On 08 August, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a Roundtable on "The Elections in UK and France and its Implications for India". The panel included Professor Gulshan Sachdeva, Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar and Swasti Rao. The discussion was also attended by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director (VIF), Lt. General R. K. Sawhney (Retd.), Ruchita Beri and other senior fellows and researcher’s from the VIF. Lt. General R. K. Sawhney delivered the opening remarks by highlighting the recently held elections in UK and France.

The VIF organised a virtual meeting on “Maintaining Continuity in India-US Relations across Transition” on 12 July 2024, where the participants from two sides deliberated on India-US relations post the swearing-in of the new NDA government. Ambassador Pankaj Saran, Convener of NatStrat, Member of the NSAB, Distinguished Fellow at National Maritime Foundation (NMF) chaired the meeting. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, in his opening remarks laid the backdrop and context for the discussion. From the US side, Dr.

… India’s significant stakes are expected to increase in future … regional expectations for a more proactive strategic engagement by New Delhi … China’s dramatically expanding naval forays in the IOR threatens India’s primacy in its prime theatre … imperative for India to further her power projection ...

During the month, the VIF Pakistan Study Group discussed critical issues shaping Pakistan's current landscape. Among the key topics deliberated were the post-election political dynamics, judiciary crisis, status of political figures Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, terrorism escalation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Shehbaz Sharif's Saudi Arabia visit, and Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. Following February's parliamentary elections, tensions surged among major parties, leading to disqualification of PTI-backed SIC by the Election Commission.