Gateway Features
Pakistani elites and the IMF
Courtesy: OpIndia
Since the beginning of 2023, Pakistani politicians have repeatedly asserted that a ‘deal’ with the IMF is anywhere from days to weeks away. However, earlier this week, the IMF rejected Pakistan’s request for a loan, as per Pakistani media reports. Herein lies an open secret. Pakistan is close to defaulting on its international loans, with official forex reserves of $4.09 billion, enough to cover read more
Erdoğan’s Türkiye, stet
Courtesy: Hey Tripster
A recent trip to Germany and Türkiye offered a study in contrasts. The city of Berlin, usually bright, felt austere under the shadow of energy scarcity and NATO military action in the Russia-Ukraine war. In contrast, Istanbul, the international centre of Türkiye, was upbeat and exuberant. Spending by tourists makes invisible the high inflation. Despite the electoral run-off and a second vote between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his opponent, economist Kemal Kilicdaroglu, there were few signs of tension. The city read more
Resilience and Inclusivity in Cross-Border Digital Supply Chains through Digital Services Trade and Investment
Courtesy: T20 India
Digital services innovation and the shift to online commercial transactions is contributing to more inclusive global trade and development. However, there are challenges associated with reaping these benefits, as there is scarce guidance on best practices in digital regulatory settings, and multilateral governance regimes around digital trade remain in their fledgling stages. International digital regulatory cooperation, including building resilience in global value chains (GVCs), is gaining priority. This Policy Brief considers the evidence base on digital economy policies which strengthen business read more
Food, Energy & Finance Connectivity in the Bay of Bengal
Courtesy: The Strategist
Despite its natural advantages and potential, the Bay of Bengal region lags economically, in part due to insufficient connectivity between the member nations. Improving financial connectivity between countries of the region can be a first step to easing movement of goods, services and people. Greater financial collaboration also can help the region mitigate the impact of ongoing geopolitical upheavals that have caused food and energy prices to rise. A regional development bank to fund energy projects, a venture fund to enable new read more
Research
Low global commodity prices, strong FDI inflows, and sustained growth have boosted the Indian economy in the preceding decade. This favourable economic climate, however, was disrupted by the pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine, exposing vulnerabilities in the global economic system. This paper focuses on India’s economic security challenges, particularly in six sectors - Food, Energy, Finance, Data, Space & Undersea Cables and Critical Minerals - and suggests possible courses of action.
Foreign Affairs
China’s expansionist nuclear programme aims to bolster its capabilities, so much so, that Beijing's predictions boast 2500 new warheads by 2030, thus rivalling the American and Russian arsenals. As the dragon quadruples its nuclear propensity, heralding the world to something greatly unstable – a tripolar nuclear system; nuclear peace seems a quite convoluted goal.
Book Reviews
V. Srinivas’ survey of the G20 and India’s road to its presidency is a reader-friendly and informative work that bridges the information gap and offers an insightful scholarly analysis of the multilateral.
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