Solutions to Change

by Aditya Vijay* When Donald Trump officially pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in January of 2017, the global consensus was that the deal was effectively dead. With the US accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the total GDP of the 12-nation TPP, Washington’s move away from the deal was unquestionably a blow to the idea of creating a single market for trade in the Asia–Pacific to rival the European Union. However, almost a year later, the TPP seems to have been given a new lease of life by the remaining 11 countries, which are intent on moving on without US support, to create a new free trade framework for the region. This new framework called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) incorporates many of the salient elements of the original TPP formulated by the Obama administration in February of 2016. However, it has suspended the implementation of a few provisions. These provisions, namely the investor–stat...

by Sara John* The central government is carrying out a slew of measures to revive the agriculture sector with the aim of keeping its promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. The government has been criticised for being populist in its budgetary allocations by providing temporary sops for the farming community, as the election results are greatly dependent on the votes of the rural population. However, the vicious cycle of the failure of the farmers to get profitable price for their produce, farmer suicides and loan waivers continue, amidst many policy measures and promises to help farmers get better price for their produce. It is an intriguing question as to why the farmers do not get reasonable prices for their produce, when other players in the agricultural market gain more profit than the farmers do. In an efficient market system, the producer should get the maximum revenue with a minimal gap in the price earned by the producer and price paid by the consumer. Given t...

By Anupama Ghosh* The two north-eastern states Meghalaya and Nagaland voted earlier this week. The counting of votes is scheduled on March 3, along with Tripura which voted on February 18. In both Meghalaya and Nagaland, anti-incumbency is a major factor. In Meghalaya, the Congress has been in power since 2008, while in Nagaland the Naga People’s Front has been ruling the state since 2003. An equally important factor is the foray of the BJP in the region, with aggressive campaigning by Prime Minister Modi. What makes these elections significant is that prior to the 2014 general elections, the vote share of the BJP in the north-eastern states had been negligible. However, the party has since made significant inroads in the region, with the BJP and its allies forming the government in five of the seven north-eastern states. Meghalaya Meghalaya- Assembly Elections 2013 In the previous elections, out of the t...

 By Aditya Vijay* In February of 2018, the military leaders of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Singapore and revealed plans to hold two joint military drills later this year, supposedly in October and November. This development perplexed many foreign policy experts and analysts. No one could decipher the motives of the ASEAN countries in agreeing to hold maritime drills with what many members of the association consider the primary aggressor in the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have territorial claims in the South China Sea, which directly conflict with Beijing ’ s claims. This then begs the question as to why the regional bloc would allow military cooperation with Beijing, when competing strategic interests are at stake. A possible answer may be found through a closer inspection of China ’ s economic ties and investments in ASEAN. China has been ASEAN ’ s largest trading partner for...