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By Kuldeep Ojha The Chilean Foreign Minister His Excellency Mr. Alberto Van Klaveren’s visit to India during the last week of August 2024 marked a significant touchpoint in the Indo-Chile bilateral ties. As the first such visit in the past decade, it facilitated progress on trade, investment, environment and technological cooperation between the two Global South actors. On India’s part, the renewed momentum in ties with the Latin American state demonstrates its diplomatic commitment to engaging with the Global South on win-win terms. In an uncertain geopolitical environment, both India and Chile are prudently diversifying into new set of diplomatic ties beyond their traditional concerns to hedge their bets and achieve their foreign policy goals through new avenues. The foreign minister’s visit also included a sojourn to India’s premier international relations institution, the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). A key element of his address included the promotion of education and knowledge exchange between the two countries. Welcomed by Professor Amitabh Mattoo, the Dean of the School of International Studies, the Minister addressed Chile’s role in world geopolitics and the potential for bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, diplomacy, education and business. In this article, based on the Minister’s remarks at JNU, this article analyzes the current state of India-Chile  bilateral relationship and future avenue for cooperation. Economic Cooperation: Expanding Trade and Investment Ties India and Chile are strengthening trade cooperation, particularly in the areas of agriculture, pharmaceuticals and staple foods. The Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) , signed between the two countries in 2006, has played a significant role in reducing customs duties on over 1,000 products. The trade composition majorly consists of India’s imports of Chilean fruits and wines and its export of agricultural products and medicines. The key focus of the Chilean foreign minister’s visit included the discussion on the introduction of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries. During the bilateral talks with the Commerce Minister of India, Mr. Piyush Goyal, both parties stressed the need for the development of economic cooperation through the framework of market access and cooperation in a new and promising field for Chile and India, namely, critical minerals. The Chile-India Business (Agriculture) Summit in Mumbai  also proved its ability to bring back the agricultural trade between the two countries. Efforts have also been made to address the longstanding concerns regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, a move deemed crucial to spur fresh supplies of commodities including basmati rice, rose and kidney beans among others. Chile on its part wants to secure the portion of the Indian market share of wines and nuts.    Critical Minerals: Promoting Green Energy Collaboration Out of all the sectors for collaboration that was under discussion during the visit, one of the most crucial one included critical mineral. As the global leader in the lithium ore segment and the second largest producer of copper, Chile holds an important position in the global supply chain of renewable energy sources. India’s growing appetite for electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy has created an immediate need for these minerals, most importantly lithium which is used for battery production. Moreover, China’s remarkable domination of the EV market and critical mineral supply chain provide an additional incentive on part of India to collaborate with Chile. The obvious rationale, when it comes to the strategic thinking of cutting the risks of economic over-dependence, could not be clearer in New Delhi’s equations. On the Chilean side, such political importance of economic interdependence and the need to diversify its markets could be the reasons that explain the keen interest to court a rising India. The Chilean Foreign Minister’s invitation to Indian firms to invest in lithium mining in Chile is a geopolitical chance for India to secure the supply of the mineral crucial to green transition. The gaining of technical know-how and a foothold in the lithium supply chain are to be counted as the long-term benefits for the Indian business sector. The collaboration further has the potential to result in technological exchange and joint partnerships around sustainable mining operations for economic and environmental benefits. Aligning Interests and Values in the Strategic Partnership India and Chile share a common ground in their commitment to democracy, human rights, and sustainable development. These shared values have the potential to serve as the bedrock of the growing bilateral relation. Both India and Chile support the use of diplomacy and peaceful means to resolve global problems and are committed to the rules-based international order. India’s EAM S Jaishankar has already expressed his appreciation for Chile’s support to India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The Chilean minister’s speech at JNU touched upon the synergy between the two nations on international order, especially the agenda of reforming multilateral institutions. Consequently, in future, Indian diplomacy may do well to coordinate its position with Chile in international forums on matters of global importance.  The strategic dimension of the bilateral relationship has also attracted quite a lot of diplomatic interest because the conversation has been colored by the possibility of cooperation in the spheres of defense, technology and space. Leading private Indian defence sector actors, including BrahMos, Azista Industries and Goa Shipyard Limited, are involved in discussions with the Chilean Armed Forces to gain access to the lucrative market. MKU Limited has recently exhibited its latest products at FIDAE (International Air and Space Fair) 2024 , in turn consolidating the Indian footprint in Chile’s defence acquisitions market. The vast potential for the defence export on part of India remains untapped and the future performance of Indian firms deserve a close watch. As for the potential for deepening bilateral cooperation, another set of concerned activities include the current negotiations over the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). While the full details are not available, the likely affected areas include cybersecurity, green energy, climate action, poverty reduction. The Chilean minister also paid much attention to regional integration in Latin America and Asia, where India and Chile can potentially take the leading part to address climate change, economic inequality, and global health issues. India’s prowess in generic medicines, expertise in the HADR missions, and promotion of the solar alliance can readily serve as the diplomatic blueprint to provide public goods in these regions.  Conclusion In conclusion, the momentum in the bilateral relationship warrants an optimistic outlook of the future trajectory, despite a rapidly developing Sino-Latin American relations, and substantial geographical and linguistic barriers between India-Latin America. The Chilean foreign minister’s visit to New Delhi and JNU serve to highlight the Latin American nation’s commitment to improve the relation with India by investing in people to people ties and scholarly exchanges. The visit also demonstrates India’s rising profile and its adroit diplomatic conduct, as well as the continued importance of JNU as the leading hub of IR scholarship in India. #IndiaChile This Article is an Original Contribution to the SIS Blog and is based on an open event not subject to the Chatham House Rules. Kuldeep Ojha is a PhD scholar in Latin American Studies at SIS, JNU. His research focuses on environmental governance in Central America, and his interests extend to the Latin American region and its geopolitics.

By Aarshiya Chowdhary “Standards are taking centre stage in global governance discussions. When countries gather in New Delhi for WTSA-24, they will have an opportunity to foster digital inclusion and trust — values that are more important than ever to ensure that innovation in fields like artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and quantum information technologies helps us create the future we want."  - Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General   Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a Small Wonder !   From the first AI Beauty Pageant   winner, Kenza Leyli , the first AI-driven Humanoid citizen , Sophia,  the proliferation of AI-driven haptic devices  like smartwatches to the increasing role of non-state actors like Taylor   Swift's AI-synthesised deep fake  in influencing electoral politics. Moreover, from the world’s first AI regulation  by the European Union (EU), Open AI’s Strawberry model  (sequel to ChatGPT), the adoption of the Global Digital Compact , the Nobel Prize 2024 (Physics) , to the recent release of Ananya Pandey starring ‘CNTRL ’ , Artificial Intelligence (AI) is intensely encapsulating human lives at light’s speed.   In light of this, the Information Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) are spearheading the first edition of the International AI Standards Summit  at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly ( WTSA-2024 ), being held from 14th October- 24th October 2024, in New Delhi, India. This year's World Standards Day theme is ‘Achieving Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure through AI’ , signifying the instrumental role of AI in transforming the digital space and ensuring an AI-driven sustainable future for all. The Birth of AI: The Smart Machine   The term AI was coined by American computer scientist and mathematician John McCarthy after the creation of LISP (a computer programming language based on a recursive mathematical function applied to a data set) in 1958. This programming language became fundamental to the birth of AI by enabling machines to ‘learn’ and imparted machines with 'intelligence' over a relay of past 'learnings' or 'experiences’. Basically, an AI machine cannot be asked to ' Forget The Past!’   Further, Artificial Intelligence gained traction with Alan Turing’s famous ‘Imitation Game’, also known as the ‘Turing Test’. In his remarkable paper, ‘ Computing Machinery and Intelligence , 1950 ’, Turing demonstrated the ability of machines to ‘think’, based on repeated mimicking or copying of humans in experimental conditions. This became the foundation of what Zuboff (1988) calls 'smart machines', highlighting their socio-economic implications on the different equations of power, particularly with the expansion of Information Technology (IT).   The Need for Standardisation of the AI Landscape: The Pros and Cons of an AI-driven Society   AI has a plethora of benefits, for instance, automated mechanical or creative work with greater efficiency and productivity, personalised online user experience, disaster risk mitigation based on geoclimatic data of a region and security enhancement of digital borders by filtering illegal migrants and identifying UAVs in the age of grey warfare and more.   However, there are downsides. First, it perpetuates inherent racial bias and gender discrimination as an outcome of deep-rooted social stereotypes and prejudices that get embedded in the technical architecture of AI networks. Second, the occurrence of false positives in identification processes. Third, Gen AI technologies like ChatGPT create artworks based on originals that violate IPRs (Intellectual Property Rights). Fourth, AI-created deep fakes facilitate the spread of disinformation and synthetic data. Fifth, there is an increased threat to cyber-security via machine-based phishing, spoofing and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. Sixth, training AI models have a heavy energy consumption footprint. Seventh, anonymity and pseudofication techniques with the support of AI augment cyber threats to a great extent. Eighth, AI can deeply erode an individual’s information privacy.   The challenges of an AI-based algorithmic society are exacerbated with the digital Brandt line , which undermines the efforts towards an equitable AI-driven society. The inequality in digital connectivity, access, and literacy results in the absence of fair representation of data from deprived regions, causing biases in AI training models. Also, the fragmentation of data protection laws, including the demand for data localisation by developing countries, inhibits data security and protection of digital rights, fuelling critical threats like profiling based on discrimination.   Standardising AI: The Global Efforts So Far   The first global-level move to advance a human-centric, trustworthy and responsible AI society saw the inception of the OECD-led Global Partnership for AI (GPAI) during the Covid (2020). This was followed by UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI  (2021). Of late, in March 2024, the UNGA adopted the landmark resolution on AI  and emphasised two essential priorities: bridging the digital divide and ensuring equal protection of the rights of individuals in the offline-online world, particularly throughout the life cycle of the AI systems. Further, the European Union pioneered the first AI Regulation Act, adopting a risk-based approach with a critical focus on personal data protection and AI literacy of all stakeholders in the AI ecosystem. Following the release of the Act, the Council of Europe has adopted the first-ever legally-binding AI treaty  to ensure global standardisation of AI with a strong intent to protect human rights, mitigate AI-based risks that undermine social cohesion and democracy, uphold the rule of law, and ensure a sustainable and inclusive AI-based global society. India: Voice of the Global South in the AI Landscape Notably, alongside the WTSA-2024, the world’s first International AI Standards Summit is being held in New Delhi, India, from the 14th-18th of October 2024. It is important to note that such an event is taking place in the Indo-Pacific for the first time. This reflects the Global South's growing multistakeholdership in setting of the global AI-standard regime and India's growing leadership role as the representative of the Global South in the backdrop of current domination of Global North in AI landscape.   Today, the Indo-Pacific construct is emerging as the Geotech heartland  of the digital international system as a consequence of accelerating digital development. Here, India is working towards expanding its foreign policy interests as well as mainstreaming the goals and aspirations of the Global South:   a)     India has strategically opted out of the ‘ Trade pillar ’ of the US-led IPEF, where digital trade fuelled by personal data, the new oil of the twenty-first century , is a crucial component.   b)    India hosted the third Voice of the Global South Summit  under the theme ‘ An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future ', with technology, digital transformation, IT, innovation and governance as key focus areas.   c)     India is a founding member of the OECD-led GPAI (Global Partnership Alliance for Artificial Intelligence), 2020, an initiative to enhance multi-stakeholder cooperation in global governance on AI rooted in three critical priorities- safe, secure and trustworthy AI. This pins India's proactive role in fostering cooperation in AI governance. At the GPAI 2024, the New Delhi declaration  called for collaborative efforts to pursue 'AI for the good of all’.   d)    India participated in the Outreach session on AI at the G7 Summit , pushing its values of 'AI for All'. Also, it is a member of the Quad Standards Sub-Group on AI  (2024) that aims to promote international cooperation and give impetus to coherent global AI governance through technical interoperability. Therefore, India has the potential of being a critical bridge between the West and the Global South in the digital domain.   e)     India is positioned 39th on the WIPO’s Global Innovation Index . It occupies the first position amongst lower middle-income economies. It has continued to emerge as an innovation outperformer for the 14th year in a row. Also, it is the world's third-largest start-up economy, with most start-ups being tech-led . Also, India ranks 10th  in private investment in AI development.   f)     India’s global success in digital public infrastructure (DPIs) , for example with the adoption of India’s UPI in Bhutan, Singapore and France , is a significant achievement and highlights its huge potential to be the backbone of a global AI ecosystem that is transparent, inclusive, diverse, accountable, open for cooperation, and a standards-based sustainable human-centric AI future.   g)    India is an emerging economy with an expanding data pool  of 120 crore mobile phone users and 95 crore internet users. A wide data pool paves its way to be a notable actor from the Global South in the AI regulatory landscape.   To conclude, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming and reconceptualising many aspects of human lives. Technology, particularly emerging technologies like AI, is instrumental in profoundly impacting the international world order. The digital divide in the AI landscape compels the developing world to be a dormant actor in the global governance of critical issues like AI. However, in recent times, amid the ongoing Sino-US technology rivalry, emerging economies like India from the Global South have a unique position. They are making headways to promote an ethical, inclusive, diverse and sustainable AI future. The World Standards Summit 2024, including the first AI international standards summit, is an apt moment to ensure an 'AI for Good for All' and achieve the essence of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2030). #AI #WTSA2024 #INDIA This is an Original Contribution to the SIS Blog.     Aarshiya Chowdhary is a Doctoral Candidate at the Centre for European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, with her focus of research work on Data Protection, Information Privacy, Digital Rights and Global Regulation of Technology.

By Inzam P I The current decade is characterized by an ongoing cycle of wars, indiscriminate killing, genocide, and armed conflicts. This costs not only the lives of millions of people but also causes irrevocable damage to the environment and local populations. From the political crisis in Bangladesh to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the severity of harm inflicted upon the environment is undisputed. Consequently, the warmongering mentality of certain states around the world has led to a rapid surge in eco-violence this decade. Hence, it is a time of urgency for the international community to discuss the serious repercussions of mass environmental damage and adopt possible legal mechanisms to mitigate it. Arthur Galston, an American botanist, first coined the term 'ecocide' in 1970 to describe the environmental devastation that resulted from United States’ use of Agent Orange, a harsh herbicide, in Vietnam. ‘Ecocide’ literally means ‘killing the environment.’ Therefore, ecocide can be referred to as the deliberate or unintended destruction of the environment by human action. The demand for criminalisation of ecocide may sound highly radical, fresh and new. But it is quite opposite. The question on the legality of ecocide was addressed five decades ago. One of the first efforts to address it was proposed by former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme at the 1972 U.N. Conference on the Human Environment. The momentum for the global movement to criminalize ecocide was maintained by Stop Ecocide International (SEI), which acted as a catalyst in mobilizing resisting voices together. It consistently urges for the inclusion of ecocide as the fifth crime in the Rome Statute , along with the “crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression”. According to the Stop Ecocide International , criminalization of ecocide would address and punish violators if they commit large-scale damage to the ecosystem through chemical disasters, deforestation, wide-ranging water and land contamination, and mass destruction of endangered species. Independent Expert Panel  of Stop Ecocide International in June 2021 defined ecocide as "unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts." The judgement of Dutch Supreme court in  State of the Netherlands v Urgenda  on 20th December, 2019, was a beacon of hope for future litigation on climate change. According to the ruling , the Netherlands is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to take proactive steps to avoid climate change and to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020. Although there are noticeable positive trends in international law, like the Urgenda case ruling for the prevention of harm to the environment, its architecture still lacks sufficient strength to prevent countries and individuals from committing blatant violations of its provisions. While a few countries like France, Belgium, Georgia and Armenia have incorporated ecocide under criminal law, there is no international law with respect to the crime of ecocide in peacetime. This is where the necessity of including ecocide as a fifth crime in the Rome Statute comes in. Thus, it is germane to discuss that, as in war and armed conflict times, peacetime also witnesses the huge number of grave destructions of habitats. UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres  reiterated that “the world can no longer wait to take bold and resolute international climate action.” Undoubtedly, the need of the hour is to walk the talk, putting down the ego of developed and most powerful countries in the UN is a must for succeeding in the mission of legal recognition of ecocide as a serious international crime. Developed countries like the US must learn from, appreciate, and join the initiative taken by Pacific Island States like Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa in proposing the criminalization of severe harm to the environment. The official statement by the Government of Republic of Vanuatu  states that “Strengthening international peace and security is everyone's business, and particularly important to us Small Island Developing States. While our region is characterized by relative peace and stability, the fight against impunity is global.” It should be noted that legal recognition of ecocide should not be solely the responsibility of small countries more vulnerable to climate change. Rather, it demands coordinated efforts by all member parties to the ICC. Regarding the procedural aspect in the ICC, for adoption of ecocide as a fifth crime, at least a 2/3 majority of votes in favor of the proposal is essential at an assembly of parties. This requires discussions and consistent negotiation among attending parties. However, according to Washington Post , one of the potential challenges for the legal recognition of ecocide could come from some of the world's biggest pollution contributors, such as China, Russia, India, and the United States, which are not ICC member states. This non-member status gives them the freedom to challenge any of the court's rulings on jurisdictional grounds. The criminalization of ecocide as a fifth international crime may bring several positive changes. In addition, states will start incorporating ecocide law into their municipal criminal laws. Thereby, the amendment will push private corporate giants, and industrialists into a position to become more eco-sensitized. Additionally, policy elites in the government will be more conscious and careful in checking the possible damages of any project thoroughly before proceeding with such projects lightly. Most importantly, the new ecocide law and amendment to the Rome Statute should be framed without loopholes. Otherwise, certain parties could exploit these loopholes in the law to justify and enjoy impunity for law violations. It should not also neglect the multiplicity of actors involved in causing environmental damage, as most conflicts involve multiple players, including but not limited to states, non-state entities, MNCs, NGOs, individuals, etc. After all, only a massive global movement against ecocide could bring a significant change to the status quo, which requires persistent discussions, coordination, pressuring politicians, and demand for policy change from the grass root to the global level. #Ecocide #InternationalLaw #Romestatute #ICC This is an Original Contribution to the SIS Blog   Inzam P I is currently a second-year student pursuing a Master’s in Politics with Specialization in International Studies (M.A PISM) from the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, JNU.

Dr. Sana Hashmi Visting Fellow Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation ​

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ABOUT THE BLOG The 'SIS Blog' is an initiative of the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University to disseminate contemporary debates, comments and opinions related to international relations. This blog will publish posts written by faculty members, students, alumni of SIS and invited contributors. Blogging is a dynamic way to complement other channels of knowledge and engage vast audiences with new perspectives.