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TZID:Asia/Kolkata
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TZOFFSETFROM:+0530
TZOFFSETTO:+0530
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DTSTART:20090101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100706T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100706T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210416
CREATED:20231223T221702Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130743Z
UID:63647-1278394200-1278394200@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Interaction with scholars from the Cross-Strait Interflow Prospect Foundation of Taiwan
DESCRIPTION:IDSA held an interaction with scholars from the Cross-Strait Interflow Prospect Foundation of Taiwan to discuss issues related to climate change\, especially those concerning the Indian sub-continent and China.  \nThe scholars from Taiwan included Ms. Chang Hsueh-Ping\, Mr. Liu Chin-Tsai and Mr. Lin Tzu-Chao. The team from IDSA included Col. (Retd.) P.K. Gautam\, Dr. Uttam Kumar Sinha\, Dr. Jagannath Panda\, Ms. Rukmani Gupta and Mr. Avinash Godbole.  \nExtending a warm welcome to the Taiwanese visitors\, Col. Gautam began the discussion by observing that scholars of Chinese history have documented the correlation between war and climate change on Mainland China. While such a correlation may be true for China\, he noted that war and climate have not been particularly linked in India. Commenting on the role of the military in climate change\, Col. Gautam emphasized the role of the Indian Army in tackling the issue of climate change. Not only has the Indian Army endeavoured to reduce Halon use in military hardware because of its Ozone depleting properties\, it has also raised eight battalions that have come to constitute an ecological taskforce. Apart from these measures\, Col. Gautam  also pointed out that research towards Carbon-neutral technology is ongoing and that the Indian Army’s traditions of frugality ensure that energy intense facilities like air conditioning are maintained for equipment rather than for personnel.  \nOn the issue of climate change and Tibet\, Col. Gautam spoke of two processes that have contributed to the problem. The first was that of emissions by the global community and the second was the policy of rapid development followed by the Chinese government in Tibet. There is a difference of perception in Sino-Tibetan discourse over the capitalist model of economic development being undertaken by China\, which is at variance with the cultural practices of Tibetans informed and regulated as they are by the Buddhist values of oneness with nature. Nomadism is also fundamental to the preservation of   the ecology of Tibet. The Chinese policy of encouraging the influx of non-Tibetans\, greater than the sustainable carrying capacity of Tibet\, is enhancing the danger of an ecological meltdown. The demographic changes in Tibet brought about by the Chinese government’s policies have had a deleterious effect on the ecology of the Tibetan Plateau. The Dalai Lama’s Government in exile has proposed a peace plan for Tibet that suggests a reform of China’s population policy in the region which could help tackle environmental degradation in Tibet. Col. Gautam stressed the importance of Tibetan glaciers as the source of river waters in non-monsoon season and the implications of this on South Asian security. He postulated that Tibetan glaciers form the third largest water resource in the world and given that there are ten rivers that emanate from Tibet to the Indian sub continent and South East Asia\, there is no denying that Tibet is\, if not a global commons\, then certainly a regional commons.  \nDr. Uttam Kumar Sinha emphasized the hydrological profile of the region. He stated that the sub-continent is often looked at only in terms of borders and disputes but the hydrological profile is often overlooked. The fact is that all states are connected by rivers in the region\, a condition that possesses elements of both conflict and co-operation. Dr. Sinha acknowledged that due to its unique geographical position\, since major rivers to South and South East Asia flow from Tibet\, there can be no denying Tibet’s importance. At the same time\, however\, he noted that while neighbouring states may have concerns over Tibetan waters\, the Chinese themselves were within their sovereign rights to exploit the natural resources of Tibet. Dr. Sinha underlined India’s unique position as a “middle” riparian with reference to Tibetan waters. As an upper riparian\, India has many disputes with neighbouring states over river waters\, though it is its position as a “middle” riparian that India would need to emphasize with its neighbours. There exist many examples in the form of the Indus River Water Treaty and water sharing agreements between Bangladesh and India that could be useful in discussions on Tibetan waters as well. Dr. Sinha stressed that China’s rampant exploitation of Tibetan waters is a problem that needs to be discussed\, though the need is to avoid brinkmanship and facilitate greater co-operation.   \nMs. Chang suggested that India could involve the SAARC in negotiating or discussing water issues with China. It was also suggested that India could work towards a consensus with Central Asian states and Russia in discussing water issues with China. Mr. Lin enquired about India’s prospects for food security in the future and the state of China’s agricultural production was also mentioned. In response to questions on the state of India’s agriculture production\, technological innovation in the form of drip irrigation\, the under utilized resources of north eastern India and the debate on genetically modified crops were alluded to. Subsequent discussion touched upon the domestic political situation in Taiwan and the recently signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Taiwan and Mainland China.  \nReport prepared by Rukmani Gupta\, Associate Fellow\, IDSA
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/interaction-with-scholars-from-the-cross-strait-interflow-prospect-foundation-of-taiwan
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS,EVENT REPORT
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100707T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100707T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210416
CREATED:20231223T221702Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130743Z
UID:63646-1278480600-1278480600@idsa.in
SUMMARY:The Changing Nature of War
DESCRIPTION:Chair: K. SubrahmanyamPanel: Air Cmde. (Retd.) Jasjit Singh\, Rear Adm. (Retd.) Raja Menon\, Brig. (Retd.) Gurmeet Kanwal \nPresentation: Brig. (Retd.) Rumel Dahia \nBrig. Dahia initiated the session by summarizing key ideas contained in the recent paper entitled “The New Rules of War” by John Arquilla. Following were identified as central postulates: \n\nUS military spending is incompatible with changing nature of warfare\n“Many and Small” Beats “Few and Large”\nFinding Matters More than Flanking\nSwarming is the New Surging\n\nAs well as elaborating on their implications\, the presenter also proposed some critical counter-arguments to these postulates. \nThe Chair took a dissenting view on the proposition that globalization does not necessarily rule out the prospect of future war. He argued in favour of a debate in India on the nature of wars this country is likely to fight in the future. \nFollowing the presentation and the Chair’s opening remarks\, the panellists put forth their considered observations on the subject.  \nAir Commodore Jasjit Singh\nContextualizing Arquilla’s ideas within the American experience over the recent past\, he drew attention to the fact that America’s war effort during this time has been heavily air power-driven. He underlined the increasing critical significance of technology\, emphasizing that even non-military organizations have been demonstrating military-like tactical capabilities. Employment of force – combining technology with force strength in numbers – was singled out as the most important determinant of success in war.  \nMany global powers are catching up with the US in terms of air-power capability. India needs to work on its preparedness in the event of three kinds of war: Nuclear Exchange\, Force-on-Force Conventional War\, and sub-conventional\, low intensity conflict. At the conventional level\, the shifting strategic-tactical differential and compression of time and expansion of space in the arena of conflict have circumscribed the range of options available\, in particular\, with reference to nuclear weapons powers.  \nAdmiral Raja Menon\nHe highlighted the underlying message in Arquilla’s writing that reform of the forces is called for in light of changing requirements and specific contexts\, suggesting that there are countries already making the tough choices that this adjustment demands. He also noted the link between the structure of the armed forces and the nation’s polity. He described technology as a double-edged sword and no straight-forward substitute for boots-on the-ground. \nBrig. Gurmeet Kanwal\nOne important qualification in the Indian context is that it faces very large rival conventional forces\, which makes some of Arquilla’s prescriptions inapplicable. Continued importance of Strike Corps\, unresolved border disputes and the nuclear overhang further set the Indian case apart. He recalled that the idea of varying force concentration to match the nature of threat has been long known and employed. He argued that the experience in Kargil established the continued potency of the “many and large” approach. In the same vein the “many and small” approach\, he suggested\, has been at the heart of India’s iron-fist-in-velvet-glove counter-insurgency strategy. On the downside\, it was identified that the Indian Army remains far from fully networked and there remains scope for better synergy in operations.  \nDiscussion\nAccording to one participant\, since velocity was as much a determinant of force as mass\, speed of decision-making on all fronts needs to be addressed and improved upon as a matter of priority. Another intervention was in favour of learning from others’ experiences and in that spirit drawing conclusions for organizational reform based on contributions such as Arquilla’s.  \nA view was taken\, stemming from a review of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2006\, that there is need for the military mind to overcome biases that stand in the way of appropriate perception of the contemporary nature of threat. Some concrete proposals for reform in the forces were pointed out and commented on. Areas where such reform is already underway were also made mention of. Importance of preventive action against threats of terrorism and insurgency was underscored by one participant. Fundamental reform in the education system was postulated as a pre-condition for getting the “sociological aspect” of armed forces reform right.  \nConceding the need for adequate forces for conventional deterrence\, DG IDSA Mr. N. S. Sisodia took the view that the likelihood of a serious\, long-drawn out conflict should be thoroughly examined. This assessment needs then to be juxtaposed against similar projections on sub-conventional and other threats such as counter-insurgency to arrive at key recommendations for the armed forces.  \nChair’s Summary\nMr. K Subrahmanyam recognized a need to draw sharp distinctions between various types of conflict scenarios. Speaking on the matter of insurgency\, he described it as something of a card held by federal units as a bargaining chip against the central government. This allows for equilibrium between mis-governance and politics\, rendering the situation amenable to the growth of insurgency. He spoke out in favour of a deep-seated recognition of the fundamental tenet that there is no room for violence in a Parliamentary Democracy.  \nPrepared by Kalyani Unkule
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/the-changing-nature-of-war
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS,EVENT REPORT
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100715T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100715T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210416
CREATED:20231223T221701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130743Z
UID:63644-1279171800-1279171800@idsa.in
SUMMARY:Flotsam and Jetsam\, Towards Ending Somali Piracy: A South African Perspective
DESCRIPTION:In recent years Piracy off the coast of Somalia has come in the limelight. To delve deeper into this issue IDSA organized a roundtable on July 15\, 2010. Capt. (retd.) Frank Charles van Rooyen\, Senior Researcher (Security) at South Africa Institute of International Affairs\, Johannesburg and currently Visiting Fellow\, IDSA made a presentation on Flotsam and Jetsam\, Towards Ending Somali Piracy Ashore (or Addressing the Issue of the Whale in the Room): A South African Perspective. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Arvind Gupta\, Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair at IDSA. The participants included\, amongst others\, Gen. (retd.) B. S Malik; Capt. Alok Bansal\, Executive Director\, National Maritime Foundation; Capt. P.K. Ghosh\, Senior Fellow\, ORF; Capt. Ajay Vinay Bhave\, IN; Brig. (retd.) Rumel Dhayia\, Senior Fellow\, IDSA ; Prof. P. Stobdan\, Senior Fellow\, IDSA; Ruchita Beri\, Senior Research Associate\, IDSA; Mr. P. K. Upadhyay\, Consultant\, IDSA; and Mehmet Ozkan\, Visiting Fellow\, IDSA.  \nPiracy has become the critical issue for the international community.  However\, attempts are being made to repress or eradicate what is now beyond a phenomenon; there appears to be recognition of its enduring nature. There is recognition and agreement that it is the lack of a government in Somalia that is the ultimate cause of piracy.  Yet\, even in the face of the fact at least 14 initiatives have been attempted to re-establish a central functional government in Somalia\, very little\, if any\, progress is being made to turn the situation in Somalia around\, so that the country can revert to being an accountable state\, able to govern its own affairs and a proud member of world society.  \nCapt. Van Rooyen proposed a way for the world-at-large to deal with not only the specific case of Somalia as a failed state\, but to address the generics of the contemporary issue of failed states generally; in order to develop a pro-active way of dealing with the issue of failing and failed states. He began with a brief analysis of the United Nations Conference of the Law of the Sea\, which led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982. The world’s reaction to this specific case of piracy will be reviewed\, politically from the perspective of the United Nations and its agencies\, continental African as well as the politically devolved states’ and regions’ military responses. The author concluded by briefly analysing the strategic advantages of adopting a pro-active approach to failed states in general and to Somalia as a ‘pilot project’ in particular. \nPiracy off Somalia continues to be a growth industry\, having rapidly shifted gear from hundreds to millions of dollars paid in ransom money.  It is often the only way for young men to secure livelihoods and enhance their social status; but this newfound power also represents a sure way to disrupt the fabric of Somalia’s tapestry of clan and tribe hierarchy – which in turn exacerbates an already tenuous state of security. During the six months’ rule by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in 2006\, top Islamic leaders urged pirates to cease their criminal activities\, which was heeded to the extent that piracy attacks fell dramatically.  Only after Ethiopian forces\, backed by the United States – which regarded the ICU as a terrorist organisation – ousted the ICU\, did piracy re-commence; and with it went the semblance of order and governance that had prevailed.  The ideal is that this state of affairs be sustained. \nThe International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia meets regularly to discuss the situation in Somalia. Recently\, it focused on ways to help implement the Djibouti Agreement signed between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) on 19 August 2008. Since 1991\, at least 14 serious attempts have been made to resolve the issue of Somalia and restore it to its status quo ante. There are clearly high levels of frustration at the lack of progress in Somalia\, and the impression that the international community is lingering\, waiting for the issue to resolve itself is all-pervasive. \nLastly\, Capt. Van Rooyen suggested that Somalia and other failing and failed states deserve a life-line of an opportunity\, such as the one that delivered the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982.  Somalia and the others in the same boat are worthy of rescue from the pirates\, through the hosting of a proposed “World conference on Somalia and other shattered states:  Long-lasting solutions”. The aim of such a Conference would be to permanently resolve the issue of Somalia and other shattered states. The action to initiate such a world conference should be taken by IBSA dialogue forum as these three states are voices of the South and valued models of liberal democracy in the world. The author proposed that the three IBSA states – India\, Brazil and South Africa – should put the proposal collectively to the United Nations General Assembly. \nDiscussion: \n\nPiracy off Somalia has become a transnational crime; it is very difficult to control it. There are chances of a coalition developing between terrorists and pirates in Somalia. If this happens it will aggravate the situation.\nIt is important to understand Somali culture before trying to find a solution for the existing crisis. It appears that the Somalis are trying to protect their marine wealth through piracy.\nWhile there are numerous task forces in the Gulf of Aden to deter the pirates\, there is actually no cooperation among them. More importantly actionable information is not shared. However\, this view was challenged by others\, who felt that cooperation exits\, though at the informal level.\nRecently there was a proposal for Turkey to mediate in the Somali issue. India under the platform of IBSA dialogue forum should join forces with Turkey to deal with this issue.\nWhile IBSA can be a platform to propose a world conference on Somalia and other shattered states\, however it is doubtful that the IBSA countries will be willing to put boots on the ground. The best solution to the problem can be found by a grouping of Indian Ocean littoral countries. \nIn the past some of the major global problems have been addressed through a world conference\, for example\, the issue of climate change or disarmament. However at first a consensus needs to be developed on whether the problem in Somalia is an issue of global concern or not?\nMoreover organizing a world conference to address the issue of “failed states” is idealistic and may have several roadblocks\, as it is a politically sensitive issue and deals with sovereignty of a nation.\nFinally\, while IBSA countries are indeed leading voices of the South\, the world conference on the Somalia issue cannot take off without getting the African Union on board.   \n\nReport compiled by Ruchita Beri and Mahtab Alam Rizvi
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/flotsam-and-jetsam-towards-ending-somali-piracy-a-south-african-perspective
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS,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:20100720T053000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20100720T053000
DTSTAMP:20261104T210416
CREATED:20231224T111609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T130743Z
UID:64527-1279603800-1279603800@idsa.in
SUMMARY:India US Strategic Partnership
DESCRIPTION:Round Table with US Naval Post Graduate School\, Monterey\, California
URL:https://idsa.in/idsa-event/india-us-strategic-partnership
CATEGORIES:ROUND TABLES / WORKSHOPS
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/no_photo-200x150-2.jpg
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