Smruti S. Pattanaik

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Dr Smruti S Pattanaik is a Research Fellow (SS) at the MP-IDSA. Her area of specialisation is South Asia. Her current research project is titled as “India’s Response to China’s Presence in South Asia: Challenges and Policy Options”.

Dr Pattanaik has been a recipient of many international fellowships. She was a Visiting Asia Fellow (Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok) at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University in 2004 and follow-up grantee in 2007, researching on politics of identity in Bangladesh. She was a recipient of Kodikara Award in 1999 (RCSS, Colombo), a Post-doctoral Fellow at FMSH (Fondation Maison des Science de l’Homme), and was attached to the Centre for International Relations and Research (CERI, Science Po), Paris. She was selected to attend the Symposium on the East Asian Security (SEAS) Program conducted by the US State Department and USPACOM in 2011. She was a Visiting Fellow (September-October 2011) at the International Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), she was a Visiting Professor on ICCR’s India Chair at the University of Colombo for a semester.

She has lectured on India’s foreign policy and South Asia at the Colombo University, Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Asia Centre in the University of Melbourne, University of Karachi, University of Peshawar and University of Dhaka.

She was the Course Director of the India-Bangladesh Studies Programme jointly conducted by Jamia Millia Islamia and Dhaka University. She developed a course on “Political Developments in Bangladesh 1971-2010” as part of the European Union-funded project on Curriculum Development on Peace- building in Europe and South Asia, organised by the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia in 2011.

Dr Pattanaik has published more than 60 research articles in various peer-reviewed journals both in India and abroad. She has contributed more than 50 chapters in edited books, and delivered lectures on security issues both in India and abroad. She has authored a book titled Elite Perception in Foreign Policy: Role of Print Media in Influencing India-Pakistan Relations 1989-1999 (Manohar Publishers & RCSS: 2004), and a Monograph titled Afghanistan and its Neighbourhood: In Search of a Stable Future (PRIO-IDSA, 2013). She has edited two books South Asia: Envisioning a Regional Future, Pentagon Press, Delhi, (2011) and Four Decades of India Bangladesh Relations: Historical Imperatives and Future Direction, Gyan Publishing House, (2012), and two reports titled Pakistan on the Edge (2013) and Unending Violence in Pakistan: Analysing the Trend (2014). She is a member of MP-IDSA’s task force on neighbouring countries and is coordinator of Pakistan project. She writes for the Daily Star and Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh) and is on the Editorial Board of MP-IDSA’s flagship journal, Strategic Analysis published by Routledge.


Research Fellow

Publication

India Bangladesh Rail Connectivity Back On Track

Research Fellow Manohar Parrikar IDSA Dr. Smruti Pattanaik’s article ‘India Bangladesh Rail Connectivity Back on Track’ has been published by the All India Radio (AIR) World Service, an External Services Division of AIR, on August 08, 2020.

The restoration of old connectivity structure that existed during the British period would boost the economy of this region to a great extent. It can give further fillip to the centuries old historical and cultural ties that bind the people of the region, writes Dr. Pattanaik

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  • Published: 8 August, 2020

Why Speculate? Evaluating Delhi-Dhaka Ties

Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Smruti Pattanaik’s commentary on India-Bangladesh relations, titled ‘Why Speculate? Evaluating Delhi-Dhaka Ties’ has been published by ‘The Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict’ (SSPC) on August 05, 2020.

Several challenges to the bilateral relations indeed remain which includes the inability to reach an agreement on Teesta and rampant smuggling and trafficking that takes place in the Indo-Bangladesh border. There is an urgent need to address the border violation, writes Dr. Pattanaik.

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  • Published: 5 August, 2020

The Pandemic Effect: Can Bangladesh Overcome Covid-19 Impact on its External Sector?

Research Fellow, MP-IDSA, Dr. Smruti Pattanaik’s Issue Brief on effect of Covid-19 on Bangladesh, titled ‘The Pandemic Effect: Can Bangladesh Overcome Covid-19 Impact on its External Sector?’ has been published by Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC) on April 27, 2020.

The economic impact of Covid-19 would be felt across the various sectors of Bangladesh’ economy. Revenue loss from export may impact on social sector spending. Loss of remittances would have its impact. Bangladesh has to prepare for a long haul and need to give a rethink to the structure of its external sector, writes Dr. Pattanaik.

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  • Published: 27 April, 2020

A Regional Response To COVID-19 Challenge

Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Dr. Smruti Pattanaik’s article on COVID-19, titled ‘A Regional Response To COVID-19 Challenge’ has been published by the All India Radio (AIR) World Service, an external services division of AIR, on March 17, 2020.

The article describes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to hold a video conference of SAARC leaders to jointly devise methods to combat COVID 19, declared as a pandemic by WHO, as unique, which engaged the immediate attention of the South Asian region.

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  • Published: 17 March, 2020

Guardians of God: Inside the Religious Mind of Pakistani Taliban, by Mona Kanwal Sheikh

In the recent past, several Islamist movements promising to re-establish the pristine political system dating back to the days of the Prophet have captured the mind of believers. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is one such movement that grew out of the resentment against the established religious parties’ failure to implement sharia, coupled with Pakistan’s decision to join the war on terror which fuelled religious anxiety that this war was aimed against Islam.

Sri Lanka at the Crossroads: Geopolitical Challenges and National Interests

Sri Lanka has always featured in any discussion on Indian Ocean geopolitics. However, its geopolitical significance has increased manifold after the end of the long-drawn war that saw the defeat of the LTTE. The manner in which the war concluded brought international focus on the country, as some of the Tamil leaders sought international indulgence to ensure justice is delivered, and peace brought through war results in a meaningful political solution for the Tamils.

India’s Policy Response to China’s Investment and Aid to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives: Challenges and Prospects

Regional strategic dynamics in South Asia is in a state of flux since the announcement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China emphasises on the economic aspect of investment in infrastructures and energy projects, but strategic underpinning are very much apparent. China loan has created indebtedness in these countries and has helped Beijing to gain strategic foothold in the region which India considers as core to its security. India’s aid programme though focuses on the neighbourhood, it remains small compared to China and suffers from delivery deficit.