Geeta's World

Last week, as the world's attention remained fixated on the diplomatic row with Canada, a significant and alarming development unfolded in the Caucasus when Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled from Nagorno-Karabakh following the region's surrender to Azerbaijan on September 20th. 

This region is home to a majority of approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians. 

What transpired was the resurgence of a long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Lachin Corridor, a vital road, serves as the sole connection between the Republic of Armenia and the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. This corridor plays a crucial role in supplying essential goods, and residents in Nagorno-Karabakh have reported severe shortages of basic necessities like food and medication in recent months.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of using this corridor to transport military supplies, a claim strongly denied by Armenia. Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, has also asserted that it offered food and aid through an alternate route, but Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh refused to accept it.

Only recently, Azeri forces attacked Stepanakert, forcing the separatists to hand over full control to Baku. The conflict still claimed many lives, enabled mass displacement and triggered turmoil across the wider region. And another major humanitarian crisis is looming on the horizon.

Given these unfolding events, Our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta delve into the core of this conflict. They seek to understand why this war has resurfaced, explore the underlying reasons, examine the roles of Russia and the United States in this crisis, and assess the global implications of the refugee crisis that has arisen as a result.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau is yet to release any specific evidence tying India to the killing, which if proven would constitute a violation of “Canadian sovereignty” and “international rule of law”.

How probable will this evidence then be, which in a way will also have Canada implicated in this violation? 

An unnamed ally in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the United States, allegedly provided intelligence leading to allegations against India. So if the US is indeed involved, how will it affect India-US relations?

Our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss in this episode of Geeta's World.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

An investigative report by The Intercept reveals that the U.S. aided Pakistan in securing IMF relief in exchange for arms sent to Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

But why did the US specifically choose Pakistan to get the munitions? 

And what does this reveal about the US’s strategic interests in the region and its willingness to engage in covert diplomacy at a time when it's also cozying up with India? Will this impact U.S. foreign policy in South Asia?

Our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss in this episode of Geeta's World.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

Read Intercept's report here: https://theintercept.com/2023/09/17/pakistan-ukraine-arms-imf/

Despite India's softened language regarding the Ukraine conflict in the Delhi declaration, both China and the US have hailed India's G20 summit as a 'success' and a 'positive signal.' How did India achieve unanimous consensus?

At the G20 summit, a mega connectivity corridor, the IMEC or the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, was  unveiled. It is seen as a response to countering China's Belt and Road Initiative. But there are accusations that China’s Belt and Road is a broad “debt trap” designed to take control of local infrastructure. How does the IMEC differ?

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss India's week in the diplomatic sun.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

As India eagerly prepares to host the G20 summit this week, the notable absence of key leaders like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin has sparked intrigue and speculation regarding China's motivations for not attending. What could be its reason?

G20 is a great spectacle, but the preparations for it have resulted in people’s displacement, with the poor fearing they are being erased. Shouldn't Delhi be able to accommodate events of this magnitude, while not causing these kinds of inconveniences to citizens? 

Also, regarding China and Russia giving the summit a miss, Indian official sources, in its background brief, have said that “these dropouts do not reflect anything about the host country”. Is this assertion valid?

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Nitin Rawat

The 15th BRICS summit, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, kicked off today in Johannesburg, South Africa. The summit spans three days, culminating on August 24. Reverberating with significance, this summit emerges as a beacon of optimism, particularly in the aftermath of the Ukrainian conflict.

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss the summit's importance, its implications for India, and other crucial facets that define BRICS' role in India's contemporary geo-economic and geopolitical strategy. What does BRICS bring to the table? This summit is of many firsts. This is the first in-person summit since the COVID-19 pandemic and it's the first in-person meeting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Is there potential for BRICS, as a collective forum, to contribute positively to the ongoing peace efforts pertaining to Russia's war in Ukraine?

And how will the negotiation over letting in more countries play out since it seems inevitable that the BRICS would soon become an instrument of Chinese global diplomacy will the BRICS?

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Nitin Rawat

It’s strange that we're sitting here on our Independence Day, in a free and democratic country that is India, to talk about how on the same date, 15th August, a couple of years back, millions of Afghans lost their freedom at the hands of the Taliban.  Two years ago, Afghanistan saw a return of an oppressive regime which believes in stripping women of all their rights and locking them up in their homes. And yet, the underlying emotion to 15th of August, for both India and Afghanistan would be the same! Hope! Hope for a better future. 

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss all that transpired in the last 24 months of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, since their return to power on 15th August, 2021. It now stands as an isolated country and not a single country has formally recognised their rule. When the Taliban assumed control, we couldn't help but wonder: Will this resurgence mark a new chapter in Afghanistan's prolonged and blood-soaked history of conflict? Could the Taliban's rule descend into disarray, potentially creating a fertile ground for international jihadists and drug traffickers?

Nearly two years have elapsed, and the Taliban's dominion continues to extend across Afghanistan, with claims of having ushered in a semblance of peace and stability.  How much of it’s true, the duo find out.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

Russia's relentless war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating, extending over 500 days since its invasion.

The devastating war, characterized by air, land, and sea attacks, has caused the loss of hundreds of lives and inflicted suffering upon more than 44 million people. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a staggering 24.7 million border crossings have been recorded since the invasion began in February 2022, with countless individuals seeking refuge in neighboring countries. 

Russia’s war on Ukraine has led to spikes in food and energy prices, national currencies have been affected, and made it worse for countries in the global south especially, because they were already reeling from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic

Given the global scale of the conflict, efforts towards peacemaking have been made by various allies, including a recent initiative by Saudi Arabia. A two-day summit held in Jeddah was held over the weekend, where dozens of national security advisers and senior-ranking officials  from various countries met, and this was the second of its kind, following a similar forum in Copenhagen earlier in the summer. The summit's goal was to draft essential principles for ending Russia's war in Ukraine. However, it was quite alarming that Russia was not invited to participate.

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan discuss what went down in the summit, how viable are these peace efforts, what’s Saudi’s vested interests in it, the Global south concern and more vital questions.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

West African nation Niger faces unrest under military rule after President Mohamed Bazoum's overthrow in a coup. President Bazoum is now held captive by members of his own guard. Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of Niger's presidential guard, declared himself head of a transitional government.

This move has plunged the nation into unrest and turmoil, drawing strong condemnation from the international community.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders have responded by giving the coup leaders seven days to step down and reinstate civilian Bazoum, backed by the threat of force.

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan delve into this coup and Niger’s history in detail. Despite being one of the world's poorest countries, Niger possesses significant uranium deposits and gained independence from France in 1960.

The duo discuss how this situation is a blow to democracy in Niger and examine its implications for the country and other major players in the region, what Wagner's role here is, and how it affects the people there.

Join us for this insightful episode on the unfolding events in this West African country.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Sachin Dwivedi

Revisit our Sudan episode here: https://podcasts.indiatoday.in...&-history/geetas-world/sudan-why-africas-arms-dump-became-casualty-of-americas-global-ambitions-geetas-world-ep-41-548500-2023-04-25

The G20 has been a long-standing topic of discussion, particularly in the global south, and with India taking on the presidency for the first time since the forum's establishment in 1999, it has garnered even more attention. From December 2022 to November 2023, India's presidency offers a significant opportunity for the country to influence global economic and financial policies and engage in constructive dialogue with other nations on matters of shared interest. 

But is it going this way so far? Has it fared well?

Why is it that despite several meetings held, we have not been able to deliver a joint communique? Be it the G-20 Labour Ministers held in Indore that ended on July 21, or the G-20 Energy Transition Ministerial in Goa, or the foreign ministerial meeting. 

In this episode, our host Anna Priyadarshini and foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network Geeta Mohan focus on why all meetings have failed to deliver a joint communique, why it is crucial, what role do Russia and China play here, and what are the chances of having a joint communique now.  They also identify the specific shortcomings and loopholes that may have been overlooked and assess the efficiency of the G20's actions under India's presidency.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Sachin Dwivedi