In Focus by The Hindu

The National People’s Power (NPP), the ruling alliance led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has secured a historic mandate in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections. By winning 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament, it has secured two-thirds majority, a feat never achieved before in Sri Lanka’s proportionate representation system.

This victory, coming two months after his election as President, leaves Dissanayake supremely well-placed to fulfil the expectations of a people exhausted by economic travails. But then, he will also be under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stick with the program of permanent austerity. Can he navigate these contradictory pulls on his government? If so, how? And will he use his two-thirds majority to establish a new political culture, say, by abolishing the executive presidency?

Guest: Dr Ahilan Kadirgamar from the University of Jaffna.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada venkatasubramanian.

Donald Trump is going to Make America Great Again again. He is all set to take oath in January 2025 as the 47th President of the United States. The media and opinion polls had predicted an exceptionally close presidential race. But Trump won by some distance, winning 301 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’s 226.

The Republicans now control the Senate, the House of Representatives and the White House. Trump has achieved this on the back of the most divisive, abusive, racist, and gynist campaign in American history, replete with profanities.

What does this electoral outcome mean for America? Where did the Democrats go wrong? And what do Trump’s staff picks reveal about the kind of administration and foreign policy he is going to offer?

Guest: Sriram Lakshman, The Hindu’s foreign correspondent.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

Exploitative work conditions faced by Indians in the Middle East is not new, but the recent reports emerging from Saudi Arabia’s ambitious $500 billion Neom project are shocking: a recent documentary alleges that 21,000 foreign workers have died and 1,00,000 have gone missing since 2017, while working on projects that are part of the country’s Vision 2030 initiative.

Earlier this week Nadhmi al-Nasr, the long-time chief executive of the Neom project departed, and while there was no reason stated, reports indicate Mr. al-Nasr had earned a chilling reputation managing workers of the project.

But despite sometimes horrific work conditions, multiple deaths and the continuing use of the kafala system, around nine million Indians continue to compete for jobs in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

India has one of the highest remittances from its citizens working abroad, in the world, with the figure estimated at $111 billion as of 2022. And yet, policies and laws to protect migrant workers are scarce.

Why do young Indians continue to go abroad for semi-skilled or unskilled work – are these last-resort options or are they still seen as lucrative employment offers? Why do there continue to remain minimal protections for those who go to these countries? Has the pattern of migration from India changed? And Does the Indian Emigration Act need an overhaul?

Guest: Saurabh Bhattacharjee – associate professor, National Law School, Bengaluru and co-director, Centre for Labour Studies

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Negotiators, government representatives, and activists from across the world will assemble in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 for COP29, this year's U.N. climate summit.  

This COP or Conference of Parties is dubbed the "climate finance COP" as it has a big goal - setting a new climate financing target. Negotiators will discuss ways to set up a fund to help developing countries fight against climate change. 

But, the issues of climate financing are not just about setting a target; it is about incentivising the private sector to invest in greener technologies, forming regulations to aid the process and finding ways to fund transition from fossil fuels.  

Guest: Dr. Monika Gupta, Assistant Professor, Finance and Economics, SPJIMR 

Host: V Nivedita 

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. 

The much-delayed Census may finally be conducted next year, with the process being completed in 2026. Following the Census the Central government may go ahead with a delimitation exercise – re-drafting constituencies, based on updated population numbers. This seems to have sparked concern amongst some south Indian States, who believe that the number of seats they represent in Parliament could decrease, as their populations are lower than those of certain States in the north, as they have achieved population control milestones. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently expressed concerns about his State’s ageing population and called on residents to have more children. Two days later, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, while attending a mass wedding event, referred to a blessing about acquiring 16 different kinds of wealth, said in jest that with delimitation coming up, perhaps residents should rethink having small families.

So what’s going to happen with the delimitation exercise? Will southern States lose out on a large number of seats while those in the north get more? Will these place a wedge between two halves of the country, driving ‘north-south’ politics? Is there are a fairer system to ensure adequate representation without penalising States that have performed better?

Guest: Sonalde Desai: Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), and Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, U.S.

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

Americans are all set to pick their 47th President on November 5. The campaigning has been one of the most fractious in US history, and the stakes have perhaps never been higher.

With the Trump campaign focussed on immigration and Harris on women’s rights, whose narrative has won? With just a couple of days of campaigning left, where do the candidates stand with regard to key constituencies such as Latinos, Blacks, especially Black men, Arab/Muslim communities, and women? And who is ahead in the battleground states?

Guest: Sanjay Ruparelia, Associate Professor, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson [AJR] for their work in understanding how good institutions play are essential role for a country’s prosperity. They explain how 'inclusive institutions' can help countries grow and create long-term benefits for everyone. They also explain how 'extractive institutions' provide short-term gains for the people in power.  

In a press release announcing the winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Economic Science, the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that societies changed when Europeans colonised large parts of the globe. "This was sometimes dramatic, but did not occur in the same way everywhere. In some places, the aim was to exploit the indigenous population and extract resources for the colonisers’ benefit. In others, the colonisers formed inclusive political and economic systems for the long-term benefit of European migrants," the press release says. 

AJR's hypothesis explains the role of institutions in wealth creation why some former colonies are poor. However, their work has come under sharp criticism from several quarters for ignoring the effects colonisation had on the colonised countries and how many of these countries still reel under the effects of colonisation.

Guest: Dr. Surbhi Kesar, a senior lecturer at the Department of Economics at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Host: Nivedita. V

Edited by Jude Weston

Eight months after he announced the launch of a new political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), actor Vijay held his first political rally on October 27th. The event attracted nearly three lakh supporters, and Vijay made it clear he has his eyes set on the 2026 assembly elections.

In a bid to clarify his party’s political values, he invoked the likes of Periyar, Ambedkar, Kamaraj, Anjalai Ammal, and Velu Nachiar. In a speech that lasted a little over 45 minutes, he implied that the BJP was his ideological enemy and the DMK, his political adversary.

What is the likely impact of Vijay’s foray into electoral politics? Can his party break the bipolar nature of Tamil Nadu politics? Which political parties are likely to see their vote shares erode on account of the Vijay factor?

Guest: B Kolappan, who tracks Tamil Nadu politics for The Hindu.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This is expected to lead to “disengagement” and eventually a proper resolution of the tensions that had emerged along the India-China border in 2020.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that this agreement is just the “first phase”. What exactly is covered by this patrolling pact? What are the outstanding issues that remain? And what is the significance of the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in the context of this agreement?

Guest: Jabin T Jacob, Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Shiv Nadar University.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

Yayha Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and head of the group’s political bureau was killed by Israeli forces on October 16. His death sparked contrasting reactions. While the West has largely endorsed the killing of a man Israel’s considers as the ‘mastermind’ of the October 7, 2023 attack, Palestinians, Arabs, and other actors in the Middle East have hailed him as a ‘martyr’ and a ‘hero’ who will inspire Palestinians to continue their fight for self-determination and statehood.

Some commentators in the West also see in his passing an opportunity for a ceasefire, return of the Israeli hostages, and a strategic reshaping of the region in favour of Israeli and American interests.

What does Sinwar’s death mean for Hamas? Will it help or hinder the prospects of a ceasefire in Gaza? What does Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mean when he said that the war is “not over” despite the killing of top Hamas leaders such as Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and also much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership?

Guest: Dr. Andreas Krieg, Associate Professor in the School of Security, Defence Studies Department, Institute of Middle-Eastern Studies, at King’s College, London.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Jude Francis Weston