Rishap Vats Profile picture
Faculty | PolSci & IR | China & India, CPEC, Indo-Pacifc | Previously @ Jaihind College, @ics_delhi, @statecraftdaily | RTs ≠ endorsements
Jan 1, 2024 17 tweets 6 min read
Not a big of fan of sharing all additions to my library, but here are some of the books I had the pleasure of reading last year (or so) on everything Pakistan, and the Af-Pak region more broadly.

P.S. It's mostly nonfiction, and only a few of them have been published recently🧵 Frontier of Faith: Islam in the Indo-Afghan Borderland, by Sana Haroon (2007)

For understanding the history of the persistent tumult in the borderlands of Pakistan, esp the North-West Frontier region. Also looks at the clerical establishments, how they co-exist and interact. Image
Jun 21, 2023 35 tweets 9 min read
What to expect in the coming days from PM Modi's state visit to the US. Some predictions through memes: 🧵 Image Some US legislators and members of the progressive press who have just come across the US-India 'values' debate, after reading one editorial in today's paper: Image
Jun 20, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
The audacity to write this after the shameful 2018 Panchayat elections in WB, where intimidation and large-scale violence led to main opposition party candidates not filing nominations in almost half of the seats, with 35% of seats being won by TMC totally unopposed. Imagine knowing what all happened last time and writing this nonsense.
Jun 20, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
A leader of a secessionist group that has carried attacks on Indian soil from Canada (ordering hits in India) does not have to be violent in the resident country. Plus, if Candian journalist ignore Khalistani symbols and the extremist ideology that underpins it, that's on them. She is literally citing Baaz.

That's like citing ISIS's propaganda arm when one of their leader's is killed. The ignorance of journalists in Canada about these individuals, the figures they celebrate or the movements they spearhead, is scary to see.
Jun 20, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
PM Modi's interview (written replies) with WSJ: Key points.

“Let me be clear that we do not see India as supplanting any country. We see this process as India gaining its rightful position in the world.” wsj.com/articles/india… Focus on the diversification and India's potential role in it.

“The world today is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. To create resilience, there should be more diversification in supply chains.”
Jun 18, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
The man considered to be the father of Chinese aircraft carrier program, Liu Huaqing, had studied under great Soviet Admiral Gorshkov. Seen as an 'evangelist for Soviet carrier aviation' himself, he's the guy who had a Russian carrier named after him, the one India later bought. Fascinating to read about the carrier debates in China of the 80s and the 90s, esp about China's decision to not start building a carrier at the time or even get a refurbished one from Russia early on, despite having the capabilities (and generous offers of assistance) to do so.
Apr 4, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
"....WhatsApp chats where Mukulika Banerjee, professor at LSE is....telling other students to reject the candidature of Mr Kataria for having alleged links with the Hindu right"

"She had joined Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and hosted him in London"
firstpost.com/world/exclusiv… "According to evidence, she sent personalised messages to her students on WhatsApp....Firstpost has also accessed a call recording where one of the students of LSE can be heard claiming that Mukulika Banerjee called him to convey that Karan had links with the RSS or Hindu right"
Apr 4, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
Which alternate universe is this?  livemint.com/news/world/chi… "While responding to TASS Agency's question about Russia's new foreign policy concept, Mao said..."

Oh, Makes more sense. But interesting how even China keeps pushing this line, or finds it instrumental to use this when talking about "multilateralism" etc.
Sep 26, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
Jaishankar: "For someone to say I am doing this because it's all counter terrorism content...an aircraft like a capability of an F-16, where everybody knows, you know where they are deployed and their use. You're not fooling anybody by saying these things" m.economictimes.com/news/defence/y… But to be fair, they're still fooling some Indians who think raising any objection is tantamount to blasphemy in this relationship, and that India should just not react at all. Slightest disapproval and for some reason they automatically begin to "what about Russia?", as if by...
Sep 25, 2022 5 tweets 2 min read
"Some link the disorder and the reaction to it to the Hindutva ideology. They believe that Indian politics is being imported to the city, but thus far the BBC has found no direct link to such groups in the run-up to the disorder"

And so it falls apart. bbc.com/news/blogs-tre… While this story is not inaccurate, it does leave out a few things for some reason.

First, it rightly traces the issue back to the scuffle post the cricket match, but what it somehow omits is the attacks on the homes of Indian families after that. (On video, arrests were made)