This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Dr Rajesh Rajagopalan, a professor of international politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The conversation begins on the significance of the G20 meet. Abhinandan asks whether the India-Saudi-EU trade corridor will usher in economic turbulence instead. Rajesh says the corridor is a “political counter” to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and Raman spotlights the role of international politics as seen in the Chabahar Port case. The panel also discusses the rationale and role of G7 behind the New Delhi declaration. 

The discussion then moves on to the politicisation and the historical patterns of spendings associated with the summit. Manisha says the government’s G20 expenditure must be looked at as a part of the incumbent party’s election campaign, with Modi’s image bolstered as ‘Vishwa Guru’. On India’s ties with Canada, Abhinandan questions the foundations of the hostility between the two countries and the role of social media. Rajesh highlights the threats furnished against Indian diplomats in Canada.

The panel then briefly dives into the familiar controversies around India-Pakistan sporting events. The panellists delve into the question of whether India should play against Pakistan, and its significance for the two nations.

This and a lot more, tune in! 

Hafta letters: Talking points, empirical evidence and why explore space