BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//MP-IDSA - ECPv6.15.12.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://idsa.in X-WR-CALDESC:Events for MP-IDSA REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Asia/Kolkata BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0530 TZOFFSETTO:+0530 TZNAME:IST DTSTART:20150101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160318T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160318T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102131Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T001018Z UID:64038-1458279000-1458279000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Decoupling J&K from Pakistan - The Prudent Way Forward DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/decoupling-jk-from-pakistan-the-prudent-way-forward CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160422T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160422T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102126Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130237Z UID:64037-1461303000-1461303000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Challenges of Human Resource Management – Transition of a Soldier to second Career DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd.) \nDiscussants:\nBrig S K Sharma (Retd.)\nBrig Narender Kumar\nCol Vikram Taneja\nCol Vivek Chadha (Retd.) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/challenges-of-human-resource-management-transition-of-a-soldier-to-second-career CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160610T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160610T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231223T133006Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130237Z UID:63068-1465536600-1465536600@idsa.in SUMMARY:India's Foreign Policy Options in the Asia-Pacific: A Critical Evaluation DESCRIPTION:The IDSA Fellows Seminar by Dr S. Kalyanaraman\, Research Fellow\, IDSA\, on the topic “India’s Foreign Policy Options in the Asia-Pacific: A Critical Evaluation” was held on Friday\, June 10\, 2016. It was chaired by Sudhir T Devare\, India’s former Ambassador in North Korea\, Visiting Fellow and former Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs\, New Delhi. To discuss the paper\, two external and two internal discussants participated in the seminar: Prof Sujit Dutta\, the Mahatma Gandhi Chair at the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution\, Jamia Millia Islamia\, Delhi and whose expertise is in Chinese Politics\, Foreign and Security Policies\, India-China Relations\, International Affairs in East Asia\, India’s Strategic Thought\, International Relations; and Rajesh Rajagopalan\, Professor in International Politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University\, New Delhi\, whose areas of research are international relations theory\, military doctrines and nuclear weapons and disarmament; Dr. Uttam Sinha\, Research Fellow at IDSA; and Cdr. Aman Saberwal\, Research Fellow at IDSA. \n In his presentation\, Dr. Kalyanaraman began by highlighting how the Asia-Pacific region is gaining greater salience in both the economic and political spheres\, how China is emerging as a central player in this unfolding dynamic\, and what impact these developments have for India’s security and role in the region. It is against this backdrop that he critically evaluated four policy options that have been prescribed for India. These are: \n Multi-Alignment: Proponents argue that multi-alignment not only enables India to advance its core developmental priorities through greater economic integration at the regional and global levels but also helps preserve its strategic autonomy by avoiding too great a dependence on any one major power. Contrary to these assertions and aspirations\, however\, multi-alignment is unlikely to prove practicable in an Asia-Pacific that is tending towards fragmentation into rival economic and security groupings led by America and China\, respectively. Practising multi-alignment would be impracticable because\, during periods of intensified great power rivalry\, alliances are likely to be rigid and the interactions between rival great powers zero sum and conflictual in nature\, thus rendering membership in multiple groupings impossible and the contradictions involved in pursuing such a policy unmanageable. \n Nonalignment: A modified version of nonalignment\, Nonalignment 2.0\, between China and America is the second policy prescription that has been identified. Advocates contend that nonalignment would help India derive economic\, military and technological benefits from multiple sources as well as enable it to play the role of “a unique bridge” between different countries and groupings. But this idea of replicating the policy adopted during the Cold War to the unfolding circumstances overlooks the fact that the Soviet Union did not pose a threat to India whereas China does. Further\, external balancing in the form of an alliance is necessary given limited domestic economic and military capacities and the growing power asymmetry vis-à-vis China. \n Bandwagoning with China: The third prescription is the establishment of a closer economic relationship and forging of a new political equilibrium with China. While India would indeed gain from a closer economic relationship with China in terms of furthering its domestic economic transformation\, it is highly unlikely that enhanced economic cooperation would either cause an amelioration of rivalry or move the two countries towards a mutually acceptable political accommodation. \n Aligning with America: Alignment with America is the fourth policy choice. Advocates view an alignment with America as necessary to protect India’s core values of democracy\, pluralism and secularism from an authoritarian China aligned with jihad-exporting Pakistan. Further\, an alliance with America is also necessary\, even natural\, given the vast and growing power asymmetry between India and China\, which gulf can be bridged only through external balancing given the lack of “political will and executive capability” to rapidly build up national power through internal balancing. There is no denying the importance of\, and even necessity for\, an alliance with America to counter China’s growing power and consequent ability to reshape the Asian and international order. But two main objections have been articulated by critics to such a policy course. First\, it would prematurely antagonise China and impel that country into adopting overtly hostile policies towards India. The second objection is that an alliance with America would transform India into a junior partner and lead to its enmeshment in various American military misadventures. \n Concluding his presentation\, Dr. Kalyanaraman pointed out that China’s rise to great power status poses major challenges for India’s foreign and security policies. Given that India will not be able to arrive at a mutual political accommodation with China\, and given that dealing with China requires external balancing because of limited internal capacities\, the optimal policy option for India is to forge an alliance with the United States. \n The presentation was followed by comments by the discussants. \n Prof. Sujit Dutta: \n Prof. Dutta began by noting that the paper has raised many interesting ideas which were central to the foreign policy discourse in India. The paper is based on the ‘Offensive Realist’ theory of international relations. The principal argument revolves around the thought that “India needs an alignment with United States to deal with the emerging challenges from China”\, and this has been well articulated. Nehruvian foreign policy has often been criticized thus: it did not look into the realities of power politics clearly and therefore India suffered. The paper has gone to the opposite of the Nehruvian paradigm\, i.e.\, it has dealt with power politics in terms of military alignments which poses problems in many ways. India’s political elite are not very happy with power politics in the international domain although they are happy to practice power politics in the domestic domain. So\, it is very difficult for a consensus based foreign policy on the assumption that power politics should drive India’s foreign policy. Second\, liberal institutionalism and liberal interdependence which are the fundamentals of the liberal peace are also important. China is a trade dependent country. It can ill afford to undermine interdependence. China’s economy is declining and it should understand that India today is a good market. Third\, China’s power has been magnified. China spends on defence much more than India but China’s security paradigm is much more problematic than India’s. India’s defence expenditure should rise for sure but it need not to be same as China’s. Further\, we must not underestimate the overwhelming power of the United States. China is in no position to catch up with the United States anytime soon. We must not overstate China’s power. India’s economy is rising and it will reach up to China’s level soon. So we should analyse what India’s foreign policy is and what changes it requires within the framework of an independent foreign policy. It cannot be done in isolation with other countries but it can be done in cooperation with other countries due to globalization. We need a proactive foreign policy. In this multi-polar world\, balance of power is required so that no single country dominates the others. By getting engaged with the United States in terms of alliance rather than strategic partnership\, we will constrain ourselves. The United States has many flaws in its policies\, like Pakistan policy\, Vietnam policy in the past\, etc. It is important to have relations with all the great powers. India-China relations today are far less acrimonious than at the time when we had no trade relations. \n Prof Rajesh Rajagopalan: \n China has a great impact on other nations in every term\, whether economic or defence. China is larger than all of its key competitors in Asia. China has already surpassed that threshold where it can be balanced by a combination of regional countries. If you have an imbalance of power\, there must be a balance created irrespective of the policies of other countries. The US can anchor the regional countries to create a balance against China. There is a difference between alignment and alliance\, which can be shown by the alignment of China-Pakistan during the cold war\, even when Pakistan had an alliance with the US. They had collaboration on a number of different levels. It is always necessary to point out that difference between alignment and alliance. Alignments have their own problems. One of the problems of American alignment is not just the capacity of the US but its willingness to align\, and this is one of the key problems that India and all other countries face. India has been gradually moving away from nonalignment for the past 30 years. According to various surveys\, the US has public support in India. Inter-dependence has not prevented China from dealing aggressively with countries in South-East Asia and East Asia. China is a dominant power irrespective of its aggressive behaviour. India doesn’t have the power to internally balance China. An alignment is about meeting specific threats. India-US partnership should be looked at from this perspective. \n Uttam Sinha: He pointed to five trends in the changing geopolitics of the Asia-pacific: \n\nThe Chinese moves at developing a counter strategy to deal with US rebalancing to Asia-Pacific region have potentially set the stage for the new polarising order in Asia.\nThere are limits to full convergence of Asian country’s economic interests and their political objectives. It is the natural political dilemma witnessed in the region which will lead china to seek competitive relations with Asian neighbours.\nThe US\, India and China are pushing their respective interests in the region by reaching out to old and new friends. Alliances and partnerships are turning to be dynamic.\nChina and India are going to compete and cooperate at the same time. China will take advantage of the Indian market but on the strategic front relations will be tricky.\nEmergence of new great game –India’s Act East policy\, US rebalance and China’s OBOR.\n\nAman Saberwal: \n\nThe title of the paper is “India’s Foreign Policy options in Asia Pacific”\, but it seems to focus totally on China\, so perhaps a more China centric title could be considered. \nChina’s air force squadrons and aircraft are higher in number than India’s for sure\, but then they also have more service and maintenance complexities than India’s.\nOnly Army and Air Force aspects have been discussed but not the Navy’s in which realm India is more capable. \nIndia’s military strength has been greatly underrated in the paper.\n\nIntervening from the floor\, Director General Jayant Prasad said that there should be emphasis on both internal and external balancing\, as well as an independent foreign policy even while being aligned. But alignment bordering on some kind of alliance system with the US could be dangerous for India. \n In his concluding remarks\, Amb. Sudhir Devare noted that: \n\nIndia should be dexterous rather than being aligned to countries\nChinese aggressiveness has become a matter of concern. \nThe fact of multi-polarity has come in the frame now.\nThe policy of maintaining relations with middle power needs to be continued. The aspect of cooperative security needs to be explored.\n\nPrepared by Urvashi Rathore\, Research Intern\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/indias-foreign-policy-options-in-the-asia-pacific-a-critical-evaluation CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR,EVENT REPORT ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160715T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20160715T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102126Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T000530Z UID:64036-1468560600-1468560600@idsa.in SUMMARY:Transfer of Defence Technology – Understanding the Nuances for Optimal Benefits in the Indian Context DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall 1\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/transfer-of-defence-technology-understanding-the-nuances-for-optimal-benefits-in-the-indian-context CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20161021T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20161021T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102126Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T000128Z UID:64034-1477027800-1477027800@idsa.in SUMMARY:Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Scientific Thinking DESCRIPTION:Open to all Members\, others on request\, please contact us at cc.idsa@nic.in\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/kautilyas-arthashastra-and-scientific-thinking CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20161021T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20161021T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102126Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T000314Z UID:64035-1477027800-1477027800@idsa.in SUMMARY:Cyber Warfare DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/cyber-warfare CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170303T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170303T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102115Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T235917Z UID:64033-1488519000-1488519000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Is India Losing its Salience in the IOR to China? DESCRIPTION:1030 to 1300 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/is-india-losing-its-salience-in-the-ior-to-china CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170415T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170415T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102115Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130237Z UID:64032-1492234200-1492234200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Transfer of Defence Technology – Exploring the Avenues for India DESCRIPTION:Venue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) \nDiscussants:\nS Guruprasad\nSujeet Samaddar\nAshok Kanodia\nVinay Kaushal\nJyotirmai Vyas URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/transfer-of-defence-technology-exploring-the-avenues-for-india CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170505T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170505T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102114Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T235401Z UID:64031-1493962200-1493962200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Waiting for Godot:India and United Nations Security Council Reform DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/waiting-for-godotindia-and-united-nations-security-council-reform CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170601T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170601T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102114Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T235236Z UID:64030-1496295000-1496295000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Peace Process in Nepal: Differences\, Dialogue and Digression DESCRIPTION:1030 to 1300 hrs \nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/peace-process-in-nepal-differences-dialogue-and-digression CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170609T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170609T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102114Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T235106Z UID:64029-1496986200-1496986200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Securing Peace? Regime Types and Security Sector Reform in the Patani and Bangsamoro Peace Processes\, 2011-2016 DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/securing-peace-regime-types-and-security-sector-reform-in-the-patani-and-bangsamoro-peace-processes-2011-2016 CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170623T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170623T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102015Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234940Z UID:64028-1498195800-1498195800@idsa.in SUMMARY:Why China Supports Pakistan on Terrorism? DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/why-china-supports-pakistan-on-terrorism CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170713T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170713T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102015Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234801Z UID:64027-1499923800-1499923800@idsa.in SUMMARY:India’s Strategic Security Cooperation with Israel: Scope and Analysis DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1100 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/indias-strategic-security-cooperation-with-israel-scope-and-analysis CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170818T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170818T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102014Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234635Z UID:64026-1503034200-1503034200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Turkey as a 'Model' for Arab World: Myth or Reality? DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) \nChairperson: Shri Talmiz Ahmad\nExternal Discussants: Shri Sanjay Singh and Prof A K Mohapatra\nInternal Discussants: Dr Smruti S Pattanaik and Dr Adil Rasheed URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/turkey-as-a-model-for-arab-world-myth-or-reality CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170825T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20170825T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102014Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234411Z UID:64025-1503639000-1503639000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Partial Accommodation without Conflict: India as a Rising Link Power DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I \, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/partial-accommodation-without-conflict-india-as-a-rising-link-power CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20171027T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20171027T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T102014Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T233134Z UID:64024-1509082200-1509082200@idsa.in SUMMARY:India’s Military Modernisation and its Impact on Conventional Defence Strategies DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor)\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/indias-military-modernisation-and-its-impact-on-conventional-defence-strategies CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20171213T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20171213T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101915Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234229Z UID:64023-1513143000-1513143000@idsa.in SUMMARY:India-Taiwan Ties: Can They Move Beyond China’s Shadow? DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Room No 005 (Ground Floor)\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/india-taiwan-ties-can-they-move-beyond-chinas-shadow CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180105T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180105T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101914Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T234011Z UID:64022-1515130200-1515130200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Debating Security in Japan DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs\n\n\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor)\, IDSA URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/debating-security-in-japan CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180119T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180119T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231223T132907Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:63061-1516339800-1516339800@idsa.in SUMMARY:The Nitisara or the Elements of Polity by Kamandaka: Continuity and Change from Kautilya’s Arthashastra DESCRIPTION:Chairperson: Amb A. N. D. Haksar (Retd)External Discussants: Prof. Jayati Srivastava\, Dr. Medha Bisht\, Dr. Saurabh MishraInternal Discussants: Gp. Capt. K. K. Khera\, Col. Vikrant Deshpande \nMajor Arguments of the Paper\nSince India is one of the longest surviving civilisations\, there is likelihood that principles of statecraft are continuing through ages. This paper probes this possibility and argues that many concepts and principles of statecraft in India have not changed and that continuity is embedded in the vocabulary and concepts in the Indian tradition. They have survived due to their own enduring logic. This paper compares Arthasastra and Nitisara and analyses the enduring continuities in statecraft\, diplomacy and aspects of warfare. It seeks answers to the following questions: (a) What are the continuities and changes in the vocabulary and concepts from Kautilya’s Arthasastra to Nitisara?; (b) What is the vocabulary of Kamandaka in a stand-alone mode?; and\, (c) What is the contemporary relevance of the answers to these findings? \nThe author found both texts are ahistorical\, dealing with the acquisition of wealth and its distribution and emphasising on war as the last resort. Some common aspects adhered to in both the texts are: mastering of control over the senses including non-violence; the need to ensure that the state of matsyanyaya does not prevail; anvikshiki; maintaining balance among dharma\, artha and kama; importance of intelligence; the seven prakrits and twelve vijigisus in a circle of kings or mandala theory; six measures of foreign policy; the upayas in which there is no war mongering and use of force is the last resort; issues of disasters (vysanas) that may afflict the constituent elements (prakrits) and how to overcome them prior to the execution of a policy; duties of diplomats and intelligence gathering; and\, aspects of war and use of power by sticking to the priorities of mantra-shakti (counsel or diplomacy)\, prabhav-shakti (economic and military power)\, and utsah-shakti (leadership). \nThe paper also points out the dissimilarities in concepts employed by the two texts. To begin with\, while Kautilya’s work is inspired by statesmanship and is of a complex nature often questioning earlier scholars\, Kamandaka’s is a lucid and academic work and an abridged version of the Arthasastra. In terms of uniqueness\, Kamandaka stands out for deliberating at length not only on the four upayas (as mentioned in the Arthasastra) of sama \, dana\, bheda and danda but also the powerful concept of Upeksha (a combination of neglect or diplomatic indifference and the supreme virtue of patience) which was the strategy adopted by the Indian freedom movement. The impact of Kamandaka can be further seen on the Hitopadesa by Narayana\, which has 90 verses of Kamandaka including sixteen types of alliances. \nIn the end\, the paper argues that India’s geo-cultural space extends beyond the Himalayas up to Central Asia. This has also been highlighted by the History Division of the Ministry of External Affairs in the second White Paper published in 1959 “Historical Background of the Himalayan Frontier of India\,” in which the Raghuvamsha of Kalidas is mentioned. In both this White Paper and in the text of Kamandaka\, there is mention of the Kushan empire and Kanishka. \nMajor points of discussion and suggestions to the author\n\nThe time frame of both the Arthasastra and Nitisara as well as the context in which they were written forms a significant background for the comparison process. Further\, the Buddhist influence on Kamandaka and Kautilya can enrich the paper by providing another dimension. \nThematic structuring of the paper can be done on the basis of Kamandaka’s notions on war\, tactics\, ethics\, dharma\, etc.\, and an overall idea can be given about what is distinctive about Indian texts as compared to western texts. \nWhen one approaches a non-western text\, the method adopted should be devoid of an interpretative orientation and frames of comparison. Further\, the techniques of communication should be picked carefully focusing on the inclusive macro tradition over multiple micro traditions.\nMethodology adopted by these texts can be discussed in the paper along with historical similarities and dissimilarities as well as political situation of that time while explaining the central themes of both\, mentioning their categorization along with the reason for dissimilarities and commonalities. \nThe difference between Nitisara and Arthasastra lies in the idea of legitimacy which changed over time. While Arthasastra was dependent on deliverance of kingly duties\, Nitisara focuses on valour and the military qualities of the ruler.\nAuthor’s personal opinion should come out more strongly amongst the commendable literature survey and referencing. And\, to extend its reach to the masses\, the paper can be made more lucid.\n\nReport prepared by Ms. Lakshmi Priya\, Research Assistant\, IDSA. URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/the-nitisara-or-the-elements-of-polity-by-kamandaka-continuity-and-change-from-kautilyas-arthashastra CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR,EVENT REPORT ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180405T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180405T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101914Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T233825Z UID:64021-1522906200-1522906200@idsa.in SUMMARY:India - Kenya Maritime Security Cooperation: An Appraisal DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 hrs\nVenue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/india-kenya-maritime-security-cooperation-an-appraisal CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180413T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180413T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101914Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T233638Z UID:64020-1523597400-1523597400@idsa.in SUMMARY:India-Africa Cooperation in Human Resource Development: Education\, Training and Skills DESCRIPTION:Participation in the Fellow Seminars is by invitation only.\nMedia person accredited with foreign media and foreign diplomats may seek prior permission from DDG\, IDSA @ telephone no. 26146832.\n\n\n\n\n1030 to 1300 hrs URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/india-africa-cooperation-in-human-resource-development-education-training-and-skills CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180525T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180525T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64019-1527226200-1527226200@idsa.in SUMMARY:Synthesis of Eurasian Trade Corridors: India‘s Strategic Centrality in the Emerging System DESCRIPTION:Venue: Room No. 005 (Ground Floor). URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/synthesis-of-eurasian-trade-corridors-indias-strategic-centrality-in-the-emerging-system CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180601T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180601T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64018-1527831000-1527831000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Manifestation of ISIS in India DESCRIPTION:Venue: Room No. 005 (Ground Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/manifestation-of-isis-in-india CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180816T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180816T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64017-1534397400-1534397400@idsa.in SUMMARY:Response to Quest for NAGALIM by Ethnic Groups/Tribes outside Nagaland DESCRIPTION:Venue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor). URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/response-to-quest-for-nagalim-by-ethnic-groups-tribes-outside-nagaland CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180831T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180831T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64016-1535693400-1535693400@idsa.in SUMMARY:India - Japan Security Cooperation: Dynamics and Prospects DESCRIPTION:Venue: Seminar Hall I (Second Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/india-japan-security-cooperation-dynamics-and-prospects CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180914T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20180914T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64015-1536903000-1536903000@idsa.in SUMMARY:Is there an Indian Way of Multilateralism? A Conceptual Inquiry DESCRIPTION:Venue: Room No. 005 (Ground Floor) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/is-there-an-indian-way-of-multilateralism-a-conceptual-inquiry CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20190822T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20190822T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101857Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130236Z UID:64014-1566451800-1566451800@idsa.in SUMMARY:Structural Reforms in PLA and Future Assessed Capabilities DESCRIPTION:Venue: Room No. 005 (Ground Floor) \nTopic: Structural Reforms in PLA and Future Assessed Capabilities URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/structural-reforms-in-pla-and-future-assessed-capabilities CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20210409T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20210409T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231224T101857Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130235Z UID:64013-1617946200-1617946200@idsa.in SUMMARY:India’s Response to the China Threat Since 1949 DESCRIPTION:Chair: Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy\, Director General\, MP-IDSA \nPresenter: Dr. S. Kalyanaraman\, Research Fellow\, MP-IDSA \nExternal Discussants: Lt Gen J.S. Bajwa\, UYSM\, SM (Retd) and Prof Srikanth Kondapalli URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/indias-response-to-the-china-threat-since-1949 CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20230207T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20230207T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231223T131248Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130235Z UID:62953-1675747800-1675747800@idsa.in SUMMARY:Report of Fellows Seminar on The Geopolitics of Europe's Quest for Energy Security: Significant Achievements amid Myriad Challenges DESCRIPTION:A MP-IDSA Fellows Seminar by Dr. Swasti Rao\, Associate Fellow\, on “The Geopolitics of Europe’s Quest for Energy Security: Significant Achievements amid Myriad Challenges” was held on 7 February 2023. It was chaired by Prof. Gulshan Sachdeva\, Professor\, Jawaharlal Nehru University\, New Delhi. The external discussants were Dr. Lydia Powell\, Distinguished Fellow\, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)\, and Mr. Rajeev Lala\, Associate Director\, S&P Global. Ms. Anandita Bhada\, Research Analyst at MP-IDSA\, was the internal discussant. \nExecutive Summary \nAlmost a year into the war in Ukraine\, European nations have fast-tracked their energy diversification in order to reduce their dependency on Russia. The main issues are policies adopted by Europe to diversify\, the available options\, and prognosis for the future. \nDetailed Report\nThe Chair\, Prof. Gulshan Sachdeva\, in his opening remarks\, stated that diversification of energy supplies would likely have a major geopolitical implication. For example\, Europe moving towards the US for oil and Russia diversifying its energy exports away from Europe\, towards Asia would significantly impact the international arena. \nDr. Swasti Rao began her presentation with a question – “Does Europe want to diversify its energy requirements from Russia?” She replied in the affirmative but pointed out that the main issue is implementing this vision. The speaker then highlighted the structure of her paper before briefly delving into the ongoing developments in Russia-Ukraine war. \nDr. Rao stressed that Europe is seeking to completely wean itself away from Russian crude oil\, natural gas and coal. She highlighted Europe’s dependency on Russian energy amidst the differentiation in patterns and volume of such trade. She elaborated on the internal and external differences in Europe regarding the diversification process. She pointed out Europe’s plans to focus on alternative fuels in the form of hydrogen and nuclear\, apart from creating new energy maps and import corridors. The fact is that today Europe is looking into both short-term and long-term energy measures\, anchored to avoiding any potential dependency. For Europe\, the supply chains should not only be cost-effective but also more resilient.  \nDr. Rao highlighted the diversification measures undertaken by Europe. These include import diversification\, short-term energy imports\, protection of the most venerable cohorts\, and acceleration to new renewables.  \nThe speaker elaborated on the macro and micro energy trends in Europe – both before and since the conflict started. At the macro level\, there has been a systemic and sustainable shift away from Russian energy. At the micro-level\, Europe has sought to cut down domestic demand apart from transition to renewables. These steps are\, however\, hampered by limitations that include pipeline disruption\, oil re-routing\, global liquefaction capacity\, and failure to meet market goals. \nMoving to the issue of transition to renewables such as green hydrogen\, blue hydrogen\, and bio-methane\, Dr. Rao highlighted the sense of urgency in the form of new European pathways to develop these alternatives. She also referred to Europe’s attempts at developing new import corridors. She emphasised that one of the reasons for Europe’s ongoing support to Ukraine is anchored to Ukraine emerging as a promising option for green hydrogen. \nOn the issue of expanding avenues of energy cooperation between India and Europe\, Dr. Rao referred to the Trade Technology Council and ongoing bilateral discussions in the field of hydrogen. \nDr. Rao concluded by stating that Europe appears to have shown a strong political will to diversify yet it would need strong political leadership in what would likely be a very painful period ahead. \nDr. Lydia Powell:\nDr. Powell\, while complimenting the author for her presentation\, felt that there is scope for enhancing the analytical rigour of the paper by moving beyond the summarizing and descriptive aspects. This includes a more rigorous analysis of the post-Ukraine energy situation in Europe and its future. She observed that the speaker could qualitatively improve the section on “geopolitics of Europe’s quest for energy security”. \nDr. Powell gave a few more suggestions to improve the paper. First\, she suggested revising the opening section\, particularly the framing of whether the European Union (EU) can replace Russia in the context of energy. Second\, one needs to dwell on who the winners and losers of the current geopolitical scenario are – this includes Russia\, EU and the US. Also\, whether Russia’s calculations are long-term vis-à-vis short term? Third\, the speaker could address the question of whether the fossil fuel and nuclear industries are the winners in this climate. Fourth\, the speaker should address whether Asia has become the winner given the renewed focus on the continent amidst Russia’s growing energy exports to India and China. Similarly\, has the developing world lost out in the short term on account of their energy crisis? Fifth\, the paper must address its policy relevance\, particularly for India. \nMr. Rajeev Lala:\nMr. Rajeev Lala highlighted the need to add a caveat around hydrogen – “hope”\, especially on green hydrogen. Meanwhile\, there exists two proponents around hydrogen; one is the blue hydrogen proponent (led by Saudi Arabia) and the other being the green hydrogen proponents (led by Japan\, Korea\, Switzerland\, and South Korea). The key issue is financing\, as both technologies are expensive; hence it is still most policymakers’ hope. \nThere also exists a significant variation in European countries dependency on Russia. This has a direct bearing on each country’s national position on Russia with the most critical stand being taken by countries which have the least dependency. Mr. Lala suggested the need for a chart to show this correlation by providing the examples of energy dependencies of Germany and the United Kingdom on Russia. \nThe discussant called upon Dr. Rao to focus on the interconnectivity issue and the status of interconnectors across Europe. Meanwhile\, a section could be added on the risks for 2023 and what could go wrong. \nMr. Lala elaborated on ongoing discussions on “winter approaching” and its potential impact on Ukraine\, and stressed that winter has in fact already arrived in South Asia in the June-August period since all the gas markets are interconnected. He referred to its impact on Pakistan which is undergoing a prolonged energy crisis. In the same vein\, Europe’s energy diversification could impact the Indian gas market\, which the author should also focus on. \nMs. Anandita Bhada:\nThe discussant stressed on the need to highlight the winners and losers of the ongoing crisis. She referred to the eastern European countries\, who being less economically developed\, have found cheaper Russian energy more attractive. Ms. Bhada felt that the importance of interconnectors must be emphasized since several eastern European countries are landlocked or have a small coastline. In this\, the significance of Poland-Lithuania interconnector should be emphasised. She also referred to the concept of projects of common interests which help secure energy across the continent. This includes the Baltic Gas Pipeline connecting Norway via Denmark to Poland. \nApart from raising the question of financing\, Ms. Bhada highlighted the use of rare earth elements sourced from China for energy transition to renewables. She wondered whether a significant focus on renewables would mean Europe would have an increased dependence on China for rare-earth elements? Ms. Bhada also observed that the Brexit deal must be resolved for any substantial gains between Europe and the United Kingdom. Finally\, regarding the reduction of demand\, she pondered that by the time there is a reduction in the market for Russian energy sources\, the need for the substitute would increase; thus\, how would Europe balance it out?  \nProf. Gulshan Sachdeva:\nThe Chair complimented the author for her work. He also highlighted some of the areas of the paper which could be further improved. \nFirst\, the title could be formulated for a more precise understanding. Too many aspects within the title may create problems. There is also a need for more in-depth analysis of the geopolitical factors at play. \nSecond\, there is a need to have a discussion on the concept of energy security and what is the European understanding of energy security. There is also need to discuss the history of the European understanding of energy security from the past to the current era. \n Third\, Prof Sachdeva opined that the Literature Review might not be needed but gave the researcher the discretion to keep or remove it. \nFourth\, he highlighted the need to re-arrange the paper. In the introduction\, the researcher could highlight the European concept of energy security\, and then delve into the current geopolitical situation as a result of which Europe has chosen to adjust its energy security policies. \nFifth\, concerning the figures\, there is a need for primary data\, and the use of multiple graphics is confusing for the readers. For example\, a graph could be there for the situation before the Ukraine war and the current situation. \nSixth\, there is a need to refer to more primary documents from the European Union; for instance\, the Repower EU Plan needs to be added. \nSeventh\, Prof. Sachdeva observed that on India-EU collaboration\, the researcher could avoid the over-emphasis on hydrogen since it may divert from the crux of the paper. In this\, the paper needs to focus more on the impact of energy diversification on India. A country like India is significantly dependent on Russian arms and energy\, and there could be severe implications for the geopolitics of the Eurasian region. \nEighth\, the author must expand the conclusion. \nQuestions and Comments \nDeputy Director General\, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi (Retd.)  agreed with the Chair on specific aspects of the paper which need to be reviewed. He observed that multilateralism is weakening\, maybe to a certain extent even fracturing\, which has led to multipolarity and emergence of regional groupings. In the past\, regional groupings were linked to geography but several of those links are now fractured. In the same vein\, he observed that geopolitics and ideology are fracturing existing trade agreements\, for example\, the EU- Russian energy mix and the US-China trade war. New alignments are shaping up\, and old friends and alliances are finding themselves on opposite sides of the energy alignment; simultaneously\, they are adapting and harmonizing with the current geopolitical situation. \nOn green hydrogen\, he emphasised that Indian researchers have been active. Nevertheless\, cost is a factor and the focus has also been more on blue hydrogen. The questions of economics trumping geopolitics and the success of the shift to hydrogen could be addressed. \nThe Q/A session broadly revolved around the themes of transition to greener energy\, energy security\, energy politics within Europe\, nuclear energy option\, North-South divide\, India’s ability to deal with global risks and the need to focus on West Asia.  \nThe speaker responded to the comments and questions. \n(Report prepared by Dr. Jason Wahlang\, Research Analyst\, Europe and Eurasia Centre\, MP-IDSA) URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/report-of-fellows-seminar-on-the-geopolitics-of-europes-quest-for-energy-security-significant-achievements-amid-myriad-challenges CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR,EVENT REPORT ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20230531T053000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20230531T053000 DTSTAMP:20261105T022102 CREATED:20231223T130948Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130235Z UID:62930-1685511000-1685511000@idsa.in SUMMARY:MP-IDSA Fellows Seminar: Defence Public Sector Units and Exports DESCRIPTION:MP-IDSA Fellows Seminar by Dr. S. Samuel C. Rajiv\, Associate Fellow\, on ‘Defence Public Sector Units and Exports’ was held on 31 May 2023. It was chaired by Mr. Amit Cowshish\, Former Financial Advisor (Acquisition) Ministry of Defence\, and Former Distinguished Fellow\, MP-IDSA. The external discussants for the paper were Dr. Manisha Mathur\, Sr. Dy. GM\, International Marketing\, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Dr. Sameer Patil\, Senior Fellow\, ORF\, Mumbai. Gp. Capt. (Dr.) Rajiv Kumar Narang (Retd.)\, Senior Fellow\, MP-IDSA\, and Col. (Dr.) Rajneesh Singh\, Research Fellow & Centre Coordinator\, Defence Industry and Economics Centre\, MP-IDSA\, were the internal discussants. \nExecutive Summary\nIn recent years\, India has experienced a significant surge in defence exports. The paper explored the primary issues faced by DPSU’s in research and development\, marketing\, and competition from international aerospace businesses. The DPSUs’ future success in the fiercely competitive defence export market would be essential for India’s military manufacturing and indigenisation aims. \nDetailed Report\nThe Chair\, Mr. Amit Cowshish opened the session by highlighting the 23 per cent growth in India’s defence exports from Rs. 686 Crore in Financial Year (FY) 2013-2014 to Rs. 16\,000 Crore in FY 2022-2023. This denotes the advancement in the design and development of the Indian defence industry in the global defence manufacturing sector. \nDr. Rajiv in his paper ‘Defence Public Sector Units and Exports’ noted that during the ten-year period 2012-23\, India exported defence equipment worth about Rs. 67\,500 cr. Exports surged from Rs. 446.77 crores in 2012-13 to Rs. 15\,918.16 cr in 2022-23. The paper examined issues related to exports by DPSUs and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). \nDr. Rajiv stated that ships overwhelmingly comprise the quantity of defence exports from India\, followed by helicopters/aircraft and sensors (radars etc). This is as against major global defence exporters\, like the US\, Russia\, France\, China and the UK\, for whom aircrafts constitute the major chunk of exports. The share of DPSU defence exports was over 56 per cent during 2013-14 and was about 9 per cent in 2021-22. The OFB share in the defence exports pie has reduced from nearly 3 per cent in 2013-14 to less than 1 per cent in 2021-22. \nDuring the ten-year period from 2012-22\, around Rs. 9600 crores is the value of exports (both defence and civil) executed by eight DPSUs. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has accounted for more than 37 per cent of all exports by DPSUs\, followed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at over 30 per cent and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) at nearly 13 per cent. As for exports by the OFB during 2012-22\, about Rs. 688 crore worth of items/equipment have been exported. The OFB has exported various items like brake parachutes and ammunition to many countries over the years. \nDr. Rajiv gave certain examples of some significant export items by DPSUs. These included Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and helicopters to countries like Mauritius\, Sri Lanka\, Nepal\, Afghanistan\, Seychelles\, Namibia\, Ecuador and Suriname. Some of the significant contracts that the DPSUs did not succeed in securing have included the $300 mn contract for Frigates by Philippines in 2016 (which went to a South Korean firm) and $900 mn contract for Trainer Aircraft by Malaysia (which was again bagged by a South Korean competitor in 2023). \nDr. Rajiv then highlighted issues relating to DPSUs and R&D\, their marketing and strategic partnership efforts and use of Lines of Credit. He noted that most DPSUs have tie-ups with academic and research institutions like IITs. BEL has more than 300 collaborative R&D partners\, including with more than 150 MSMEs.  BEL has also been granted a total of 24 patents\, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) – five and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) – 12 patents respectively\, while shipyards like Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) have filed over 100 IPRs out of which more than 60 have been granted. BEL has the highest R&D spending among DPSUs while average R&D spending of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) over the five-year period from 2017-22 has been less than 2 per cent. DPSUs have also been making efforts to increase their marketing footprint overseas\, with BEL\, HAL and GRSE at the forefront of such efforts. Dr. Rajiv noted that countries like Bangladesh\, Sri Lanka\, Mauritius\, and Surinam have used LoCs to source Indian defence equipment. \nDPSUs are actively participating in Request for Information (RFIs) and Request for Proposal (RFPs)\, to enhance their export profiles. Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL)\, for instance\, as of December 2021\, had responded to over 30 RFIs and RFPs\, involving nearly 200 vessels. The last vessel that was exported by MDL though was way back in 2014. DPSU shipyards point out that highly competitive markets and low pricing of the products from North–East Asian countries were some of the challenges. DPSU’s like HAL will continue to have stiff competition from global aerospace majors with their T-50 (Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin)\, T-7A (Boeing and SAAB)\, or M 346 (Leonardo) Trainer Aircrafts. HAL though unveiled a new Hindustan Lead in Fighter (HLFT-42) Trainer Aircraft at the Aero India 2023. \n Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) expects export order book of Rs. 1200 crore during 2021-25\, including OPVs and Corvettes to the Philippines Navy\, Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs) to Comoros and Floating Docks to Sri Lanka. New DPSU corporate entities like Munitions India Limited (MIL) hope to increase exports from the existing 2 per cent of annual Value of Issue to 8 per cent by next year. \nGoing forward\, Dr. Rajiv noted that DPSU’s face a highly competitive export market for defence products. DPSUs are some of the biggest defence companies in the world in terms of sales. With the government’s stress on Atmanirbhar Bharat and ambitious targets relating to defence production\, defence exports and defence indigenisation\, the ability of the DPSUs to contribute to the exports pie will continue to be in focus. \nDr. Manisha Mathur\nDr. Mathur began by complimenting the author for the meticulous presentation of data and stated the need to analyse the challenges and various initiatives to increase India’s defence exports. She spoke about the various initiatives which Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has been making in the expanding global defence market. \nDr. Mathur delved into the challenges in dealing with developing countries in the South Asian region\, particularly on the limited flexibility in the operations of the DPSUs compared to Chinese counterparts. In comparison\, the private sector might have greater flexibility. She delved into the various initiatives and efforts by the Indian Government\, High Commissions\, and Embassies to provide support through brand promotion\, participation in exhibitions\, and financial assistance such as Lines of Credit (LoC) from the Export-Import Bank of India to facilitate exports to these developing countries. Secondly\, she flagged that India is not part of the NATO supply chain\, which could have added to the exports pie. Thirdly\, Dr. Mathur stressed the need to focus on R&D\, customised solutions\, product support\, and leveraging licensed production of Russian platforms. However\, she also expressed caution in sharing sensitive defence information and maintaining the confidentiality of partner countries in the public. She was optimistic about the future course of defence exports and spoke on the upward trend in collaboration with foreign and private sectors; she was optimistic about swift clearance regarding defence exports and obtaining NOCs (No Objection Certificates). She added that there is growing interest in India’s defence sector\, pushed forward actively by the Raksha Mantri in his visits to countries in India’s extended neighbourhood as well as by a few countries appointing Defence Attaches to explore collaborative partnerships with the Indian defence industry. \nDr. Sameer Patil\nDr. Sameer Patil appreciated the comprehensive research and use of statistics. He stated that the declining share of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) might be attributed to factors such as the absence of critical technologies\, poor design capacities\, long gestation periods\, weak industry-academia interface\, and limited success in the commercial arena. He remarked that the paper would benefit from providing background information on the role of DPSUs and the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) in defence manufacturing and the government’s initiatives to boost defence exports. Dr. Patil further suggested that the author may include an explanation for concepts like legacy liabilities and strategic partnerships and the link between capturing new markets and leveraging partnerships. He indicated that the paper may include a uniform usage of units and currency (USD or INR) throughout for clarity and comparison. \nGp. Capt. (Dr.) Rajeev Narang\nGroup Captain (Dr) Rajeev Narang emphasised the importance of understanding the factors that contribute to successful defence exports and identifying obstacles that hinder them. The Indian Government has implemented initiatives like Make in India\, Strategic Partnerships\, Joint Venture\, Transfer of Technology (TOT)\, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat to achieve self-reliance in technology and become a defence export hub. He commented that as the percentage of defence exports has increased\, the private sector has shown more significant growth than DPSUs. He stated that it is essential to differentiate between DPSUs to assess their value addition and export potential. Gp. Capt. Narang stated that collaboration with global manufacturers\, civil product exports\, and adherence to international standards are crucial to improve technology and export quality. Each institution has strengths\, challenges\, and associated areas influencing their export goals. \nGp. Capt. Narang stated the importance of user feedback from friendly countries\, which is crucial to evaluate the perception and quality of Indian defence products. He stressed that understanding limitations\, hurdles\, and reasons for missed projects helps assess export potential. He discussed the significance of factors like testing facilities\, standardisation\, accreditation\, and quality assurance that contribute to the growth of the export ecosystem. Gp. Capt. Narang elaborated on the challenges in global market entry\, user satisfaction\, supply lines\, and regional variations. Comparison with other countries\, such as China\, highlights the importance of assessing technology transfer and understanding their approach. Collaboration with global manufacturers\, civil product exports\, and understanding international standards and testing procedures play a role in improving technology and export quality. \nCol. (Dr.) Rajneesh Singh\nCol. (Dr.) Rajneesh Singh highlighted the decline in the share of defence exports by DPSUs in recent years from over 56 per cent in 2013-14 to approximately 9 per cent in 2021-22. In contrast\, the private sector’s share has surged to over 90 per cent during the same period. He stressed the need to study the reasons behind this substantial shift to understand the underlying factors. The Ordnance Factories turned DPSUs have witnessed a decline in their share of defence exports. He expanded on the potential reasons for this decline\, including unattractive product lists\, lack of competitive production quality/prices\, and marketing issues that should be  analysed. Col. Singh recommended that Ordnance Factories turned DPSUs should focus on establishing joint ventures with foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)\, producing critical items through technology transfer\, and engaging in collaborative innovation for defence research and development in niche technology areas. This strategic approach would optimise capacity utilisation\, enhance efficiency\, and facilitate modernisation with capability development. Moreover\, the assessment of defence export volume should carefully consider aspects like After-Sales Maintenance and Support\, overhaul\, and training and clarify whether these services are accounted for when receiving/executing the export order or at the time of payment realisation. \nCol. Singh suggested that a collaborative approach between various government ministries\, including the Ministry of Defence\, Ministry of External Affairs\, Department of Economic Affairs\, and Ministry of Corporate Affairs\, is vital to provide diplomatic support for achieving export orders\, facilitating technology transfer deals\, implementing offsets effectively\, producing dual-use technology items\, establishing joint ventures with foreign OEMs\, and forming strategic market partnerships. Furthermore\, DPSUs can be crucial in supporting defence Micro\, Small\, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by providing a suitable forum/platform for exports\, extending market support\, offering technological guidance\, and enhancing capability. Lastly\, to obtain a realistic assessment of the defence industry\, he suggested that a time period longer than a 10 years be considered. Such a timeframe would account for any spikes or irregularities in orders\, ensuring that accurate conclusions are drawn. \nMr. Amit Cowshish\nThe Chair appreciated the suggestions and recommended certain changes to be incorporated into the paper. \nFirstly\, he suggested including a list of policy measures the government has taken as it pertained to defence exports\, including issues like the Open General Export License (OGEL) and other procedural changes. \n Secondly\, he mentioned that\, while the paper focuses on R&D\, marketing efforts\, and LOCs as facilitators\, there is a need for more coverage of the limiting factors. \nThirdly\, Mr. Cowshish flagged data points on exports and value of authorisations and noted that countries like France consider both physical exports and authorisation values\, to get a better picture of the country’s defence exports. \nFourthly\, he clarified that DPSUs also manufacture civilian products and make efforts to segregate defence export figures from civilian products. \nFinally\, he also highlighted the role of the private sector in defence exports\, along with changes in acquisition procedures and offsets. He commented on the limitations of obtaining user inputs and mentioned the limited market in the neighbourhood but expressed hope for success in Southeast Asia\, Central Asia\, and South America. Finally\, the significance of Micro\, Small\, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the defence export story and their collaboration with DPSUs was flagged. \nDr .Rajiv expressed gratitude for the constructive comments and suggestions and stated that he intended to incorporate them to the extent possible while revising the paper and also use the suggestions for future research. \nQuestions and Comments\nThe Director General Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy began his comments on the paper by suggesting the inclusion of the initiatives for critical and emerging technologies between India and the US\, as India was recognised as a major defence partner in 2016 and was given the STA-1 status in 2018 by the US. These steps aim to boost India’s technology and R&D capabilities\, which can potentially impact the country’s defence as well as high-technology exports. He cited the example of the GE 414 afterburning turbofan engine\, on which India and the US are expected to sign a major deal during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US. Amb. Chinoy enquired as to how best we can utlisise such opportunities to enhance the domestic manufacturing base. Secondly\, he advised the author to include the contribution of positive indigenisation lists for Atmanirbhar Bharat\, on Indian manufacturing capabilities and its effect on exports. Thirdly\, he  enquired whether we can categorise long-term lease arrangements as defence exports\, like the transfer of the Kilo-class submarine\, INS Sindhuvir to Myanmar. Amb. Chinoy also flagged the Chinese example of using a European engine in the C919 commercial aircraft\, which they are aggressively marketing for exports. He also asked the author to explore the connection between Indian Armed Forces’ procurement decisions and exports. If the Indian Armed Forces purchase in large quantities significant equipment like the LCA Tejas\, given the  Rs 48\,000 crore deal\, it should naturally translate\, sooner or later\, into possible export opportunities for the indigenous fighter aircraft powered by the US engine. Lastly\, Amb. Chinoy flagged the need for appropriate decision-making vis-à-vis R&D investments\, including on aspects relating to when to enter the technology lifecycle and which specific technologies to focus on. \nDeputy Director General Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi commented on Dr. Mathur’s statement where she mentioned the importance of entering the NATO supply chain and highlighted the substantial defence budget of the US. Gen. Bakshi flagged the possibility of Indian companies benefiting if and when India and the US sign the Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement\, which seems to be in the works. He flagged business opportunities in terms of Maintenance\, Repair and Operations (MRO) of Russian equipment in the inventories of other countries\, given the current geo-political scenario. Gen Bakshi suggested that testing and accreditation facilities in the public sector need to be made more accessible to the private sector defence companies as well. The limitations in critical technologies such as chips\, engines\, and precision guided munitions was flagged. \nThe Q/A session broadly revolved around the themes of indigenisation\, defence exports\, joint ventures arrangements\, as well as public and private defence industries. \nThe speaker responded to the comments and questions. \n(Report prepared by Ms. Shayesta Nishat Ahmed\, Research Analyst\, Defence Economics and Industry Centre\, MP-IDSA).   URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/mp-idsa-fellows-seminar-defence-public-sector-units-and-exports CATEGORIES:FELLOW'S SEMINAR,EVENT REPORT ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR