The Red Sea crisis as a result of the attacks on shipping traffic by the Houthis in solidarity with the Hamas fighting Israel has had significant negative, economic ramifications for regional countries.
India’s G20 Presidency, based on the principle of inclusivity, gave special importance to the priorities of the Global South. The Think20 engagement group (T20), the ‘Ideas Bank’ for the G20, played a crucial role in connecting scholars and experts to harness ideas to enrich the G20 agenda and benefit the larger global community. One of the endeavours in this regard was to gather the perspectives of South Asian countries during India’s G20 Presidency, using the collection of speeches and select papers presented during the 14th South Asia Conference organised by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses on 17-18 January 2023. This volume provides various national perspectives on some of the crucial non-traditional issues confronting South Asian countries, including Myanmar, and well-researched ideas to deal with those challenges effectively. It contextualises the role of India as G20 President, and beyond, in addressing some of the pressing regional issues.
The signing of a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ agreement between Russia and North Korea for mutual defence assistance has raised serious concerns in South Korea.
Regional countries such as Vietnam have expressed environmental and security-related concerns as regards the Chinese-funded Funan-Techno Canal in Cambodia.
