Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

VIF-IISS Roundtable on the UK’s Integrated Review: Impact on relations with India

The United Kingdom released its “Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy” on 16 March 2021. Titled ‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age’, the document stands out for shaping the country’s post-Brexit foreign, defence, security and development priorities and policies. A notable aspect of the review is the UK’s foreign and security policy ‘tilt’ towards the Indo-Pacific region. China, India and Japan are recognised as the three most important powers in this region with widely differing characteristics and relationships with the UK.

May 24, 2021 Event Report

Talk by H.E. Amb. Emmanuel Bonne

The Vivekananda International Foundation organised a virtual talk by H.E. Amb. Emmanuel Bonn, diplomatic Advisor and G7-G20 Sherpa to the French President on 7th January 2021. On a visit to India for the annual strategic dialogue between France and India, Amb. Bonne spoke on "France and India: Partners for a Stable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific" in his virtual discussion moderated by the VIF director, Dr. Arvind Gupta.

May 24, 2021 Event Report

Strategic dialogue VIF-Australian National University

The Vivekananda International Foundation in collaboration with the Australian National University organised a virtual discussion on the emerging geopolitical trends and their implications on 4 November 2020. The opening remarks were made by VIF director, Dr. Arvind Gupta. This was followed by presentations from Professor Rory Medcalf, Amb. Arun K Singh, Dr. David Brewster, Amb. Anil Wadhwa and Mr. Brendan Thomas-Noone. The meeting focussed on the roundup of recently concluded Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo and underscored its symbolic importance.

May 24, 2021 Event Report

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: April 2021

Naval Jagota

In April six experts group 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 West Asia, Indo-Pacific, Europe, Pakistan, China and US experts’ group discussions.

May 24, 2021 VIF Report

China’s Nuclear and Missile Capabilities : An Overview

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… creation of the theatre commands and the PLA’s emphasis on joint operations have catalysed the Rocket Force’s focus on jointness…. integrating Rocket Force units into dual-use missile systems and the possible collocation of conventional and nuclear missiles could create risks of unintentional escalation in a conflict ... more diverse and dispersed nuclear force could increase China’s confidence in the survivability of its second-strike capability, causing it to forego more assertive changes to its nuclear posture…

April 21, 2021 Paper

Joint VIF-Heritage Interaction on “Future Trajectory of Indo-US Relations”

The Vivekananda International Foundation and The Heritage Foundation, USA jointly organized a web-based interaction session to deliberate upon the future trajectory of Indo-US relationship in the post-COVID era. The discussion centered around three major themes: (i) US-China Decoupling and its Implications on the Global Economy; (ii) Impact of Covid-19 in further Enhancing the India-US Partnership in all fields; and (iii) US Concept of a Second Marshall Plan. While Dr. Arvind Gupta, Amb. Kanwal Sibal, Amb. Ashok Kantha and Amb. Arun K.

April 20, 2021 Event Report

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: March 2021

Naval Jagota

In March six experts group discussions and one joint discussion with the Prospect Foundation were organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation through webinar on events and topics affecting India’s interests from the neighbourhood, West Asia, China, the Indo-Pacific, Europe and US. 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).

April 19, 2021 VIF Report

Defining China’s Intelligentized Warfare and Role of Artificial Intelligence

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

China feels that U.S. is its main adversary ... China is trying to match U.S. technological capabilities with its own strength in AI as a leap frog technology and a new concept of war ... But there will be lot of problems in implementing this concept of Intelligentization Warfare to reality. However, President Xi Jinping has thrown the gauntlet, and it is up to the U.S. the other adversaries and the rest of the world to follow this concept keenly.

March 24, 2021 Paper

Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh: Geopolitical Implications

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

The geostrategic sensitive region of region of Nagorno-Karabakh lies at an intersection of political, ethnic and religious borders of Iran, Turkey, Russia and Georgia. On September 27, 2020 the war broke out with Azerbaijan launching an offensive retake Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding previously Azerbaijani-populated regions. The war was won by Azerbaijan.

March 23, 2021 Monograph

Monthly Compilation of Views of VIF Expert Groups: January 2021

Naval Jagota

In January five expert group discussions and one interaction on India-Bangladesh relations with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh was organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation through webinar on events and topics extending from India’s neighborhood to West Asia to China to the US. Each of the members of the expert groups brought rich flavour and knowledge on the topic through their varied professional backgrounds (military, diplomacy and academia).

February 24, 2021 VIF Report