Amidst rising tensions along India’s northern border, does India’s engagement with Nepal and Bhutan meet its strategic requirements, and what else can India do more? To discuss these questions, a webinar was organised on “India’s Engagement with Nepal and Bhutan: What can India do more?” on 03 August 2021. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation, welcomed speakers- Amb. Ranjeet Rae, Amb. Manjeev Puri, Amb P Haran, Prof. Rajesh S Khara and Dr Smruti Patnaik. The session was moderated by Dr Sreeradha Datta. Nepal

Penpa Tsering has been elected as the new Sikyong or President of 17th Tibetan government-in-exile (TGiE), formally known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). This write-up explores the life and policy stance of the newly elected Sikyong, his future course of actions/concerns regarding the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict and his aspirations for the diaspora of the Tibetan community. The article also looks briefly into the structure of CTA, Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) and the general elections conducted by TGiE.

‘Negotiating Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan’ by Omar Sadr is an account of Afghanistan's multicultural society. The book discusses the challenges that the government faces in ensuring national integration under cultural diversity. The book covers twenty-two years of modern Afghanistan history, beginning from 1992 to the era of civil war i.e. from 1992-2014, which replaced the centralisation of power, with a collapse of the state the political turmoil and demands for ethnic and cultural rights challenging the government (p. 3).

On 11 February 2021, VIF organised a discussion on ‘Recent Developments in Myanmar: Implications for India’. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, welcomed the participants and delivered the opening remarks followed by brief presentations by Amb Gopalaswami Parthasarathy, Amb Gautam Mukhopadhya, and Major General Alok Deb. From the VIF, Gen Ravi Sawhney, Dr Sreeradha Datta and Cchavi Vasisht participated in the discussion. Dr Gupta defined the military coup as an unexpected event, though the political tensions were mounting in the country. The discussion aimed to address three major concerns.