In this episode, we discuss the shadowy world of espionage in South Asia, where the CIA, ISI, MI6, and R&AW have been engaged in a high-stakes game of intelligence and power for decades. From the covert operations of the Cold War to the proxy battles in Afghanistan and the ongoing tensions in Kashmir, these intelligence agencies have played pivotal roles in shaping regional geopolitics. Join us as we uncover the clandestine missions, spy networks, and double agents that have defined the South Asian intelligence landscape.
We also explore how these agencies have collaborated and clashed, their influence on diplomatic relations, and the impact of their actions on the political stability of the region. Whether it’s the CIA’s covert ops, the ISI’s strategic maneuvers, MI6’s historical espionage, or R&AW’s regional counterintelligence efforts, this episode unravels the complex web of intrigue and powerplay that continues to define South Asia today.
About the guest speaker:
Paul McGarr is a lecturer in intelligence studies at King’s College London. He has published on South Asian security and intelligence-related issues in Intelligence & National Security, The Journal of Strategic Studies, Diplomatic History, The International History Review, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Modern Asian Studies, and Diplomacy and Statecraft and with Oxford University Press, Georgetown University Press, Edinburgh University Press and Bloomsbury, amongst others. He is the author of The Cold War in South Asia: Britain, the United States and the Indian Subcontinent, 1945-1965 (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States and India’s Secret Cold War (Cambridge University Press, 2024). The latter examines interventions made by the intelligence and security services of Britain and the United States in post-colonial India and their strategic, political, and socio-cultural impact on the subcontinent.
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