Interview, Fireside Chat
One dam thing after another? Ukraine and reconstruction
- Long-term social, economic, political, and environmental consequences are expected to emerge in Ukraine a year after the dam's destruction, serving as a microcosm for future reconstruction challenges.
- Reconstruction in southern oblasts is anticipated to be limited compared to other regions due to ongoing shelling and front-line proximity, leaving the agricultural sector to face significant difficulties without reservoir irrigation.
- Residents in smaller Dnipropetrovsk towns and villages are expected to endure daily drinking water shortages until the new 250-kilometre pipeline becomes fully operational.
- Initial fears of reservoir bed desertification and invasive species growth may be mitigated by a realistic opportunity for environmental sustainability through rewilding, given the current impossibility of rebuilding the dam.
- Estimated costs include approximately one billion dollars for rebuilding the hydroelectric power plant and five billion dollars for broader disaster reconstruction, while the World Bank projects total national reconstruction costs at several hundred billion dollars.
- Post-war energy infrastructure rebuilding is expected to prioritize easily repairable assets and large-capacity dams upriver over Soviet-era structures like the Kahovka dam.
- Future Ukrainian politics is projected to feature public debate and accountability regarding reconstruction priorities, contingent on the war's course.
- Narendra Modi is expected to return for a second five-year term leading a coalition government, presenting his first major challenge after two decades of majority rule and requiring adaptation to compromise despite an uncertain approach.
- Karan Thapar is expected to have experienced a career decline coinciding with Modi's rise, having faced a five-year ban from television channels since his 2007 PR incident.
- The podcast The Modi Raj is expected to launch on Apple, Spotify, and The Economist app, with the first episode available for free on the following Saturday's The Weekend Intelligence program and subsequent episodes restricted to subscribers.