Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

People’s Liberation Army Navy - An Overview of Maritime Strategic Thought, Naval Capabilities, Implications of Military Reforms & Naval Operations and Exercises

Shashank Sharma

This paper aims to provide an overview of the Chinese maritime strategic thought and naval capabilities that could have a bearing on India’s strategic and security environment, particularly in the Indian Ocean. It provides a broad picture of major reforms in PLA during the Xi Jinping era that commenced in 2014 and the drivers and objectives behind these reforms.

October 22, 2021 Paper

Uzbekistan-India: Exploring New Horizons of Strategic Partnership

The VIF, in collaboration with the Embassy of Republic of Uzbekistan in India organised a virtual webinar on Uzbekistan-India: Exploring New Horizons of Strategic Partnership on 18 October.

October 21, 2021 Event Report

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: September 2021

Naval Jagota

Vivekananda International Foundation organized seven expert groups through webinar on events and topics affecting India’s interests worldwide in the month of September 2021 with the dominant theme being Afghanistan. The expert groups provide layers of understanding and contextualized the present discourse from the past for the future. The diversity of the expertise of each of the members of the expert groups brought rich flavor and knowledge on the topic through their varied professional backgrounds (military, diplomacy and academia).

October 11, 2021 VIF Report

Opportunities for India in a Changing World

Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF

We are living in an era of extraordinarily fast paced change. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down and deepened political, economic and social uncertainties. The post-World War order set up in 1945 by the Western countries is under tremendous strain. The contour of the new order is not yet clear. With the rise of China, the seeming retreat of the US from Eurasia, the deepening schism between Russia and the West, growing closeness of Russia and China, the Cold War rivalries are back. A new balance of power is beginning to shape up.

October 07, 2021 Books/Book Review

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: August 2021

Naval Jagota

In August 2021 eminent speakers, expert groups and bilateral discussions were organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation through webinar on events and topics affecting India’s interests worldwide. The diversity of the expertise of each of the members of the expert groups brought rich flavor and knowledge on the topic through their varied professional backgrounds (military, diplomacy and academia). This issue contains reports of the Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, West Asia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Vietnam group discussions and talks.

September 23, 2021 VIF Report

Understanding Israel as Jewish Democratic State

Hirak Jyoti Das, Senior Research Associate, VIF

Israel since its formation in 1948 continues to remain as one of the few democratic states in West Asian region. The state of Israel officially calls itself as a Jewish democratic state. The research seeks to explore the stated dual objectives i.e. Jewish and democratic and attempt to uncover if the aforementioned two facets of Israeli state are indeed complimentary or contradictory. It would study specific state policies and legislations to the examine nature of Israeli democracy and evaluate the repercussions on Jewish and non-Jewish section of population.

September 04, 2021 Issue Brief

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: July 2021

Naval Jagota

Vivekananda International Foundation organized six experts group through webinar on events and topics affecting India’s interests worldwide in the month of July 2021. The expert groups provide layers of understanding and contextualized the present discourse from the past for the future. The diversity of the expertise of each of the members of the expert groups brought rich flavor and knowledge on the topic through their varied professional backgrounds (military, diplomacy and academia).

August 24, 2021 VIF Report

China’s Vaccine Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

Amruta Karambelkar

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed power play amongst nations. The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a race of sorts to provide essential medical supplies and in the second year, a competition for vaccines is underway. Vaccine diplomacy, as it is called, is believed to yield diplomatic dividends immediately as well as in the long term. Vaccines were also seen as a powerful tool to reward friendly countries (or otherwise). Southeast Asian states have always attached a great value to economic development.

August 20, 2021 Issue Brief

West Asia Experts Group Meeting

The West Asia Experts Group Meeting was virtually held on 4 August 2021 by the Vivekananda International Foundation, the discussion was focussed on India-Turkey Relations; Turkey’s Foreign Policy and its Regional role. The key speakers in the session were the Indian Ambassador to Turkey, Amb. Sanjay Panda and Abhinav Pandya, CEO, USANAS Foundation; members attending and contributing were Amb. Anil Trigunayat (Coordinator); Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF; Lt. Gen. Ravi Sawhney; Lt. Gen. Ata Hasnain; Amb. Satish Chandra; Amb. Anil Wadhwa; Amb. Sanjay Singh and Prof. Kingshuk Chatterjee.

August 06, 2021 Event Report

VIF-RIAC Discussion on Post Covid Global and Regional Trends and India-Russia Relations

The VIF, in collaboration with the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) organised a virtual discussion on "Post Covid Global and Regional Trends and India-Russia Relations on 23 June. The participants in the discussion included Dr. Arvind Gupta, Andrey Kortunov, Nikolay Kudashev, DB Venkatesh Varma, Amb. Kanwal Sibal, Victoria Panova, Andrey Volodin, Amb. Anil Wadhwa, P.S. Raghavan, Gleb Ivashentsov and Lt. Gen Ravi K Sawhney.

August 05, 2021 Event Report