Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: April-May 2020

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the world’s inability to deal with impending non-traditional security threats. India is confronted with the pandemic leading to a wide range of issues on the domestic and international fronts Under these circumstances, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) has been actively engaging in discussions with a host of experts on a variety of issues to help charter a course for India’s next steps in the neighbourhood, bilateral relations with China, and other major powers. Our experts included former military commanders, former diplomats, and academicians who intensely deliberated upon different aspects of the evolving situation, both within the country and globally. They were assisted by VIF experts groups researchers who organised, formulated points for discussion and prepared report of the proceedings.

This booklet brings together under one cover, over two months of serious efforts put in by the members of the six groups who discussed thread bare different aspects of the non-traditional challenges thrown up by the pandemic. What is remarkable is that all these discussions, coordination, preparation of reports, exchange of ideas etcetera, had to be carried out in a time bound manner under the new reality of meetings in the Virtual World.