International Relations/Diplomacy
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China’s New Central Military Commission

China unveiled its new military leadership the day after the 20th Party Congress concluded on October 23. The composition of the new Central Military Commission (CMC), each of whose members is a hand-picked loyalist of Chinese President Xi Jinping, signals Xi Jinping’s firm and absolute grip on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It also reveals the Chinese leadership’s continuing emphasis on technology and enhanced attention to China’s south-western borders with India. The latter is in addition to the focus on Taiwan.

China in the Cyber Domain, Major General PK Mallick, VSM, Prints Publications Pvt Ltd. 2022. ISBN:978-93-936740-4-3

Millions of smartphones or computers and their hardware all over the world with made-in-China tags provide a sense that the Dragon country is perhaps one of the most advanced IT-enabled countries. PLA soldiers are safe behind their high-tech Digital Fortress. Most of us have lived in this delusion for so many decades. General PK Mallick not only dispells this myth but also tears into the Chinese Digital Fortress. He brings out that China may have an advantage in hardware production.

Talk by Singapore’s High Commissioner to India H.E. Simon Wong Wie Kuen

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a talk by High Commissioner of Singapore to India H.E. Simon Wong Wie Kuen on “Singapore’s Approach to the Indo-Pacific” on January 16, 2023. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, chaired the session and made welcome remarks.

Interaction with the Visiting US delegation

On 14 December a delegation from the US Department of State interacted with VIF scholars VIF representatives, Dr Arvind Gupta (Director), Lt Gen R K Sawhney (Retd),Gp Capt Naval Jagota (Retd),Sweta Kumari(Associate Fellow), Anurag Sharma (Snr Research Associate).

Trilateral Web Conference on "Emerging Strategic Environment in the Indo-Pacific"

The Vivekananda International Foundation organized a trilateral webinar with the Japan Institute of National Fundamentals and the Prospect Foundation on 29 September 2022 on "Emerging Strategic Environment in the Indo-Pacific". After initial remarks by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, Ms Yoshiko Sakurai, President JINF, and Dr I. Chung, President of Prospect Foundation, presentations were made by Mr Masanori Kondo, Visiting Researcher JINF, Dr Ming Shih Shen, Research Fellow and Director at Institute for National Defense & Security Research, and Amb Ashok Kantha, Distinguished Fellow VIF.

Revitalization of INSTC and Prospects of the Greater Eurasian Connectivity

The geostrategic significance of Central Asia is very much important from India’s foreign policy and domestic policy points of view. Central Asia shares a border with China in the East, Caspian in the West, Russia in the North, and Iran and Afghanistan in the south. Its geostrategic location makes it vulnerable to the geopolitical power play. In order to balance major powers, Central Asian republics adopted a multi-vector foreign policy in the post-Soviet period. They welcomed China to balance the Russian and Western influence.

VIF Interaction with the visiting delegation from Iran On Interfaith Dialogue in the Historical Perspective, especially from India and Iran Point of View

On December 15, 2022, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized an interaction with a high level delegation from Iran. The theme of the discussion was 'Interfaith Dialogue in the Historical Perspective, especially from India and Iran Point of View'. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, delivered the introductory remarks, which were followed by a presentation by Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice-chancellor, Central Sanskrit University, Delhi. Dr. Adil Rasheed, Research Fellow, MP-IDSA also made a presentation. The Iranian delegation headed by Dr.

Interaction with Delegation from Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised an interactive session with a visiting three member delegation headed by the Director General of the Institute of Foreign Policy & Security Studies (IFPSS), Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Dr. Vu Le Thai Hoang on December 20, 2022. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, chaired the session and made welcome remarks.

VIF-NIIA webinar on India-Nigeria relations under the “Connect Africa” Programme

On 27th October, 2022, Vivekananda International Foundation organized a webinar on India-Nigeria relations with Nigerian Institute of International Studies (NIIA), a premium think tank based in Nigeria. This was the second event under “Connect Africa” Program. The first event took place on September 22, 2022 where H.E. Ambassador Dr Tizita Mulugeta, (Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary) Ethiopian Ambassador to India, addressed at the inaugural Connect Africa event about current situationin Ethiopia and the future of India and Ethiopia relations.

Destined for war: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? By Graham Allison. New York, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2017. 384pp. ISBN 978-0-544-93527-3

“Let China sleep; when she wakes, she will shake the world.” said Napoleon more than two hundred years ago and quoted by the author in the very first chapter of the book which talked about the rise of China. The author contends that the growth of China will lead to conflict with the USA, an existing superpower, which may result in war. To back his argument the author draws the example from the Peloponnesian War between two Greek states—Sparta, an established power, and Athens, a rising power.

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