The Takshashila Podcast

How should military leaders report difficult truths up the chain of command? As the coronavirus spread on board an American aircraft carrier, its captain sent a strongly-worded letter to his superiors that was leaked to the press.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been dealing with the global pandemic in their own ways. In this episode, Anand Arni, Pranay Kotasthane and Suyash Desai talk about how India's neighbours have responded and the role of SAARC and BIMSTEC in facilita

Did the WHO mishandle the SARS-Cov-2 outbreak? Should it have raised the alarm earlier and declared it a pandemic? Suyash Desai and Nischitha Suresh tell Manoj Kewalramani why believe the WHO messed up and how states use international organizations f

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty turned 50 this year. But its landmark review conference this year has been postponed because of the global pandemic. Anirudh Kanisetti talks to Aditya Ramanathan and Pranav RS about treaty's contested past and uncertai

The past six years have witnessed phenomenal growth in Chinese private sector investment in India. So which sectors have gained the most? How does this impact the Sino-Indian relationship? And what are the regulatory challenges that this trend poses? Mano

What will India's economy look like at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic? What should the union and state governments do to limit the damage and aid a recovery? In this episode, Anupam Manur and Nitin Pai discuss a plan to kickstart growth once the smoke

How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted China’s economy? Are we likely to see a swift recovery or a lengthy period of stops and starts? And what’s likely to be the impact on the global trading order? Manoj Kewalramani discusses all this and more with the

Why do we know so little about how the coronavirus pandemic is hurting Pakistan? In this episode, Pranay Kotasthane, Sarthak Pradhan and Sakshi Arora discuss Takshashila's new strategic assessment of Covid-19's impact on Pakistan, and the poli

The Russia-Saudi face-off on oil production combined with the global pandemic has sent crude prices plunging. What's the global impact of low energy prices and what can India do? Anupam Manur, Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan discuss.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is considered to be China's path to carving a new world order. But who conceptualized it first? And how do the Chinese actually think about their place in the world? In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani and Suyash Desai t

How is the Covid-19 pandemic reshaping the Sino-US relationship? Are we witnessing a geopolitical realignment in Europe? Is China’s influence growing or are its early failures and aggressive propaganda attracting a backlash? Manoj Kewalramani talks to And

What happens when the government takes away your property rights? Why does the state government own all sandalwood trees in Karnataka? In this episode, Anupam Manur and Pranay Kotasthane discuss the fascinating story of sandalwood regulations and its re

While the Covid-19 pandemic has cast a gloom over the global economy, there are some sectors and companies that continue to thrive. Rohan Seth and Nischitha Suresh join Manoj Kewalramani to talk about why certain firms are growing and how others are adapt

A number of states have leveraged technology solutions to combat the Covid-19 outbreak. What have they done? What can India learn from their experiences? And what are the long-term implications of these tech interventions?

We are probably still in the early days of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. What human and financial toll will it take? And what sort of a world will we inherit when this pandemic is over? Manoj Kewalramani and Aditya Ramanathan take a sobering

Could we be experiencing the last global pandemic? Will revolutions in computing and synthetic biology transform the way we deal with contagious diseases? In this episode, Takshashila's founders, Nitin Pai and Narayan Ramachandran discuss the pros

As Covid-19 cases spread around the world, China says it has ‘turned the tide’ to contain the outbreak. Anirudh Kanisetti and Manoj Kewalramani discuss how Chinese officials and media are now seeking to shift focus from China’s early fail

President Vladimir Putin is consolidating his power both internally and along Russia's peripheries. Is there a method that underlies Moscow's behaviour? Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan dive into the world of Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin an

India is one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world. But what can it do when hydrocarbon supplies are disrupted? Anupam Manur and Narayan Ramachandran talk about their new research into how India can build its Strategic Petroleum Rese

The military reforms initiated by President Xi Jinping have brought sweeping changes to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). But are these measures making China more secure? In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani and Suyash Desai discuss their new research on