, lower prices, and prepare India for possible future waves of the pandemic. Shambhavi Naik d

"Every crisis is also an opportunity," the old saying goes. Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane have some ideas on when that actually happens - and what opportunities India has during the COVID-19 pandemic.

China claims its military has been unscathed by the novel coronavirus pandemic despite being part of the containment effort. Could this claim be true? Aditya Ramanathan talks to Manoj Kewalramani and Suyash Desai to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the

Less than a year ago, the social media giants claimed that moderating content online was an arduous task. Yet, under the shadow of Covid-19, these companies are successfully removing misinformation from their sites.

Foreign investment will be critical to reviving the Indian economy as the threat from Covid-19 retreats. At the same time, there's concern about foreign entities picking up undervalued Indian assets.

As India prepares to ease lockdown restrictions and restore economic activity, most epidemiological models expect there to be fresh waves of infection over the coming months.

The Bengal Famine was one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern Indian history. What caused the famine and can it tell us how to handle a pandemic today? In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan talks to Anirudh Kanisetti and Sarthak Pradhan about a tim

The end of the nation-wide lockdown will inevitably force the union government to spend more money on healthcare and economic recovery. But is there money to spend? In this episode, Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane estimate the amount of cash required

Indian authorities have imposed price caps on face masks and sanitisers. Private labs have been told to conduct Covid-19 tests for free. While these measures may be well-meaning, they don't work, and are already leading to disastrous shortages. Anirudh

While India has a transparent nuclear doctrine, its nuclear arsenal is almost a black box to outsiders. Are India's existing nuclear weapons sufficient to deter China? And does India need ICBMs at all? In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan and Pranav RS ta