On 25 November 2022, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a brainstorming session on the “New Trends in Terrorism”, focussing on the lessons learned from the 2008 Mumbai Terror attacks. Under the Chatham House Rules, the discussion was chaired by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF. It was categorised into various themes/aspects of terrorism— i) Geographical, ii) Ideological, iii) Technological, iv) Economical, v) Coastal Security, and vi) International Counter-Terrorism Efforts.

… strong legal measures, including a law on radicalization and terror funding are the need of the hour to clearly state that attempts to challenge India’s unity and integrity will be firmly dealt with ... red-lines need to be drawn for the media, intellectuals, political, social and civil rights activists, advocacy groups and academics ...

South Asia has been plagued by Islamic terrorism for decades. An increasingly hostile political environment and the prolonged conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir has enabled terror organisations to thrive because of the complicity of governments and corruption. The tenacious endurance of such terror groups would not be possible without financial systems. Money is described as ‘the lifeblood’ of terrorist organisations. As terrorism becomes an enduring feature of modern life there is an increasing need to examine the ‘New Economy of Terror’.

For the first time in India’s diplomatic history a summit was held on a virtual platform. On 4th June 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed a range of issues with his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Scott Morrison. This summit is significant for a variety of reasons. The very first one is the context – it has taken place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only natural that the bilateral relationship would be seen with China as a factor, and that is indeed true. But besides China, India and Australia have several other non-traditional security challenges to work upon.