In this episode, Uzair talks to Gilles Verniers about the recent French parliamentary election results. With many expecting gridlock in Paris, Gilles helps us understand what the results mean and what comes next for the country.

Gilles Verniers is Karl Loewenstein Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi. He also holds affiliations with the Centre for Advanced Studies of India at UPenn, and the Centre de Sciences Humaines in New Delhi. His research focuses on Indian electoral and party politics, political representation, women and minorities participation in politics and India’s democratic trajectory. He regularly contributes to various Indian media and was based in Delhi from 2005 to 2023. He graduated from Sciences Po, Paris.

You can read his recent pieces on the elections here:

- https://m.thewire.in/article/world/france-election-far-right-marine-le-pen-macron

- https://thewire.in/world/france-dodges-a-bullet-for-now-but-sinks-in-uncertainty

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:05 Understanding the differences in the groups

9:30 The normalization of the far-right

20:40 Lack of coalition culture in France

30:05 Personalization of acrimony

33:01 The left’s agenda and its foreign policy

38:20 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations

- Cas Mudde, The Far Right Today (2019)

- James Shields (2007), The Extreme Right in France: From Pétain to Le Pen

This episode is about assessing Joe Biden’s foreign policy as it relates to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. While not a whole lot has changed in terms of the substance of US policy towards Palestine and Israel, a lot has indeed changed in terms of the political discourse in Washington.

Uzair talked to Matt Duss about these developments and the long-term implications of Biden’s foreign policy choices. We also talked about the prospects for a broad agreement with Saudi Arabia, and the ways in which communities can engage at the grassroots levels to influence foreign policy.

Matt Duss is Executive Vice-President at the Center for International Policy. The Center for International Policy is a woman-led, progressive, independent nonprofit center for research, education, and advocacy working to advance a more peaceful, just, and sustainable U.S. approach to foreign policy.

Before joining CIP, Duss was a visiting scholar in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From 2017-22, Duss was foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt). Duss’s work has been widely published, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The Nation, The American Prospect, and Foreign Policy.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:20 What has changed in Washington?

5:20 Role of AIPAC

8:40 America’s leverage over Israel

12:20 Impact of the presidential debate

18:35 Long-term implications of US choices

22:10 Saudi-Israel normalization

27:10 Key risks on the horizon

30:30 What can we do to change policy?

32:45 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations

- The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes by Zachary D. Carter

- Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe

There has been a lot of confusion about the recently-announced Azm-e-Istehkam effort, which was initially dubbed as an operation but later revised to be a vision by the Sharif-led government. To talk about what the state is trying to do and to better understand the growing security crisis across Pakistan, Uzair invited Iftikhar Firdous to the podcast. Iftikhar is founder and editor of The Khorasan Diary, an organization that closely follows security issues in the region.

We talked about the role of China and the Afghan Taliban in the ongoing crisis, the regional dynamics at play, and why the political division across Pakistan is exacerbating the crisis.

If you want to stay on top of these topics, follow Iftikhar at @IftikharFirdous. You should also follow The Khorasan Diary at @khorasandiary and subscribe to their YoutTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKhorasanDiary

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:20 What is Azm-e-Istehkam?

14:40 Militancy and illicit economy

26:20 No-go areas and growing insecurity

40:10 Chinese demands from Pakistan

46:02 Relationship with Afghan Taliban

53:10 Regional security dynamics at play

Shehbaz Sharif’s government has put forward a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year, setting off a debate on more taxes, government spending, and economic reforms. As parliament debates the budget, some things may change about the exact numbers. But to discuss what has been put on the table, Uzair spoke to Ammar H. Khan about what this budget signals and why it pursues a “deepening” of the tax net, as opposed to a widening.

We also talked about the energy sector and why prices are being reduced for industrial consumers of electricity, as well as Ammar’s views on what he calls the heartland strategy.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Budget takeaways

7:10 Pension reforms

10:30 Power subsidies

15:10 Inflation and salaried class

20:30 Digitization and taxes

26:16 Why are cash handouts criticized?

28:05 Electricity tariffs for industry

38:40 Heartland strategy and its issues

This year has seen more record-breaking heatwaves across the subcontinent, leading to immense loss of life and economic output. Given climate change, these heatwaves are likely to be the new reality around the world, especially in Pakistan and India. Both these countries face tremendous risks from extreme weather events, especially heatwaves.

In this episode, Uzair talks to Kathy Baughman McLeod about heatwaves and how we can be better prepared to deal with them. Kathy Baughman McLeod is CEO of Climate Resilience for All, a gender-focused climate adaptation nonprofit dedicated to the protection of people and livelihoods from extreme heat and all its impacts.

Kathy brings a record of executive leadership and impact for public, nonprofit, and private sector institutions including the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Bank of America, The Nature Conservancy, and the Office of the State of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. She was also named by Reuters as one of 20 “Trailblazing Women in Climate for 2024.”

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Understand heatwaves

9:50 What are places doing to deal with them

19:40 What should policymakers in Pakistan do

25:10 Adapting to the new climate

36:20 Reading recommendations

Reading Recommendations

- Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

- The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell

- All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

The world’s largest elections are over and they have delivered a surprise in India. While we will get more detailed analysis in the coming days, what is for certain is that the elections mark a return to coalition politics in the world’s largest democracy.

Uzair spoke to Rahul Verma about what the results mean for India, Narendra Modi, and the country’s democracy. We also talked about what the BJP and Congress got right, what they are likely to do next, and the role of coalition allies moving forward.

Rahul Verma is Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University, Sonipat. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include political representation, political parties, and voting behaviour.

He is a regular columnist for various news platforms, and a regular TV commentator on elections, party politics, voting behavior, and public opinion polls. His book co-authored with Pradeep Chhibber, Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India, develops a new approach to defining the contours of what constitutes an ideology in multi-ethnic countries such as India. He recently co-edited a volume with Sudha Pai & Shyam Babu - Dalits in the New Millennium.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Key takeaways from the elections

8:30 Has Hindutva reached its peak?

21:30 Return of coalition politics

29:10 Scope for reforms in a coalition

33:50 What to look for in the near-term

38:47 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations:

- Coalition Politics and Economic Development: Credibility and the Strength of Weak Governments by Irfan Nooruddin

- Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India by Rahul Verma and Pradeep Chhibber

- Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla

In this episode, Uzair talks to Abdul Moiz Jaferii about the ongoing cases in Pakistan’s superior judiciary. We focused on the wiretapping case being heard by Justice Babar Sattar, cases related to Imran Khan, and the broader implications of the supposed standoff between the establishment and the judiciary.

We also focused on the political ramifications of these cases through the summer and whether Imran Khan will be out of jail in the next few months.

Abdul Moiz Jaferii is a lawyer and tweets @jaferii

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 The latest at the courts

7:30 IHC’s letter to Justice Isa

15:00 Illegal wiretapping case

33:30 Political ramifications

39:00 Will Khan be out soon?

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ali Khizar about the upcoming budget and the ongoing conversations between the IMF and Pakistan. We focused on why this government will only pursue incremental reforms, the issues with the power sector, and why broadening the tax base is unlikely for the time being.

Ali Khizar is head of research at Business Recorder and has over 20 years of experience in economic research and business analysis.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:55 IMF’s focus for Pakistan

9:30 Taxes in the budget

22:50 Cost of energy

36:30 Privatization outlook

47:20 Political space for reforms

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ali Farid Khwaja about the potential of Saudi investments into Pakistan. We talked about why things were moving slowly, sectors Saudi is interested in, and why it is important for Pakistan to approach these conversations in a more professional manner.

Ali Farid Khwaja is Chairman of KTrade Securities and has over a decade of experience in the technology and financial sectors.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:35 Current state of play

12:00 What Pakistan needs to get right

19:20 Engagement with IMF

27:20 What is Saudi seeking from Pakistan?

32:30 Risks to watch for

38:20 Conclusion

In this episode, Uzair talks to Khurram Husain about the latest decision by the central bank to keep rates unchanged. We talked about why the central bank has a credibility problem and how the IMF is influencing its choices. We also discussed the ongoing conversations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, why it feels different this time around, and the role of geopolitics.

Finally, we also discussed the upcoming budget, the finance minister’s priorities, and how he can secure his position in the cabinet.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Interest rates and the IMF

16:20 Saudi Arabia’s interest in Pakistan

24:45 Role of geopolitics in Saudi conversations

32:18 Budget and reforms outlook

39:05 How long will the finance minister last?