Asia Inside Out

What happens when water problems are no longer temporary crises but signs of a deeper, systemic breakdown? On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, speaks with Professor Kaveh Madani, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH), about the concept of “global water bankruptcy” and what it means for Asia.

Madani discusses water scarcity and stress, the pressures facing agriculture and rapidly growing cities, the water demands of industrialization and AI infrastructure, and the need to rethink how economies manage water. The conversation also explores transboundary river governance, water’s role in food security and national security, and why water can serve as a foundation for international cooperation and stability. 

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with Prof. C. Raja Mohan, Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow with the Asia Society Policy Institute, to discuss the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, and the New Geopolitics.

The conversation assesses the rapid emergence of plurilaterals and minilaterals over traditional multilateralism. It reflects on the SCO summit in Bishkek, the upcoming BRICS summit in India, India-China ties, and the evolving Middle East. 

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with H.E. Professor Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, to discuss Pakistan's economic transformation and evolving role in regional and global affairs.

The conversation explores U.S.-Pakistan relations, critical minerals, Pakistan's strategy for balancing ties with both the United States and China, CPEC 2.0, artificial intelligence, technology sovereignty, climate resilience, water security, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and the future of regional cooperation in South Asia. Minister Iqbal also discusses Pakistan's AI ecosystem, education reforms, investment priorities, and his vision for economic growth through innovation, connectivity, and geoeconomics.

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, Director for South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Sanger unpacks the Iran war's shifting goalposts and its ripple effects across the Persian Gulf; the emergence of players like Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan and what the shifting regional order means for the United States; the recalibration of U.S.-China relations under Trump's second term; Europe's defense spending reckoning and doubts over America's security guarantees; and how the global artificial intelligence race is changing the nature of conflict and reshaping great power competition.

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Akshay Mathur, Senior Director of Asia Society Policy Institute Delhi, speaks with Ambassador Gurjit Singh, former Indian Ambassador to ASEAN, Indonesia, Germany, Ethiopia, and the African Union, about the future of India's relationship with ASEAN. Drawing on Singh's latest book, The Durian Flavour, they explore the historical and cultural foundations of India's engagement with Southeast Asia, the evolution of India's Look East and Act East policies, India's strategic partnership with Indonesia and ASEAN, China's growing regional influence, and the opportunities shaping the Indo-Pacific in an increasingly competitive geopolitical landscape.

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

For Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, ASPI's Director of South Asia Initiatives, speaks with Anirudh Suri, author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast,  about India's evolving AI strategy, its pursuit of technological sovereignty, and how, as a middle power, it can collaborate with like-minded partners to advance shared AI goals.

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On her final episode of Asia Inside Out, Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), is joined by Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of ASPI; and Danny Russel, distinguished fellow at ASPI. With President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing now scheduled for May, they take stock of U.S.-China relations, assess how the Iran war is reshaping the strategic landscape, and examine how Indo-Pacific allies are interpreting recent developments. Drawing on their experience as senior diplomats, Cutler and Russel offer insights into possible outcomes of the Trump-Xi summit, as well as what Americans can expect at the negotiating table. (52 min., 47 sec.)

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

February 9, 2026 — On this special episode of Asia Inside Out, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, 25th Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and non-resident distinguished fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute, speaks with Daniel Russel, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and distinguished fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute. They discuss U.S. defense and alliance strategy following the release of the 2025 National Security Strategy and 2026 National Defense Strategy, and how U.S. policy toward Asia fits within the current global security landscape. (55 min., 21 sec.)

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

January 22, 2026 — In this episode of Asia Inside Out, Rorry Daniels, Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), speaks with Jeffrey Feltman, Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow at ASPI, about the 2025-2026 protests in Iran and what they mean for the future of Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime. Daniels and Feltman unpack the range of international responses and examine how Iran fits into U.S. President Donald Trump’s evolving foreign policy calculus. 

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Rorry Daniels, Managing Director, sits down with Dr. Leslie Teo, Senior Director of AI Products at AI Singapore, to explore how Singapore is shaping AI adoption and setting governance norms across Southeast Asia. Ahead of the upcoming AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, they cover the importance of localized large language models and open-source data to equitable AI adoption. 

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 episode 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 policymakers to put these plans into practice.