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Short political reports of the KAS offices abroad

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Vecteezy / rgaywala

Does South Asia exist?

Taking stock of a notoriously poorly connected region

Indians are aware that they are perceived as part of the continent of Asia. However, although their homeland is in Asia, they have not developed a self-image as Asians. When Indians go out for “Asian” food, they mean Chinese or Japanese cuisine. South Asia is also a foreign term that emerged after the independence of British India. It is a linguistic attempt not to reduce the region that was previously called India to the Republic of India. South Asia is often underestimated as a geographical area in Germany. While many wonder when Africa’s population will reach the 2 billion mark, there are already 2.02 billion people living in South Asia if India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives are added together. But can these countries even be called South Asia? This country report is a reality check for that term.

Dr. Adrian Haack
January 29, 2025
Country reports
CANVA Ai Image Generator / Elias Marini-Schäfer

End of Hindu nationalism or return of caste politics?

Lessons from the Indian parliamentary elections

In the wake of the Indian parliamentary elections, a number of German media outlets saw the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) loss of its parliamentary majority as a victory for democracy and a sign of the Indian population's resistance to Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism. Headlines included slogans such as: "India decides against Hindu nationalism and authoritarian tendencies” and “Democracy won instead of Modi”. But did the voters really turn against the Hindutva ideology of the BJP? Has the BJP overplayed its Hindu nationalist card? This article attempts to find answers to these questions and explain why the general election result was much more than a vote against Hindutva and perceived authoritarian tendencies.

Elias Marini Schäfer
July 9, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The dawn of the gods in India?

An analysis of the Indian parliamentary elections

India has voted and the Prime Minister is called Narendra Damodardas Modi once again. Contrary to the latest election forecasts, however, Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered significant seat losses. While the BJP had won a landslide victory in 2019 with 303 seats, this time it won 240 seats. This means that the BJP can no longer rule alone in the 543-seat lower house, the Lok Sabha. For the first time, Modi will now have to rely on his coalition partners from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to form a government. The party alliance received a total of 292 votes. India is now returning to a coalition government after a decade-long hiatus - a phenomenon that Modi did not experience during his three terms as chief minister of the state of Gujarat or during his two terms as prime minister.

Dr. Adrian Haack, Elias Marini Schäfer
June 12, 2024
Country reports
IMAGO / Hindustan Times

India's parliamentary elections 2024

The invincible against the disunited

When the world's biggest elections are held in India from 19 April to 1 June this year, two unequal opponents will be running against each other for the third time in a row. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is seeking his third consecutive term in office, will once again face Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had always lost to Modi in his previous two attempts. While Narendra Modi has never lost an election in his political career, in which he has held high political office for 22 years without interruption, the opposite is true for Rahul Gandhi. He has never been a minister in a federal or state government and has not led his Congress party to victory in the parliamentary elections in two attempts (2014 and 2019). He also resigned as party leader after his defeat in 2019. Nevertheless, he remains the most well-known face and lynchpin of opposition politics. The following country report briefly explains how elections work in the world's largest democracy and examines the state of opposition politics, particularly with regard to the Congress Party, in the run-up to the 2024 parliamentary elections. It also analyses why the next Prime Minister of India is likely to be called Narendra Modi once again.

Elias Marini Schäfer
April 16, 2024
Country reports
The White House

India and the USA

From "alienated democracies" to global shapers?

The partnership between the world's two largest democracies, India and the USA, is one of the most strategically important of the 21st century. Until recently, it was at an all-time high. However, this was not always the case. It was only at the beginning of the 1990s that both countries gradually emerged from the constraints of the bipolar world order. From a relationship of convenience, a promising working relationship has emerged that extends to many strategic areas - from trade and defense to joint space missions. How did this change come about and what potential do Indo-US relations hold for each other and for the preservation of a free and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond?

Alicia Pommer
December 20, 2023
Country reports
Lula Oficial / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 Deed

India's G20 Presidency

A Review

India's G20 Presidency is coming to an end. The climax was the G20 summit, which took place on 9 and 10 September and turned the world's attention to the subcontinent. Surprisingly for many observers, Prime Minister Modi announced a diplomatically hard-fought final declaration on the very first day of the G20 summit. The most significant news surrounding the G20 summit came with the expansion of the G20 into a G21 with the admission of the African Union as a member. Another positive was the signing of a declaration of intent on the so-called India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which is seen by many observers as a viable alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative. But apart from many positive but also negative news around the G20 summit and host India, it also revealed a lot about the domestic and foreign policy ambitions and concerns of the world's most populous country. The following G20 review looks at how India's current domestic and foreign policies are merging, something that has arguably never been more apparent than during this year's G20 presidency.

Elias Marini Schäfer
October 18, 2023
Country reports
wikimedia/ Government of India

India's G20 Presidency 

Hugs and a voice for all

On 9 and 10 September, the G20 summit will take place in New Delhi. But what are the prospects for concrete substantive breakthroughs on key issues such as the reform processes of multilateral organisations? And how can India's G20 presidency be assessed in times of deeply divided G20 member states? The following country report explores these questions and also sheds light on the extent to which Prime Minister Modi's government has seamlessly linked the foreign policy agenda of the G20 with its domestic political ambitions.

Elias Marini Schäfer, Dr. Adrian Haack
September 5, 2023
Country reports
Pixabay / dMz

The world's most populous country

Blessing or curse?

According to the latest UN report entitled "8 Billion People, Infinite opportunities", which was published in April 2023, India is now the most most populous country in the world. It has surpassed its geopolitical rival China, whose population in 2022 declined for the first time in six decades, with a birth rate of only 1.24 children per woman. The average Indian is now is now about 10 years younger than his Chinese counterpart. But what are the consequences and implications of India's population increase? Are these effects bound to national borders or do they have international implications? Can we speak of a demographic dividend or rather of a demographic crisis? And what impact does the demographic trend have on the country's rapid economic growth?

Elias Marini Schäfer
August 24, 2023
Country reports
IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

It's boiling in the Himalayas

Germany's turnaround must now lead to enhanced security cooperation with India

A battle between the world's two most populous states is looming on the border between India and China: at the end of 2022, a violent confrontation once again occurred between the two nuclear powers. The consequences of this conflict could be more far-reaching than German politicians have suspected so far. In any case, Germany started late in considering the Indo-Pacific as a security-relevant region. But instead of now consistently applying the conclusions of the turn of the times to India - especially against the backdrop of the Ukraine war - it remains mostly with declarations of friendship.

Felix Lorenz
July 14, 2023
Country reports
Pexels / Maahid Mohamed

Further rise of regional parties in India?

What role do India's regional parties play in the run-up to India's 2024 general elections?

Since the 1990s, the number of Indian regional parties has steadily increased.

Alicia Pommer
June 5, 2023
Country reports

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About this series

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation. Our offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. The country reports offer current analyses, exclusive evaluations, background information and forecasts - provided by our international staff.

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