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    • Saurav Pandey asked: What is the significance of the G20 Summit of 2023 in India's foreign policy? What are the expectations that the world has from India?

    Rajeesh Kumar replies: The Group of Twenty (G20) is an informal grouping of the world's largest 20 economies. It accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the world GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and 60 per cent of the world population and has become one of the most prominent multilateral groupings in contemporary global politics. India took over the G20 Presidency from Indonesia on 01 December 2022. 

    About the Genomic Origin and Direct Source of the Pandemic Virus

    The debate over the genomic origin and direct source of the pandemic virus has intensified due to recent analyses concerning activities that had taken place in Wuhan prior to the initial outbreak and thereafter. Revisiting various aspects which are related to this development appears to be imperative, as certain early indications seem to converge with those analyses, while other recent analyses are contradictory.

    Download Complete Article [PDF]

    Dany Shoham
    April-June 2022

    Can we Become Wiser from the Havoc of COVID-19?

    Abstract: COVID-19 sent the whole world and economy into a tailspin. This article first explores the brief history of use of biological weapons. Furthermore, it encapsulates the debates surrounding the biological weapon convention in general and COVID-19 in particular. Finally, the article highlights India’s ability to fight back a pandemic and her resilience that was tested in the initial phase of COVID-19 and during the second wave.

    D. Padma Kumar Pillay
    July-December 2021

    Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka: An Assessment

    Depletion in foreign reserves has led to uncertainty about Sri Lankan government’s ability to account for import of essential items and debt servicing. Analyses of government’s policy measures and global geopolitical-economic developments suggest that a state of uncertainty is hovering over Sri Lankan economy.

    Gulbin Sultana
    March 10, 2022

    Shashank Mittal asked: What is vaccine nationalism and what is medical diplomacy?

    Rajeesh Kumar replies: Vaccine nationalism is the monopolisation of vaccines by wealthy nations. The 'my nation first' approach in securing and stockpiling vaccines is primarily done through pre-purchase contracts between governments and pharmaceutical companies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, wealthy nations had spent billions of dollars on deals with vaccine developers.

    Forget the Cheese of Zero COVID. Escape the Mousetrap of Lockdowns

    On February 18, SKY News UK trumpeted that ‘Lockdown is working! COVID-19 infection rate plummets in England’. Yet, as Figure 1 shows, Sweden with voluntary social distancing guidelines experienced an earlier and faster decline of COVID deaths per capita. The other interesting feature about the figure is how the mortality curves are policy-invariant, mimicking one another regardless of policy interventions between Sweden, the UK and the EU countries. The virus infection, hospitalization and mortality curves seem to rise and fall by seasons, independent of lockdowns.

    Ramesh Thakur and David Redman
    May 2021

    “China Plus One”: Supply Chain Resilience Initiative and Beijing in Indo-Pacific

    The drawbacks of over-reliance on China as a single manufacturing source has led to countries adopting “China Plus One” strategy to diversify supply networks. Whether Supply Chain Resilience Initiative by India-Japan-Australia can assist in partial decoupling from China is yet to be seen.

    Jagannath P. Panda
    July 26, 2021

    WTO TRIPS Waiver and COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

    The vaccine inequity is not only morally indefensible but clinically counter-productive. Allowing most of the world’s population to go unvaccinated will only spawn new virus mutations. Preventing this humanitarian catastrophe requires removing barriers – such as TRIPS – to vaccine production and its equitable distribution.

    Rajeesh Kumar
    July 12, 2021

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