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Global Politics Young Voices (GPYV) Discussion #165

One Year of "The World Today (TWT)" | The World in Transiition

12 June 2026

NIAS Global Politics Young Voices #165
One Year of
“The World Today (TWT)”
(NIAS Daily Evening Brief covering from East Asia to the Americas)

NIAS Young Scholars’ Workshop
The World in Transition
12 June 2026, 0930-1645 hrs, NIAS Conference Room

 

0930-1030 hrs: Welcome and Inauguration
Welcome Remarks
Prof D Suba Chandran
Dean, School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS

About One Year of “The World Today”
Aparna A Nair, Brighty Ann Sarah, Lekshmi MK & Preetha R

Inaugural Address
Dr Shailesh Nayak
Director, NIAS

1030-1045 hrs: Tea

1045-1200 hrs: Session-I
The US–China Chip War:
How did the competition evolve? What are its global implications?
Yesasvi Koganti, Undergraduate student, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai

  • What are the existing tensions?
  • How did the tensions evolve?
  • What are the endgames of the US and China?
  • What are the global implications of this rivalry?

The US-China dispute over Panama ports:
Why are Washington and Beijing competing over Panama?
Glynnis Winona B, Undergraduate student, Department of International Relations, Peace Studies and Public Policy, St Joseph's University, Bengaluru

  • What is the strategic importance of the Panama Canal in global trade and geopolitics?
  • What has led to the recent tensions between China and Panama?
  • Why is the US concerned about China’s presence in Panama?
  • How is the port dispute affecting the US and China’s influence in the region?

The US-China Competition in Peru:
Why are the Callao and Chancay ports becoming important in the growing contest for trade, connectivity, and influence between Washington and Beijing?
Nithin V, Postgraduate student, Department of International Relations, Loyola College, Chennai

  • What are the Callao and Chancay port projects, and why do they matter?
  • Why has Peru become an important place for competition between the United
  • States and China?
  • How are the United States, China, and Peru responding to growing competition in trade, infrastructure, and connectivity?
  • What could be the economic, strategic, and geopolitical implications of these developments on Peru in the future?

Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz in China:
75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, CPEC expansion and Middle East mediation
Aparna A Nair, Graduate, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai

  • What happened?
  • What are the key outcomes?
  • What are the reasons behind the visit?

Discussants:
Akshath Kaimal, Research Assistant, NIAS
&
Brighty Ann Sarah, Research Assistant, NIAS

1200-1315 hrs: Session-II
AI Deepfakes and the crisis in democratic elections:
Are AI deepfakes destroying the foundation of democratic elections?
Deb Dutta, Undergraduate student, Department of Political Science, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE), Puducherry

  • What challenges do voters face in identifying authentic versus computer generated media due to AI?
  • How does social media's algorithm amplify AI-driven politicized misinformation and polarization across societies?
  • How are courts globally attempting to regulate tech companies in controlling deepfake political media?
  • What is the "liar's dividend" and how do politicians benefit from it when avoiding responsibility for their actions in person?

Autonomous Weapons Systems in contemporary conflicts:
What is the current landscape?
Madhura Meenakshi Tanikella, Undergraduate student, Department of Political Science, Alliance University, Bengaluru

  • What has been the role of AWS and LAWS in armed conflicts today?
  • How have these weapons systems impacted the nature and conduct of conflict?• How have international bodies, including the UN and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons process, responded to LAWS?
  • What are the implications of the development and deployment of LAWS on future warfare?

AI military contracting:
Why is the US government seeking to cut ties with Anthropic?
Aarav Bhaskar, Student, American Embassy School, New Delhi

  • What role does AI play in current military operations?
  • Why is the US government labelling Anthropic as a supply chain threat?
  • What is Anthropic's key defense against this claim?
  • What does this mean for the future of AI contractors working with the US government?

World’s first AI-designed vaccine:
Who does it protect, who controls it, how efficient is it? And is the world ready for such a scientific breakthrough?
Acsah H, Postgraduate student, Manipal Institute of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, MAHE

  • What led to the development of the world's first AI-designed vaccine, and what does it protect against?
  • How safe and effective was the vaccine in its first human trial, and what are its key limitations?
  • Who controls the intellectual property and does this risk replicating the unequal access to vaccines seen during COVID-19?
  • Does this vaccine represent a turning point in pandemic preparedness, or does it remain limited by the same structural barriers that have historically slowed vaccine deployment?

Discussants:
Padmashree Anandan, Project Associate, NIAS
&
Manikranth Chakravarthula, PhD Scholar, NIAS

1315-1415 hrs: Lunch

1415-1530 hrs: Session-III
The QUAD and the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC):
Why an increased focus on the oceans? What does it mean for the regional actors?
Lekshmi MK, Research Assistant, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

  • What is IPMSC?
  • Why is the Quad focusing on oceans?
  • Why are critical minerals becoming important to the Quad's maritime agenda?What are the implications for the Indo-Pacific and regional actors?

Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation Talks:
Why are China and Taiwan objecting?
Avaneesh S, Postgraduate student, Department of History, School of Social Sciences, Pondicherry University

  • What prompted Japan and the Philippines to pursue a defence and maritime cooperation pact?
  • On what grounds is Taiwan contesting the bilateral delimitation talks?
  • Why has China characterised the Japan-Philippines pact as unlawful?
  • How might the Japan-Philippines pact reshape China's and Taiwan's strategic interests in the region?

Shenzhou Mission:
What does it mean for China's space goals?
Aparna A Nair, Graduate, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai

  • What is the Shenzhou mission?
  • How has the mission progressed since its induction in 1999?
  • How does this mission aid China's larger space goals?
     

Online Gambling and Cyber Fraud in Southeast Asia:
Intricacies and Implications of its expansion
Siddhi Halyur, Undergraduate student, Department of International Relations, Peace Studies and Public Policy, St Joseph's University, Bengaluru

  • What are online gambling scams in Southeast Asia, and how are they linked to cyber fraud and human trafficking?
  • Why have gambling scams and scam compounds expanded so rapidly in recent years?
  • How have Southeast Asian governments and other countries responded to these criminal networks?
  • What are the political, economic, security, and human rights implications of these scams for the region?

Discussants
Rohini Reenum, PhD Scholar, NIAS
&
Preetha R, Research Assistant, NIAS

1530-1630 hrs: Session-IV
Climate Change, Fishing Communities and Coastlines:
Understanding the Future of India's Fisheries
Anshika Thakur, Undergraduate student, Department of History, Economics, Political Science, Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru

  • How is climate change affecting coastal and marine ecosystems along India's coastline?
  • How are these ecological changes impacting fishing communities and their livelihoods?
  • How are changing fish distributions influencing the mobility and migration of fishers?
  • What challenges do fishing communities face in adapting to a changing marine environment, and how effective are current policy responses?

Climate Change and Pakistan’s Economic Faultlines:
Six takeaways of the Pakistan’s Half Year Report 2025-26
Lekshmi MK, Research Assistant, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

  • Unequal burden sharing and inadequate climate finance
  • Rising economic and fiscal costs of climate disasters
  • Declining agricultural productivity and spillover effects on industry and labour
  • Deepening water insecurity
  • Weak institutional preparedness and capacity constraints
  • Limited social readiness and low climate prioritisation

Democratic Backsliding in Peru:
Understanding the Political Instability, Presidential Crisis and Institutional Failure
Ada Khan, Undergraduate student, Department of Political Science, Public Policy, Media Studies, Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru

  • What is the current political instability crisis in Peru?
  • What has led to the frequent presidential impeachments in Peru?
  • What role does the Congress play in the unstable political scenario?
  • How does political instability affect the citizens in Peru?

The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework:
Why are four democracies racing to secure the resources?
Radhika Agarwal, Postgraduate student, Department of Politics and International Relations, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar

  • What is the strategic significance of the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, and how does it aim to secure supply chains in the Indo-Pacific?What are the core pillars and financial commitments of the new strategy?
  • How does the framework address emerging economic and national security threats?
  • Why is this initiative a crucial diplomatic reset for the Quad right now?

Vote of Thanks

1645 hrs: High Tea

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