Rivalries are a feature of international politics. Great power rivalry being the showpiece event. The never ending-security dilemma amongst Great Powers have often brought the world to near catastrophes over varying time periods in history. In an era of rapid advancement in technology leading to a new arms race & the resultant unpreparedness to deal with other kinds of risks such as the COVID-19 pandemic have once again brought into question the nature of great power politics. Additionally, this brings unintended consequences for countries like India that look to manoeuvre through these currents. 

To help us understand the historical basis of great power rivalry, the future grand strategies of U.S, China and Russia and its implications for India, we are joined by Professor C Raja Mohan, who is Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. 

Earlier, Professor Mohan taught South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. Prof Mohan was also the Founding Director of Carnegie India in New Delhi. He also writes a regular column 'Raja Mandala' for the Indian Express. 

In this episode of The Bridge Project Gold Series, Prof C Raja Mohan provides his take on a number of issues including the future of the Sino-American relationship in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing Sino-Russian strategic cooperation, the influence of domestic politics on great power competition and India's foreign policy challenges & opportunities in this context.

Show Notes

1. C Raja Mohan, "China has replaced Russia as ‘the foreign hand’ in American politics", https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-china-relations-trade-war-bernie-sanders-us-elections-donald-trump-c-raja-mohan-6361155/

2. C Raja Mohan, "India’s Russian Option in Eurasia", https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/indias-russian-option-in-eurasia/

3. C Raja Mohan, "Coronavirus poses a challenge to China’s place in global affairs, its political leadership", https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-outbreak-china-economy-xi-jinping-6261284/

4. C Raja Mohan, "With global institutions in turmoil, India needs to be pragmatic and fleet-footed", https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/world-health-organisation-coronavirus-crisis-india-delhi-china-un6356921/

5. Rajesh Rajagopalan, "With new WHO leadership role, India can’t fool partners with balancing acts", https://theprint.in/opinion/with-new-who-leadership-role-india-cant-fool-partners-with-balancing-acts/419165/

Attribution:
The Bridge Project (2020), "Great Power Rivalry and Its Implications for India", Gold(2), 31 May 2020, URL: https://www.buzzsprout.com/921337/3982763

Research Credits:
Carl Jaison

Music Credits:
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/