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Events

Title	Date	Author	Time	Event	Body	Research Area	Topics	File attachments	Image
Balochistan: Has the insurgency Withered?	March 01, 2008	Alok Bansal	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar	Chair: P. Stobdan Discussant: Ravi Sawhney
Indo-US Counterterrorism Cooperation	February 23, 2008	Shanthie Mariet D'Souza	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar	Chair: Thomas Mathew Discussants: V.K.K. Chavan & Christopher Samraj
Deconstructing Nationalism in China: Contending Narratives and Implications	February 23, 2008	Abanti Bhattacharya	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar	Discussants: S.K. Bhutani & Ravni Thakur
Bhutan: Political Changes and External Impact	February 21, 2008			Workshop		South Asia
Outsourcing and Vendor Development in Ordnance Factories	February 16, 2008	N. Neihsial	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar	Discussants: Jnan Prakash & M.D Singh
10th Asian Security Conference on "Asian Security in 21st Century"	February 05, 2008 to February 07, 2008			Conference	Concept Note The 10th Asian Security Conference (ASC 2008) is a major calendar event of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. Since 1999 when the conference was first held, it has become an important forum for debating issues relating to Asian Security. The ASC has provided a forum for ministers, diplomats, scholars and security analysts, both from India and abroad, to share their views on the security challenges facing the continent. The 10th ASC attains particular significance in view of the continuing trouble spots in the continent and the wider implications these would have for international stability and security as a whole. The conference would, therefore, focus on the myriad challenges to Asian Security in the 21st century with particular reference to the strategic outlook of major political actors in Asia; the emerging challenges to the nuclear order; the future of Afghanistan; the challenges posed by transnational terror networks and sectarian violence; and the multilateral framework for managing conflict and fostering cooperation among the political actors in Asia. The contemporary strategic context is increasingly defined by the rapid growth of major Asian economies and the rapidly increasing interest the major powers are evincing in the region. It has also resulted in a perceptible shift in power to the Asian continent. An assessment of how each of the major Asian powers and important external actors are responding to these developments is necessary for understanding the underlying concerns about peace and security in Asia in the 21st Century. The conference would debate the strategic outlook from the perspective of major political actors in Asia. While the emerging power shift is full of promise and opportunities, there are important concerns that cannot be ignored. Asia's statesmen face a variety of challenges, which, if ignored or viewed with lesser concern, could lead to further instability and insecurity in the region. The foremost among these concerns is the emerging challenges to the nuclear order in Asia. The conference will debate the nuclear stability/equation in Asia; the threat of nuclear proliferation among states and the potential dangers of non-state actors gaining access/acquiring nuclear technologies; the consequences of proliferation for strategic stability and the possibilities for cooperative preventive measures. The conference will take stock of recent developments in Afghanistan followed by a discussion on the future of peace and stability in these conflict zones. What is the character of the conflict in Afghanistan? What are the current trends? What is the role of regional actors? What is the nature of engagement of US and its allies? What is the assessment of future course of action by major actors? What is the role played by INGOs and international community? What could be done to stabilize Afghanistan? These are some of the questions that the participants will address during their deliberations on the future of Afghanistan. The emerging trends in transnational terror networks and sectarian violence will form an important part of the conference deliberations. Participants will address the following questions: What are the lessons of the US-led 'Global War on Terror'? Has the 'GWOT' weakened the transnational terror networks such as al Qaeda? What is the impact of 'GWOT' on state actors with links to transnational terror networks? What is the role of intelligence sharing in the fight against terror networks? What are the trends in religious sectarianism? What implications do the emerging trends in sectarian violence hold for peace in Asia? While Asian states are better positioned to secure their interests than they ever were, the importance of multilateral institutions/efforts for better securing economic integration and security concerns cannot be ignored. There is a clear and recognised need for both reinforcing the exiting institutions and founding of others that could be useful for addressing specific concerns. The conference would provide a forum for assessing the adequacy of existing multilateral institutions, identify their weaknesses and suggest a road map for effective cooperation in the future. The 10th ASC will feature six sessions, would comprehensively seek to address the major trends in the Asian strategic context; assess major challenges for peace and stability; and suggest creative solutions for management of conflict and cooperation in the new century. Sessions and Key Questions The detailed outlines of sessions are appended below for reference. The key questions listed are only indicative. Participants could include other issues that may add value to the debate. Other details will be communicated separately. Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives (Session I and II) Key Questions What is the character of the emerging strategic context in Asia? What theories or theoretical approaches are most appropriate for understanding the Asian strategic context? How are the processes of globalization, economic interdependence and diffusion of technologies shaping the Asian Strategic context? What does the Rise of Asia mean for global peace? How do regional perspectives inform the debate? What are the common threats and challenges? What are the prospects of fostering cooperative state behaviour in confronting the transnational threats? What are the perspectives of the following major political actors in Asia on the above issues? Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives (Session I) February 05, 2008 (Tuesday) Papers India China Japan South Korea Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives (Session II) February 05, 2008 (Tuesday) Papers Russian Federation European Union United States Australia The Emerging Challenges to the Nuclear Order in Asia (Session III) February 06, 2008 (Wednesday) Key Questions What are the challenges to the global nuclear regime? What are the consequences of a nuclear Iran for West Asian peace and stability? Will it give rise to a nuclear quest among the important West Asian states? How would the West respond in such an eventuality? What would be the response of major Asian powers to Nuclear Iran? What are the consequence of changes in the East Asian Nuclear order for stability and peace in the region and beyond? How would major regional players respond? What are the implications of non-state actors acquiring nuclear weapon technology and capabilities? What did the international community learn from the discovery of the A.Q. Khan network? What are the possibilities for international cooperation against nuclear proliferation? Papers Nuclear Weapons and Asian Security in the 21st Century The Consequences of the Iran Nuclear Crisis for Peace and Stability in Asia North Korea and the Future of East Asian Nuclear Stability The A.Q. Khan Network and Proliferation Among Non-State Actors The Future of Cooperative Preventive Measures Against Nuclear Proliferation Future of Afghanistan (Session IV) February 06, 2008 (Wednesday) Key Questions What is the character of conflict in Afghanistan? What are the current trends? What is the role of regional actors? What is the nature of engagement of US and its allies? What is the assessment of future course of action by major actors? What is the role played by INGOs and the international community? What could be done to stabilize Afghanistan? Papers Taking Stock of the Afghan Conflict Afghanistan :Looking Ahead Terrorism and Sectarianism: Transnational Linkages (Session V) February 06, 2008 (Wednesday) Key Questions What are the lessons from the US-led 'Global War on Terror'? To what extent has 'GWOT' succeeded in containing the threats posed by transnational terror networks such as al Qaeda? What is the impact of 'GWOT' on state actors with links to transnational terror networks? What is the role of intelligence sharing in the fight against terror networks? What are the trends in religious sectarianism? What implications do the emerging trends in sectarian violence hold for peace in Asia? What measures, if adopted by key actors in the fight against terror, would enhance the chances of success against transnational terror networks? Papers Taking Stock of the 'Global War on Terrorism' State Support and Transnational Terror Networks The Role of Intelligence in the fight against Transnational Terror Networks The Future of al Qaeda and Transnational Terror Networks Religious Sectarianism and its implications for Asian Security Cooperative Framework for Asian Security in the 21st Century (VI) February 07, 2008 (Thursday) Key Questions What is the future of multilateral institutions in Asia? How effective and representative are the existing multilateral institutions?: in helping to maintain peace and stability and a cooperative security architecture among major powers to manage proliferation challenges in Asia to stabilize conflict zones to counter transnational terrorism and challenges posed by non-state actors How could existing multilateral mechanisms and institutions be strengthened to cope with the above and what new mechanisms and institutions are necessary for building a cooperative Asian security order? Papers The Role of Multilateral Institutions in Asia: Overview Role of Multilateral Institutions in forging cooperation among major powers Role of Multilateral Institutions in Managing the emerging Asian nuclear order Role of Multilateral Institutions in Stabilising Conflict zones Cooperative multilateral Efforts to counter transnational threats Programme Schedule February 05, 2008, Tuesday 0830 - 0900 – Registration 0900 – 0950: Inaugural Session, IDSA Auditorium Welcome Remarks by Shri N.S. Sisodia, Director-General, IDSA Inaugural Address by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Shri A.K. Antony Keynote Address by Hon’ble External Affairs Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee Book Release Vote of Thanks by Dr. Thomas Mathew, Deputy Director-General, IDSA 0950 – 1015: High Tea 1015 - 1330: Session I: Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives (Parallel) Chair: M.K. Rasgotra Papers C. Rajamohan – Emerging Security Order in Asia: India's Eight-Fold Path Sujit Dutta - The Asian Transition and India’s Grand Strategy Xu Xin - The Chinese Concept of “Twenty Years” Strategic Opportunity and its Implications for an Asia-Pacific Strategic Order Shigekatsu Kondo - Japan and the Asian Security in the 21st Century Bruce Cumings - On the History and Practice of Unilateralism in East Asia Discussants: Varun Sahniand S. Kalyanaraman Rapporteur Report 1015 - 1330: Session II: Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives (Parallel) Chair: Brahma Chellaney Papers Yevgeniy Kozhokin – Asian Strategic Context Reformatting: Russian Perspectives Gudrun Wacker - Europe in Asia: In search of a Strategic Approach Charles Kupchan - The Collapse of America’s Bipartisan Centre: Implications for US Strategy James Cotton - Balancing Relations with the Major Powers: Australia and the Asian Strategic Context Discussants: Robert Ayson, Anita Inder Singh and Muthiah Alagappa Rapporteur Report 1330 - 1415: Lunch Break 1415 – 1715: Session III: The Emerging Challenges to the Nuclear Order in Asia Chair: Arundhati Ghose Papers Rajesh Rajagopalan – The Future of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime T.V. Paul - Nuclear Weapons and Asian Security in the 21st Century Selig Harrison - North Korea and the Future of East Asian Nuclear Stability Shireen Mazari - The Threat of Nuclear Proliferation among Non-State Actors in Asia Michael D. Yaffe – Implications of Iranian Nuclear Crisis for Asian Security Discussants: R. Rajaraman and G. Balachandran Rapporteur Report 1800 - 1900: Panel Discussion: Recent Developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan February 06, 2008, Wednesday 0930 - 1300: Session IV: Future of Afghanistan Chair: N.S. Sisodia Papers Ali A. Jalali - Afghanistan: The Struggle to Regain Momentum Anita Inder Singh - Reconstructing Afghanistan after the Overthrow of the Taliban Seth Jones – Taking Stock of the Afghan Conflict Rasul Baksh Rais - The Future of Afghanistan: A Perspective from Pakistan Christine Fair – Impact of the GWOT upon Talibanisation and Militancy in Pakistan Shanthie Mariet D’Souza – Taking Stock of the Afghan Conflict: What Ails the Afghan Long Term Stabilisation Effort? Discussants: Thomas Marks and Vishal Chandra Rapporteur Report 1300 - 1400 Lunch 1400 - 1700: Session V: Terrorism and Sectarian Conflicts: Transnational Linkages Chair: N.N. Vohra Papers Mark Danner - Taking Stock of the Global War on Terrorism Jean Francois Mayer - Religion and Terrorism: Past, Present and Future: A Review and Assessment Muqtedar Khan - Regional Security Structures and the Rise of Islamic Militancy in South Asia Yiorghos Leventis - Turkey, Cyprus, the UK and the EU: Security Dilemmas in the Near East Thomas Marks – Taking Stock of the Global War on Terrorism: The US Perspective Jolene A. Jerard - Global Jihadist Threat Discussants: Praveen Swami, V. Krishnappa and Indranil Banerjie Rapporteur Report 1800 – 1900: Panel Discussion: The Future of 'Global War on Terror' February 07, 2008, Thursday 0930 – 1300: Session VI: Co-operative Framework For Asian Security in the 21st Century Chair: Jasjit Singh Guest Speaker: Chinmaya R. Gharekhan Papers Robert Ayson – The Role of Multilateral Institutions in Forging Co-operation Among Major Powers: A Framework for Analysis Greg Mills – Peace Building in the 21st Century: Towards Greater Operational Coherence and Relevance Arpita Anant - Regional Counter-Terrorism Co-operation: Lessons from Southeast Asia Bharti Chibber – Regional Security and Regional Co-operation: Comparative Analyses of ASEAN and SAARC Phunchok Stobdan - Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and Asian Multilateralism in the 21st century Wong Ming-Hsien- The Role of Asian Multilateral Security Institution: A Constructivism Point of View Discussants: T.V. Paul and Gudrun Wacker Rapporteur Report 1300 - 1400 Lunch 1400 – 1530: Concluding Session: Panel Discussion "Is A Nuclear Weapons Free World Desirable? Is it Feasible?" Chair: K. Subrahmanyam Guest Speaker: H.E. Ruud Lubbers, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Opening Remarks: N.S. Sisodia Vote of Thanks: V. Krishnappa Conference Booklet		Asian Security Conference
Asian Security 21st Century	February 04, 2008			Conference	The National Seminar preceding the 10th Asian Security Conference will be held on February 04, 2008. The Conference attracts scholars from think tanks, state and central universities and scholars working on strategic studies. The day-long seminar will be divided into four sessions. 0830 - 0915: Registration 0915 - 0920: Opening Remarks by N.S. Sisodia 0920 - 0935: Inaugural Address by N.N. Vohra 0935 - 0940: Vote of Thanks by Thomas Mathew Tea: 0940 - 1000 1000 - 1145: Session 1: Asian Strategic Context: Perspectives Chair: Sujit Dutta Arpita Mathur - Japanese Nationalism: Implications for Asian Security Abanti Bhattacharya – The Meaning of Chinese Nationalism: Implications for Asian Security Namrata Goswami - Theorising the Rise of Asia: Global Power Balances, Shifts and State Responses 1145 - 1330: Session 2: The Emerging Challenges to the Nuclear Order in Asia Chair: Rajesh Rajagopalan Sima Baidya - Iran’s Nuclear Crisis: Implications for Asian Security Konsam Ibo Singh - North Korea's Nuclear Card Reshmi Kazi - Dirty Bombs: Potential Threat for South Asia Priyanka Singh - Iranian Nuclear Crisis: NIE and After LUNCH: 1330 - 1415 1415 - 1630: Session 3: Co-operative Framework for Asian Security in the 21st Century Chair: Manoj Joshi Harinam Singh - Role of Multilateral Institutions in Asia with special reference to India in 21st Century S. K. G. Sundaram – Co-operative Framework of Economic Strategy for Asian Security P. K. Gautam - Co-operative Framework for Asian Security in the 21st Century: Climate Change and Environment Pramod K. Mishra - Evolution of Asian Security through ASEAN’s Regional Forum Tea: 1630 - 1645 1645 - 1830: Session 4: Afghanistan and Transnational Security Challenges Chair: Anita Inder Singh Seema Sridhar - Civil-Military Engagement in Post-Conflict Reconstruction: A Study of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan Anup Datta - Post-Taliban Afghanistan: Conflict, Violence and Regional Stability Indranil Banerjie - Problem of National Institution Building in Afghanistan and its impact on Regional Security Bibhu Prasad Routray - Insurgencies and Transnational Linkages: A Case study of Indian Experience in North East India Arshi Khan - Situating Iraq into a Discourse on Asian Security
Nuclear and Disarmament Issues (organized jointly by IDSA and IPCS)	January 23, 2008 to January 25, 2008			Workshop		Nuclear and Arms Control
Eminent Persons' Lecture Series - The Return of the authoritarian-Capitalist Great Powers	January 18, 2008	Azar Gat		Speeches and Lectures	Prof. Azar Gat Professor and the incumbent of the Ezer Weitzman Chair for National Security in the Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University
IDSA-BESA Bilateral Dialogue	January 15, 2008 to January 16, 2008			Bilateral	Non-State Armed Groups and Asian Security in the 21st Century Concept Note As part of its ongoing efforts to bring together experts on security issues of mutual interest, IDSA and BESA are hosting a Bilateral Dialogue on “Non-State Armed Groups and Asian Security in the 21stCentury”. The sovereign state has been increasingly undermined by transnational, supra-national and sub-national non-state actors. Some like civil society groups, are nonviolent and have played a critical role in reforming state policy and improving governance. Others like the Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the LTTE, are violent and have become threats to national security and international peace. Such groups, designated as Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) are defined as “groups that use force, flow across state boundaries, utilize global communication and transportation networks, seek international influence, and increasingly undertake military operations against dominant states.” In different ways and to varying degrees, these groups have challenged two aspects of state power- sovereignty over the territory and the exclusive right to use force. The nature of NSAG’s differs considerably since they aspire to different goals- some desire statehood while others have transcendent millenarian objectives. The main challenge in dealing with them is that while posing as threats to existing states, they perform important social welfare functions that give them legitimacy. According to the dataset of the Military Balance (IISS, 2007), there are 343 armed groups, 187 of them operate in Asia. They indulge in a range of activities such as terrorism (transnational and domestic), separatism, extremism, insurgency, guerrilla warfare, opposition to governments, ethnic violence, border violence, drug smuggling and other crimes. Their presence complicates the internal and international security dynamics and compels us to give serious consideration to issues such as ungoverned and misgoverned spaces, the problems they pose to nation-building and peace and security in the contemporary world. The Dialogue aims to bring together scholars studying some of the important NSAGs, with the aim to arrive at a focused, structured, comparative understanding of these actors and implications for Asian security. Theoretical propositions regarding the success/failure of states and non-state groups have been based on the impact of power/interest asymmetries and strategic interaction between the two sides. In an attempt to further refine and/or reinforce the ongoing debate, the first session will cover the following topics: • The Uncertain Meaning of Victory in Contemporary Conflicts • Small Wars: Theory and Practice • Sub-national Insurgencies: Lessons from the Indian Experience • The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism in Asia The following NSAGs will be discussed during the Dialogue: 1. Hezbollah 2. HAMAS 3. Al Qaeda 4. Islamic Brotherhood 5. Taliban 6. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)7. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) 8. Harkat ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) 9. Jama’atul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) 10. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). While this list is not comprehensive, the groups selected are representative of the dominant trends and therefore, it is hoped that an in-depth analysis of these groups will bring forth important conclusions regarding how to deal with NSAGs in Asia. With the aim of arriving at a comprehensive, focused and structured comparative study, each of these case studies will focus on certain common criteria such as: 1. Organisation of the Group- hierarchical or network-based; centralized/localized decision-making; functional sub-units such as military, intelligence, political and financial 2. Membership- size; recruitment and training strategies; sources of motivation and continued membership; social and political origins 3. Leadership- their ideology; world-view; motives; sources of legitimacy/moral authority; nature of leadership and its impact on effectiveness of the group; cohesiveness/factions among leadership 4. Ideology- political, social economic vision as a source of legitimacy; justification of violence 5. Resources- infrastructure; sources of funding, linkages with other non state armed groups/state actors, sources of weapons; intention to acquire WMDs 6. Strategy- operational doctrines; declared strategies and tactics; intelligence and counter-intelligence capabilities, flexibility, balance-sheet of operational and strategic effectiveness; targets. 7. State responses to these armed groups and their counter-reactions. Transcript Inaugural Session Session – I: Non-State Armed Groups and Security: Some Theoretical Aspects Session – II: Case Studies Talk by Professor Efraim Inbar

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