Asia In-Depth

With over 970 million eligible voters, the ongoing Indian elections mark the world's largest democratic exercise. As the six-week-long election process unfolds, Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with Dr. Ronojoy Sen, senior research fellow and research lead in Politics, Society, and Governance at the Institute of South Asian Studies and the South Asian Studies Program at the National University of Singapore, to discuss the key factors shaping the Indian elections, voter perceptions on the ground, and the priorities for the new government. 

May 14, 2024 — Dr. Jenny Wang, nationally recognized psychologist and author on the intersections of mental health, Asian American identity, and racial trauma, discusses strategies for both Asian and non-Asian communities to prioritize mental health, reshape limiting narratives, and progress towards personal and collective freedom and autonomy. Kanika Chadda Gupta, seasoned CNN television journalist and podcaster, moderates the conversation. (55 min., 56 sec.)

As tensions simmer in its immediate environment, Japan is on high alert. In the midst of
China's "sustained aggressiveness," Japan is revising its defense and security policies.
But how does this align with its pacifist constitution, and is there still room for
engagement with China? Hear from Yuki Tatsumi, senior fellow and co-chair of the East
Asia Program, and director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center in Washington,
DC.

Yuki sheds light on Japan's historical approach to China, the current state of their
bilateral relations, and the delicate balance between deterrence and engagement.
We also discuss the implications of Japan's changing security policies on its relationship
with other regional players, including South Korea and India and we explore the
sentiment of the Japanese public towards these shifts.

Want more insights on Japan’s foreign policy? Watch Gideon Rachman, chief foreign
affairs commentator at the Financial Times in conversation with Jesper Koll at Asia
Society Japan in this video.

This episode is from Asia Society Switzerland's STATE OF ASIA podcast, bringing you exclusive, engaging conversations with leading minds on issues that shape Asia and affect us all. More info and other episodes: https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/podcast-state-asia.

Views of China in Central and Eastern Europe range from Hungary, eager to be Beijing’s best friend, to the adverse Baltics. Hear Warsaw-based China analyst Alicja Bachulska on the unique experiences Beijing has with the region, and how this could contribute to a more robust European China policy. 

This episode is from Asia Society Switzerland's STATE OF ASIA podcast, bringing you exclusive, engaging conversations with leading minds on issues that shape Asia and affect us all. More info and other episodes: https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/podcast-state-asia.

Managing Director Rorry Daniels interviews Asia Society President and CEO, Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, on what has shaped her career, including her mentors and key successes. The conversation also covers how Dr. Kang's experience in national government and international institutions influences her perspective on global governance and the important role of civil society and non-profits, including the Asia Society.

This episode is from Asia Inside Out, a podcast series from the Asia Society Policy Institute that takes you beyond the latest headlines and provide an insider’s view on regional and global affairs. Each month we’ll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else podcasts are found. More info and other episodes: https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/podcast-asia-inside-out.

Indira Ranamagar is Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal since January 2023. She started her career as a primary science and maths teacher in village schools in the southeast of Nepal, and became a social worker in prisons in 1990. For well over 30 years now, she has been a prolific human rights and social worker. In 2000, she founded the NGO Prisoner’s Assistance Nepal, which looks after prisoners' welfare and works to give children whose parents are imprisoned an education and a roof over their heads.

In 2022, she was elected to Nepal’s House of Representatives on behalf of a brand-new political party, taking her social work from the streets to parliament.

In 2007, Indira was named an Asia 21 Young Leader by the global network of Asia Society, while in 2009 her NGO PA Nepal received the Asia Society Asia 21 Public Service Award. In 2017, she was the first Nepali to feature on the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women in the world.

For more on Nepal, watch this episode of our popular series A Closer Look: a quick but deep dive into the Himalayan nation with Nepalese investor Suman Joshi, recorded in March, 2023.

This episode is from Asia Society Switzerland's STATE OF ASIA podcast, bringing you exclusive, engaging conversations with leading minds on issues that shape Asia and affect us all. More info and other episodes: https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/podcast-state-asia.

Nalin Mehta is a political scientist and journalist in Delhi, India, and author of The New BJP, a work you can only call THE  book on the BJP, the largest political party in the world. Under the leadership of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has solidified its position as the uncontested center of power in the world's most populous country.

As India heads to the polls over a 6-week period beginning April 19, we talk with Nalin about how the BJP built and expanded its power base, and what Modi, who is all but certain to once again win the elections, could set as priorities upon starting his second decade as Prime Minister.

This episode is from Asia Society Switzerland's STATE OF ASIA podcast, bringing you exclusive, engaging conversations with leading minds on issues that shape Asia and affect us all. More info and other episodes: https://asiasociety.org/switzerland/podcast-state-asia

NEW YORK, March 21, 2024 — Asia Society Policy Institute, in partnership with Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, hosts a discussion on the U.S.-China relationship and how it impacts global trends. Speakers include Kishore Mahbubani, 2023-24 Schlager visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House; and Orville Schell, Arthur Ross director of the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations. Rorry Daniels, managing director of Asia Society Policy Institute, moderates the conversation.

Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider’s view on regional and global affairs. Each month we’ll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. 

This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our experts and contributors into recommendations for policy makers to put these plans into practice.

WASHINGTON D.C., January 25, 2024 — In this episode of Asia Inside Out, Wendy Cutler, Vice President & Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., leads a discussion at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Asia Spotlight 2024 conference with Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent at PBS Newshour; Demetri Sevastopulo, U.S.-China Correspondent at the Financial Times; Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; and Edward Wong, Diplomatic Correspondent at the New York Times. The journalists and analysts discuss U.S.-China relations, China’s economy, the U.S. presidential election, and North Korea.

Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider’s view on regional and global affairs. Each month we’ll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. 

This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our expert

This month, we dive into the details of COP28, the world’s annual climate policy gathering, and what it means for Asia. Host and Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Managing Director Rorry Daniels discusses what progress was made and what remains to be done with her colleagues, Li Shuo, incoming Director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute and Kate Logan, Associate Director of Climate at the Asia Society Policy Institute, both of whom attended the COP in Dubai.

Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider’s view on regional and global affairs. Each month we’ll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. 

This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our expert