The Diplomat | Author

Krzysztof Iwanek
Krzysztof Iwanek is a South Asia expert and the head of the Asia Research Centre (War Studies University, Poland)
Krzysztof Iwanek writes for The Diplomat’s Pulse and Asia Life sections. He is the chair of the Asia Research Centre at the War Studies University in Warsaw and a South Asia expert. From 2014 to 2016 Krzysztof taught Hindi at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Republic of Korea. He holds two MA degrees: in History and in South Asian Studies, and a PhD in Cultural Studies.
His main area of interest is contemporary Indian politics and political ideologies. He has also co-authored a book titled Indie. Od kolonii do mocarstwa. 1857-2013 (“India. From a Colony to a Power. 1857-2013″) with Adam Burakowski.
He tweets at @Chris_Iwanek

January 05, 2021
One Federation, One Election? Narendra Modi’s Push for Simultaneous Elections in India
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The (unlikely) introduction of simultaneous elections in India would favor the richest national parties at the expense of regional parties.

January 04, 2021
Spell It Out: Should English Transcription of Indian Words Be Reformed?
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The British colonial government never worked out a coherent and precise way of spelling Indian names.

December 28, 2020
RSS vs RCEP: Explaining Hindu Nationalists’ Opposition to RCEP
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The wide array of Indian groups opposing RCEP included the Hindu nationalist organization behind the ruling party.

December 21, 2020
India’s Fight Against ‘Copying’ Candidates
By Krzysztof Iwanek
In Indian politics a candidate may get his name, his symbol or party symbol copied by his rivals.

December 02, 2020
Did India’s Parliament Restrict Democratic Debate With Lockdown Measures?
By Krzysztof Iwanek
While the scope of legislation and debates in the Indian Parliament were reduced, these measures were temporary and lockdown-related.

November 30, 2020
Lust Not Lost: Old World of Indian Courtesans Lives on in Popular Culture
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The recent English translation of the novel “Phoolsunghi” reminds us of an entire culture that once surrounded Indian courtesans.

November 12, 2020
India’s Ruling Party Narrowly Wins in Bihar
By Krzysztof Iwanek
What do the Bihar elections tell us about the direction of Indian national politics?

November 03, 2020
India Does Not Follow ‘Arthashastra’ in Its Foreign Policy
By Krzysztof Iwanek
Some believe that Indians “must” follow Kautilya, but not that Western strategy must follow Machiavelli.

October 26, 2020
India’s Junk Artists (and Where to Find Them on the Web)
By Krzysztof Iwanek
Junk art is a sphere in which India’s garbage challenge and its tradition of jugaad (improvisation) merge, with sometimes jaw-dropping results.

October 08, 2020
India’s Ruling National Democratic Alliance Is No Longer Quite ‘National’
By Krzysztof Iwanek
India’s ruling party, the BJP, has hardly any alliances worth the name left – but it may manage without it.

October 01, 2020
INDIA: Inspecting New Delhi’s Initiative Acronyms
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The current Indian government likes to name its policies with clever acronyms.

September 30, 2020
Judged by the Cover: Remembering the Controversy Around Jaswant Singh’s Book on Jinnah
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The 2009 scandal around “Jinnah. India-Partition-Independence” shows how history remains crucial for India’s ruling party.
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