Shows / Interpreting India
Interpreting India
In Season 5 of Interpreting India, we continue our exploration of the dynamic forces that will shape India's global standing. At Carnegie India, our diverse lineup of experts will host critical discussions at the intersection of technology, the economy, and international security. Join us as we navigate the complexities of geopolitical shifts and rapid technological advancements. This season promises insightful conversations and fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that lie…
Episodes
Interpreting IndiaNuclear Weapons in Space
This episode is part of our curtain raiser series ahead of the tenth edition of the Global Technology Summit, Carnegie India’s flagship annual event, co-hosted…
Interpreting IndiaIndia, China, and the U.S. in the Age of the Technology Race
This episode is part of our curtain raiser series ahead of the tenth edition of the Global Technology Summit, Carnegie India’s flagship annual event, co-hosted…
Interpreting IndiaSubsea Cables, AI Infrastructure, and Africa's Connectivity Gap
Jane opens with a framing that runs through the entire conversation: for Africa, the subsea cable story is not primarily about geopolitics. It is about…
Interpreting IndiaIndia, Australia, and the Critical Minerals Opportunity
The conversation opens with a useful baseline on both countries. Australia has world-class mining equipment, technology, and services capabilities, and its…
Interpreting IndiaChokepoints, Economic Warfare and India's Strategic Options
Edward lays out three criteria for what makes something a genuine choke point: dominant market share, difficulty to substitute, and the ability to weaponize it…
Interpreting IndiaIndia's AI Ambitions and the Road to Viksit Bharat | AI Summit Special
This is the final episode of our special series on the India AI Impact Summit, examining the conversations, decisions, and debates that are shaping global AI…
Interpreting IndiaDid India's AI Summit Get Safety Right? AI Summit Special
This episode is part of our special series on the India AI Impact Summit, examining the conversations, decisions, and debates that are shaping global AI…
Interpreting IndiaSubsea Cables, Trusted Networks, and India's Strategic Opportunity
Pooja opens with a mismatch that frames the entire conversation. India consumes around 20% of global internet traffic but accounts for just 2% of global subsea…
Interpreting IndiaAI Literacy and the Future of Work in India
Jaspreet's framing for the AI and work debate is worth staying with. He is not dismissive of disruption: he thinks AI will destroy certain jobs, create new…
Interpreting IndiaCan AI Resources Be Democratized? AI Summit Special
This episode is part of our special series on the India AI Impact Summit, examining the conversations, decisions, and debates that are shaping global AI…
Interpreting IndiaSpace Security in the Age of AI
Almudena opens with a distinction that anchors the entire conversation: space security, unlike space safety, is about intentional harm. It concerns deliberate…
Interpreting IndiaAn African Perspective for Building AI for Global South | AI Summit Special
This episode is part of our special series on the India AI Impact Summit, examining the conversations, decisions, and debates that are shaping global AI…
Interpreting IndiaThe India-EU Trade Deal: What It Delivers and What It Doesn't
For most of the last decade, a trade deal between India and the EU seemed unlikely. The nudge came as the world changed around both. Nicolas points to three…
Interpreting IndiaFrom Bletchley Park to Delhi and What Comes Next | AI Summit Special
This episode is part of our special series on the India AI Impact Summit 2026, examining the conversations, perspectives, and debates that are shaping global…
Interpreting IndiaData, AI, and the Laws Trying to Keep Up
The conversation begins with a close look at India’s data protection regime, particularly the DPDP Act and its emphasis on consent. Nikhil challenges the…
Interpreting IndiaInside the Iran Conflict: Power, Strategy, and India’s Balancing Act
The conversation begins with a look at where the conflict stands today and how Iran has managed to absorb significant military pressure while still responding…
Interpreting IndiaRecalibrating BRICS: India’s Moment in a Fragmented World
The episode begins with a reflection on Brazil’s 2025 BRICS presidency, which emphasized continuity with the bloc’s original reformist agenda—particularly the…
Interpreting IndiaDeciphering the “Mother of All Trade Deals”: The India–EU FTA
Kumar frames the India–EU FTA as a deal India needed, not one it merely chose, arguing that with the multilateral trade system weakened, FTAs have become the…
Interpreting IndiaAI Adoption Journey for Population Scale: The UCAF Framework
AI progress is often measured by the number of pilots launched, but this episode argues the real unit of progress should be how many AI use cases are reliably…
Interpreting IndiaScarcity, Sovereignty, Strategy: Mapping the Political Geography of AI Compute
As AI systems grow more powerful, the computational infrastructure behind them has become a strategic resource, one that is unevenly distributed across the…
Interpreting IndiaCybersecurity in Outer Space: A Growing Concern
The conversation explores how cybersecurity is integral to space operations, drawing parallels with traditional air defense strategies. Blount discusses the…
Interpreting IndiaUnbundling AI Openness: Beyond the Binary
The episode challenges the familiar “open versus closed” framing of AI systems. Sharma argues that openness is not inherently good or bad—it is an instrumental…
Interpreting IndiaIndia’s Air Defense After Operation Sindoor: Lessons and the Road Ahead
India’s air defense has transformed from sparse radars in the 1960s to a multilayered network anchored by the Integrated Air Command and Control System…
Interpreting IndiaMilitary AI and Autonomous Weapons: Gender, Ethics, and Governance
The episode opens with Bhatt framing the global stakes: from drones on the battlefield to AI-powered early warning systems, militaries worldwide are racing to…
Interpreting IndiaBeyond Superintelligence: A Realist's Guide to AI
The episode begins with Kapoor explaining the origins of AI Snake Oil, tracing it back to his PhD research at Princeton on AI's limited predictive capabilities…
Interpreting IndiaNavigating the Open v. Closed Source AI Debate with Kailash Nadh
The episode opens with an in-depth discussion about the value of open source as a model of development and how the definitional contours of open-source AI…
Interpreting IndiaInterpreting China: From the LAC to Taiwan – Mapping China’s Assertiveness
In this conversation, Aadil Brar and Saheb Singh Chadha examine how China's strategic behavior across the India-China border, Taiwan Strait, and South China…
Interpreting IndiaInterpreting China: The People’s Liberation Army—Reforms and Challenges
Saheb and Suyash begin by laying out where the PLA stands today in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, and the factors driving its evolution. While the PLA has…
Interpreting IndiaInterpreting China: The Economy and its Impact on Foreign Policy
In this conversation, Saheb and Amit examine the three major structural dilemmas facing China’s economy: a persistently low domestic consumption rate of around…
Interpreting IndiaSecuring Space: Opportunities for U.S.-India Cooperation in a New Strategic Frontier
The conversation delves into the shifting contours of global space governance, touching on the rise of dual-use technologies, the importance of transparency…
Interpreting IndiaIndia's Defence Industry: The State of Play
Episode Notes Lt Gen P. R. Shankar outlines the evolution of India’s defense industry and how it is nurturing a growing ecosystem of indigenous production. He…
Interpreting IndiaThe Missing Pieces in India’s AI Puzzle: Talent, Data, and R&D
Anirudh Suri outlines the current AI landscape, discussing how the U.S. and China dominate the AI space while other nations, including India, strive to carve…
Interpreting IndiaTrade, Tariffs, and Technology: U.S.-India Relations in Trump’s Second Term
Peter Harrell outlines the Trump administration's evolving approach to tariffs and their implications for U.S.-India trade relations. The discussion covers the…
Interpreting IndiaTrump 2.0: Navigating the India-U.S. Relationship in a New Era
This episode explores the trajectory of India-U.S. relations as Donald Trump embarks on his second term as president. Arun K. Singh provides a detailed…
Interpreting IndiaSyria in Transition: Regional Dynamics and India's Interests
This episode unpacks several critical issues shaping the future of Syria and its broader regional impact. Gaddam Dharmendra provides a historical context to…
Interpreting IndiaBridging East and West: India’s Pursuit of Stability Amid China, Russia, and U.S. Dynamics
This episode unpacks several key issues that shape India’s role on the global stage. As India navigates the path to re-establishing stability along its…
Interpreting IndiaIndia's Lunar Exploration: Past, Present, and Future with Jatan Mehta
India's lunar exploration journey began with Chandrayaan-1, which marked a significant milestone in 2008 by becoming the first Indian mission to orbit the…
Interpreting IndiaThe U.S.-India Partnership Under Modi and Biden with Arun K. Singh
The Modi-Biden era is characterized by a profound deepening of ties between India and the U.S., with significant cooperation in critical and emerging…
Interpreting IndiaEurope’s China Policy with Janka Oertel
There has been a significant transformation in Europe-China relations over the past decade, with a shift from economic optimism to cautious de-risking. While…
Interpreting IndiaUnderstanding Drivers of China's Foreign Policy with Helena Legarda
There are many factors that have led to China's more assertive foreign policy, especially under Xi Jinping. In this episode, Helena Legarda discusses the…
Interpreting India5 Years of Interpreting India
In this special 5th-anniversary episode of Interpreting India, the Carnegie India team reflects on five years of insightful conversations that have shaped the…
Interpreting IndiaAjay Shah on Union Budget 2024: Fiscal Policy and Economic Challenges
The episode provides an in-depth analysis of the structural challenges that led to the slowdown in private investment in India from 2011, highlighting the…
Interpreting IndiaQuentin Verspieren on a Zero Debris Approach in Space Exploration
Space sustainability has become a critical issue with the increasing presence of space debris. In this episode, Quentin Verspieren provides insights into the…
Interpreting IndiaRaj Shukla on Modernizing India’s Armed Forces and Defense Industry
India's quest for military modernization has been marked by significant reforms in recent years. In this episode, Raj Shukla provides insights into the…
Interpreting IndiaVidyadhar Phatak on Urban Planning Challenges and Solutions in India
India's rapid urban growth has brought to light numerous challenges, including unmanageable expansion, inadequate housing, and air pollution. Vidyadhar Phatak…
Interpreting IndiaMadhumita Murgia on Addressing Unintended Harms of AI
In the past two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from a burgeoning technology to a transformative force, reshaping industries and…
Interpreting IndiaKarl Mehta on India's Tech-Driven Future
Karl Mehta highlights the critical role of trustworthy tech supply chains and the necessity for international collaboration among partner nations. Mehta…
Interpreting IndiaPoornima Dore on the Dynamics of India’s Regional Economies
India, a continent-sized country, exhibits profound regional economic disparities, with some regions having economic outputs comparable to upper-middle-income…
Interpreting IndiaSteven Freeland on the Governance of Space Resource Activities
In the realm of space exploration, there's a growing focus on extracting resources from celestial bodies like the Moon and asteroids. This calls for a strong…
Interpreting IndiaAjay Kumar on Defense Innovation in India
The recent war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East have provided valuable lessons when it comes to the nature of future military…
Interpreting IndiaJabin Jacob on China’s Increased Presence in South Asia
South Asia is a region of remarkable diversity, encompassing countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar…
Interpreting IndiaAnupam Chander on the Challenge of Regulating Free Speech Online
One of the guiding norms that has shaped the internet over the last few decades is that of online free speech. This norm is protected in many countries by…
Interpreting IndiaVijay Gokhale on Crosswinds of History: India, China, and the Cold War's Hidden Game
In this episode of Interpreting India, we delve into the often-overlooked history of India's early relationship with China. Author Vijay Gokhale former Indian…
Interpreting IndiaKarthik Ganesan on the Current State of Electrical Connectivity in India
India has seen superlative progress in electrical connectivity, achieving 96.7 percent connectivity to the grid as of 2020 from around 67 percent over a decade…
Interpreting IndiaIzumi Nakamitsu on Exploring the Geopolitics of Technology: Insights into Military Applications of AI
There are similarities between the UN’s efforts to pursue a disarmament strategy for nuclear weapons and the regulation of the military applications of AI…
Interpreting IndiaAmit Bhatt on Effective Ways to Achieve Cleaner Transportation
With the onset of winter, severe levels of air pollution have reemerged as a concern in North India. Various factors have been put forth to explain this…
Interpreting IndiaD. Shyam Babu on Caste Census and the Politics of Social Justice in India
The last publicly available nation-wide caste census in India was conducted in 1931. Now, a state-wide caste census has become available from the government of…
Interpreting IndiaDevashish Dhar on Understanding the Indian City
One of the most visible signs of India’s economic development in the past seventy-five years has been the growth of its cities. Some of them are now among the…
Interpreting IndiaStephen Ezell on Cultivating a Robust Semiconductor Environment
The U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was launched during the Quad Summit in Tokyo in May 2022. The purpose of the iCET was to…
Interpreting IndiaEmmanuel Lenain on the India-France Strategic Partnership and G20
Even though India and France have had a strategic partnership for twenty-five years now, the bilateral relationship between these countries has received…