EVENTS

You are here

Events

Title	Date	Author	Time	Event	Body	Research Area	Topics	File attachments	Image
Talk by Dr. Steven A. Cook on "United States Foreign Policy and Middle East"	September 17, 2013	Steven A. Cook	1445 to 1615 hrs	Round Table	Chair:Dr. G Balachandran SpeakerDr. Steven A. Cook About Speaker Expertise: Middle East; Politics in the Arab world; U.S.-Middle East policy; Turkish politics; civil-military relations in the Middle East; Arab-Israeli conflict. Steven A. Cook is Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy. Dr. Cook is the author of The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square (Oxford University Press, Fall 2011), which won the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's gold medal for best book on the Middle East in 2012, and Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007). Dr. Cook has published widely in a variety of foreign policy journals, opinion magazines, and newspapers.He currently writes the blog, "From the Potomac to the Euphrates." Prior to joining CFR, Dr. Cook was a research fellow at the Brookings Institution (2001–2002) and a Soref research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (1995–96). Dr. Cook holds a BA in international studies from Vassar College, an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and both an MA and PhD in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Arabic and Turkish and reads French.	North American
Fourth YB Chavan Memorial Lecture: Maritime Security of India - Future Challenges	November 26, 2013	Arun Prakash	1630 hrs	Speeches and Lectures	Speaker's Profile Admiral Arun Prakash retired as India’s 20th Naval Chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee in end-2006. Commissioned into the Executive Branch in 1966, he specialized in aviation and has flown fighters from aircraft-carriers and patrol-aircraft and helicopters from ashore. During a career spanning over 40 years, he commanded four warships including the aircraft-carrier Viraat, two naval air squadrons and a naval air station. In staff appointments he served as head of the Aviation and Personnel branches of the navy, and as Vice Chief of Naval Staff. In flag rank he commanded the Eastern Fleet and the National Defence Academy. He was the first C-in-C of the Andaman & Nicobar Joint Command and subsequently headed the Western Naval Command. During his tenure as Chief, the Indian Navy saw many initiatives being launched in the fields of doctrine, strategy, transformation and foreign maritime cooperation. The 2004 tsunami saw the IN earn plaudits for mounting an effective disaster relief operation, on India’s eastern seaboard and simultaneously rendering assistance to neighbouring Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia. A graduate of the Indian Air Force Test Pilots School, the Defence Services Staff College and the US Naval War College, he was awarded the Vir Chakra during the 1971 war, while flying with an IAF fighter-bomber squadron in Punjab. Post-retirement, he writes and speaks on strategic and defence related topics. He has published a compendium of speeches and writings titled: From the Crow’s Nest. He has served as chairman of the National Maritime Foundation and was a two-term member of India’s National Security Advisory Board. Click here for complete text of lecture	Military Affairs
The Geopolitics of the Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy	September 23, 2013 to September 24, 2013			Conference	Event Report IDSA organized a conference on the Arctic along with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI), the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), September 23-24, 2013. Titled ‘AsiArctic’, the conference primarily focused on the perspectives of the Asian countries - India, Japan, China and South Korea - who have been given the observer’s status in the Arctic Council and the possible challenges which might emerge from their engagement in the Arctic. The salient points that came out during the conference were: The melting of ice in the Arctic has become a major concern with respect to the Climate Change debate. However this has also opened up newer economic and commercial opportunities in the region. Arctic is also important as it is supposed to have one-quarter of the world’s undiscovered energy resources. These resources will find keen focus from countries like United States, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark. They are also regarded as primary “stakeholder” in the Arctic. It is clear that the Arctic Council is only one of the many international institutions that will influence Arctic developments. In key areas such as energy, shipping and many other environmental issues, other institutions are significantly important. The salience of Asian countries in particular China, Japan and South Korea as stakeholders in Arctic governance is high with respect to shipping but low with respect to the management and use of natural resources. In areas of Arctic environmental governance, the Asian states have high potential saliency, both regarding power and legitimacy, but their urgency (that is, active interest in participating) appears to be low. The Asian states’ involvement in developing an agreed text of the Polar Code has remained low key as compared to the Arctic non-coastal states as well as the European non-Arctic states. Non-Arctic Asian states participation and support can be essential for the development of IMO-based, multilateral norms concerning Arctic shipping. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is developing a code, which is expected to come into force in 2015 for vessels sailing in Polar waters in order to protect Antarctic and the Arctic from various risks. The code will address certification, design, equipment, systems, operations, environmental protection and manning and training issues. Several requirements are needed to maintain and operate ships in the region: Highly trained crew for icebreaking operations. Expertise to navigate in ice and ice classed ships. Knowledge of ice and snow conditions Ability to understand, interpret and execute surface data from satellite pictures. The crew may demand higher wages which will add to the overall cost of transportation. The key issues concern the legal regime for exploration and exploitation of the resources in the Arctic region. The Arctic Ocean is a frozen sea and almost all the land underneath it is the continental margins of five Arctic states. The mineral resources beyond continental shelves are resources of the ‘Area’ as defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and are the common heritage of the mankind. No state can claim or exercise sovereignty or sovereign rights over any part of the Area or its resources. The most imminent large scale energy project in the Arctic involving the sea is the Yamal LNG project. This is an onshore development on the eastern side of the Yamal peninsula requiring use of strengthened carriers to send LNG to Asia in summer and to Europe in winter. Novatek and Total, presumably joined by China’s CNPC, own the project. A preliminary contract for 16 ice-strengthened LNG carriers from Korea has been concluded. A final investment decision is expected at the end of 2013. The project enjoys strong Russian political support, since it is seen as a cornerstone in further development of the Russian Arctic and the Northern Sea Route. The region’s substantial oil, gas and mineral deposits make the issue of sovereignty and claims over them contestable and with varying interpretation. This includes the rights of both the state and the indigenous people. However, indigenous rights are often viewed as contradictory to state sovereignty. Yet, new substantial indigenous self-governance mechanisms are not only evidence of increased recognition of, say for example, the Inuit rights in many Arctic countries; they also represent a new effort towards sharing of sovereignty. Individual Countries Interest in the Arctic The most prominent reason behind Russia’s growing interest in the Arctic is the increasing time during which the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic Ocean can be used for navigational purposes. Another factor is the presence of untapped natural resources which attract Russian attention. Russia’s relationship with China can form a hurdle in its increasing cooperation with Japan as well as the US. The visit of Chinese President Xi to Moscow in 2013 was a significant moment in Russia-China bilateral ties. It resulted in the signing of Rosneft-CNPC energy deal and possible Chinese access to Arctic fields and its LNG terminals. The strong bilateral ties have helped China gain the status of an Observer in the Arctic Council. Korea has announced the ‘Arctic Policy Advancement Direction’ in 2012 which is a study of possible navigational routes and a socio-economic study of the region. In 2013 the Korean government released the ‘Comprehensive Arctic Policy Framework Plan’. The main purpose of this is to build an international partnership on scientific research and to help in sustainable development of the business in the Arctic. Korea has signed a number of FTA’s and shipping agreements with Arctic countries. Since 2012 the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) in cooperation with the East-West Centre of US co-host the interface of bringing experts from different countries together. This conference which consists of businessmen, scientists, policymakers etc. aims at looking for solution to the issues related to the Arctic. The High North is of great economic and strategic importance to Norway due to its vast resource rich ocean areas and location next to Russia in the north. The small country has fundamental interests in the workings of the Law of the Sea Convention, which grants it major rights in the management of the vast northern ocean areas and its resources. Norway aims to engage Russia in the north, but also to attract attention and support from major allies. Norway raises Arctic issues in its bilateral talks with a number of countries, takes an active role in institutions like the Arctic Council and the Barents Euro Arctic Council, and pays attention to upholding relevant international regimes like the law of the sea. Norway has also established High North dialogues with a number of countries. All in an effort to provide information about developments in the High North and to promote Norwegian views. The salient points that came out during the discussion were: The Arctic Council cannot do everything. It is neither like the UN Security Council. The Arctic Council works with the help of a number of Working Groups. A study of these Working Groups is important towards gaining any perspective vis-à-vis the Arctic Council. There is also a need to look at the way the member countries of the Arctic Council view the involvement of the Asian countries. Each Arctic Council member state perceives the Asian countries very differently. There is an urgent need to resolve the issue of governance of the Arctic region otherwise it may lead to conflict in future. An increase in cooperation between Russia and China and how it impacts the political dynamics in the Arctic region will be important to observe. Polar code has a long shelf life. The objective is to keep Arctic as ecologically pristine as possible. Report Prepared by Eshita Mukherjee, Research Intern, IDSA Press Release [+] Event Photographs [+] Programme Monday 23 September 1130 – 1200 Registration and Tea 1200 – 1210 Welcome remarks by Arvind Gupta, Director, IDSA 1210 – 1220 Introductory remarks about the AsiArctic research programme by Arild Moe, Deputy Director, FNI Session 1: Arctic and Asia Perspective Chair: Uttam Sinha, IDSA. 1220 – 1240 ‘Asia in the Arctic’ - Arvind Gupta, the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi 1240 – 1300 ‘The Arctic and East Asian Security: A Japanese View’ - Shinji Hyodo, National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Tokyo 1300 – 1320 ‘Overview of the Korea’s Arctic Policy Development’ - Justin (Jong-Deog) Kim, Korea Maritime Institute, Seoul 1320 – 1340 ‘China’s Role in Arctic Affairs in the Context of Global Governance’ - Jiang Ye, Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) 1340 – 1410 Discussion 1410 - 1500 Lunch, hosted by IDSA Session 2: Law, Governance and Resources Chair: Jo Inge Bekkevold, Head of Centre for Asian Security Studies, Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) 1500 – 1520 ‘Asian stakes and Arctic Governance’, Olav Schram Stokke, Research Professor, Fridtjof Nansen Institute; and Department of Political Science, University of Oslo 1520 – 1540 ‘Arctic: the next great game in energy geopolitics?’ - Shebonti Ray Dadwal, (IDSA) 1540 – 1600 ‘The Legal regime of the Arctic and India's role and options’ HP Rajan, Independent legal consultant Tea & coffee break 1600 – 1620 ‘Governing the global commons: emerging trend in Arctic governance’, Dr Sumana Datta (Independent researcher earlier with TERI) 1620 – 1700 Discussion Tuesday 24 September Session 3: Arctic Navigation and Indigenous Rights Chair: Justin (Jong-Deog) Kim, Korea Maritime Institute, Seoul 1000 – 1020 ‘Norwegian Arctic policy’, Kristine Offerdal, Research coordinator at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) and Jo Inge Bekkevold, Head of Centre for Asian Security Studies, Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) 1020 – 1040 ‘Polar Code and Arctic Navigation’, Vijay Sakhuja, ICWA 1040 – 1100 ‘The Northern Sea Route: Status, Challenges and Potential’, Arild Moe Deputy Director at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) 1100 – 1120 Tea & coffee break 1120 – 1140 ‘Sino-Russian Relations and the Arctic Dimension’, Tom Røseth, Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) 1140 – 1200 ‘Sovereignty and Indigenous Rights in the Arctic’, Ashild Kolas (PRIO) 1200 – 1220 ‘The Maritime Tiger: Exploring South Korea's Interests and Role in the Arctic’, Mia Bennett, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge 1220-1300 Discussion 1300 – 1400 Lunch, hosted by IDSA	Non-Traditional Security
The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions After the Arab Spring	September 05, 2013		1500 hrs	Book Release	Venue: Seminar Hall I, IDSA Programme 1500-1505 hrs: Welcome Address by Dr Arvind Gupta, DG, IDSA 1505-1510 hrs: Book Launch by Dr Arvind Gupta 1510-1545 hrs: Remarks by Shri Talmiz Ahmad 1545-1700 hrs: Panel Discussion Chair: Dr Arvind Gupta Panelist: Amb. Ishrat Aziz Amb. Ranjit Gupta Dr. Atul Aneja Prof. A K Pasha Amb. Swashpawan Singh Dr. Prashant Pradhan 1700 hrs: Refreshments Summary ‘The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions after the Arab Spring’ by Shri Talmiz Ahmad Following the Arab Spring, the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) region is witnessing interactions between the various strands of Islamism-Wahhabiya in Saudi Arabia; the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and its affiliates in other Arab countries, and the radical strand represented by Al Qaeda and its associated organisations-in an environment of robust competition and even conflict. After a long period in opposition, some Islamists are facing the challenge of democratic governance, with the principal protagonists attempting to define their vision, agenda and institutions in terms that would reconcile the aspirations of their citizens for a modern political and economic order that would also respect their religious traditions. In this endeavour, the Islamists are in competition not only amongst themselves but also with non-religious groups representing liberal-secular elements and the armed forces representing the ancients regimes and seeking to affirm the political status quo. This work examines these issues in some details. It provides an overview of the political aspects of Islamic law – the Sharia, as it evolved from early Islam and, over the last two hundred years, experienced the impact of Western colonialism. After looking at the development of political Islam in a historical context, it examines contemporary political competitions across WANA, particularly in Egypt and Syria, and offers prognoses pertaining to domestic and regional scenarios. Finally, it discusses some of the larger challenges the Arab Spring poses for Islamist discourse, particularly with regard to accommodating the Sharia and a democratic order in a reformed Arab polity. This book draws on a rich variety of source material which has been embellished by the author’s extensive diplomatic experience in the Arab world over three decades. Press Release	Eurasia & West Asia
The East Asian Economic Integration and China's Role	September 03, 2013		1500 hrs	Other	Venue: Room No. 205, IDSA Speaker: Ms. Kristy Tsun Tzu Hsu, Associate Research Fellow at the Chung Hua Institution for Economic Research (WTO and RTA Research Centre), Taiwan	East Asia
Issues in the Management of India-Pakistan International Border	August 30, 2013	Pushpita Das	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar		Terrorism & Internal Security
Security Architecture in Asia, East Asia Summit and China	September 03, 2013		1030 to 1200 hrs	Round Table	Venue: Board Room, IDSA Chair: Dr. Arvind Gupta, DG, IDSA Officials from Czech Republic Mrs. Hana Mottlova, Director of Asia and Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic Mrs. Jana Peterkova, Political and Economic Secretary of the Embassy of the Czech Republic Officials from IDSA Introductory Remarks: Dr. Arvind Gupta, DG, IDSA Dr. Udai Bhanu Singh: India & ASEAN Ms. Rukmani Gupta: Asia-Pacific Dr. R.N.Das & Dr. Jagannath Panda: China-India Relations Dr. Ashok Behuria: Pakistan Mr. Vishal Chandra: Afghanistan	East Asia
AQIM Jihad Propaganda	September 06, 2013	Jean Langlois-Berthelot	1030 to 1300 hrs	Fellows' Seminar		Eurasia & West Asia
Talk by Shri Rajeev Bhattacharyya on Travelling with the Insurgents	August 26, 2013		1430 hrs	Other	Venue: Room no. 105, IDSA Shri Bhattacharyya’s talk will be based on a 4 months assignment he undertook deep inside the jungles of Myanmar. During his trek though the inhospitable terrain, he met and interviewed a number of Northeast insurgent groups, who have set up bases in that country and their leaders such as the elusive ULFA (anti-talk) leader Paresh Barua. Besides sharing his experiences and insights, Shri Bhattacharyya will also show exclusive pictures of the region as well as that of the insurgent leaders he met and their bases.	Terrorism & Internal Security
UN Peacekeeping: Experiences of India and Brazil	August 19, 2013		1500 to 1730 hrs	Round Table	The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses hosted a round table discussion on UN Peacekeeping: Experiences of India and Brazil on August 19, 2013. The conference was chaired by DG, IDSA and the participants included H.E. Mr. Carlos Duarte, Ambassador of Brazil to India, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Satish Nambiar, Distinguished Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador Deepak Bhojwani, Brig. Harinder Singh, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok Kumar Mehta, Col. S. Murugesan, Director, CUNPK and Mr. Pawan Kapoor, JS (UNP), Ministry of External Affairs. Some key points were highlighted by the speakers. India and Brazil are key participants of UN peace keeping operations (PKO). During their long history as traditional peace keepers, India has participated in 46 missions out of a total of 67 peace keeping missions while Brazil has participated in over 30. Currently, India and Brazil are ranked third and seventeenth respectively, among the top 20 troop contributing countries (TCC). The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK), New Delhi, acts as a training facility for Military Contingent officers/ Military Observers and staff members. It also provides training to personnel from friendly foreign countries and organises international seminars and discussions. The nature of peacekeeping has undergone a change in the past decade. There has been a significant rise in the PKO budget and troop deployment along with an expansion in the mandate of peace keeping. There is recognition of the relationship between security and development, which is vital to establish peace and avoid recurrence of conflict. Under this multidisciplinary approach, peace keeping involves stabilisation of conflict area, political reconciliation, institution building, reconstruction and development and protection of civilians. While the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine remains highly contentious, both in terms of its necessity and legitimacy, the concept of Responsibility while protecting (RwP) was introduced by the Brazilian President in her opening speech of the UNGA session in 2011 as a complementary concept. RwP seeks to reduce UN-authorised violence and make peace keeping a more judicious process. There is a mismatch between mandate creation through UNSC resolutions and mandate implementation on the ground. Burden sharing has become a myth as the developed countries have completely removed themselves from activities in the field while TCCs struggle to keep up with the wider scope of peace keeping missions with fewer resources available. PKOs have acquired a regional component with the involvement of regional groupings such as EU and AU in these missions. A cooperative framework on peacekeeping could be envisaged for the SAARC grouping in the South Asia region as three of the countries in the region, namely Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are the largest TCCs. During general discussion, the following issues were highlighted. There is a need to remember the purpose of PKOs which is not to get entrenched in internal conflict but create a space for dialogue. The narrow concept of peace keeping needs to be redefined to reflect its broad mandate. There should be consideration for creating a standing force of the UN which is deployed as soon as the UNSC passes a resolution and pulls back to go into reserve when a UNPK force has been put together. Deliberations need to be held on how to fund and maintain a standing capability. The concept of Force Intervention Brigade (as deployed in DR Congo) is not necessarily the right way to proceed and a distinction needs to be made between the brigade and other UNPK forces deployed in the conflict area. The TCCs need to be involved in mandate crafting to reduce the performance gap and reassess their relevance. The developed countries also need to step up while TCCs demand a bigger role in the decision making process and establish best practices. The intention behind mandate creation needs to be examined carefully. The role of RwP doctrine as an improvement to the R2P concept also needs to be explored in this context. Report prepared by Divita Shandilya, Research Intern, IDSA	Africa, Latin America, Caribbean & UN

Pages

Top