Episode 63: The Biden Presidency and South Asia

Two days after the United States elected Joe Biden as their next President and Kamala Harris as the Vice President, uncertainties and anticipation about the current President conceding remains. However, the election outcome was welcomed in South Asia with greater emphasis on the first female Vice President and her Indian ancestry. The region is at the cusp of competition with India and the US on the one hand and China on the other. The recent visit of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to South Asia - India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – has been viewed by many as an 'anti-China roadshow.’ Additionally the Trump administration's promise of pulling out troops from Afghanistan poses security challenges in the region. With all these structural changes underway, what are the likely implications? Prof C Raja Mohan, the Director of ISAS, sheds his insights into Biden’s Presidency and what it means for South Asia.