In continuation of a dialogue on DTTI (Defence Trade and Technology Initiative) with the U.S. trade representative Keith Webster, held at the Vivekananda International Foundation on 5 May 2016, substantive discussions were held on three key aspects of the emerging dynamic of India-U.S.
A delegation from the VIF comprising Director, General NC Vij, Lt. Gen. Ravi Sawhney. Ambassador Kanwal Sibal and Dr. Harinder Sekhon visited Washington DC from November 3 to November 6, 2015. The VIF team was invited by the Atlantic Council and the Heritage Foundation for return conferences with which the VIF has MoU s and ongoing collaborations respectively on US-India bilateral relations and the Quad plus Dialogue.
The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in collaboration with the Atlantic Council, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and U.S Embassy in New Delhi organised a two-day international conference titled, “India-US 2015: Partnering for Peace and Prosperity” on March 16-17, 2015. The conference brought together a number of distinguished speakers who deliberated on the emerging contours of the Indo-US bilateral relations. The conference began with a welcome address by General N C Vij, Director, VIF. General Vij shared his optimism for strong Indo-US bilateral ties in the near future.
A five-member bipartisan US Congressional delegation, led by Ed Royce Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, visited the VIF on 10 March 2015 for an interaction with faculty members and other strategic experts on the dynamics of evolving Indo-US partnership, driven largely by the growing needs of containing terrorist threats in the region, US rebalancing in Asia, and India’s quest for self-reliance in defence production, among others.
VIF and the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, jointly organised a seminar ‘India-US Relations: the Way Forward’ on 05 February 2015. The seminar was a take off from the Quad-plus dialogue held recently in Bali, Indonesia, where security experts from the two institutions participated along with representatives from Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.
A VIF Round Table was organized on 15 September 2014 to deliberate on core issues in India-US relations on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States. Ambassador Lalit Man Singh, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the US chaired the meeting while General NC Vij, Director VIF, made the introductory remarks and conducted the proceedings. Others present included Mr. CD Sahay, Lt. Gen. RK Sawhney, Mr. Rajiv Kumar, Ambassadors Kanwal Sibal, TCA Rangachari, Sanjay Singh, Rajiv Sikri, Brig. Vinod Anand and Dr. Harinder Sekhon.
Marshal Bouton, Interim Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute and President Emeritus of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, interacted with the VIF faculty on Indo-US Relations on 08 September 2014. He has been a resident in India for long and has taken a keen interest in Indian affairs for a number of years.
About Book : India and the United States of America aim to form a strategic partnership of trust, cooperation and collaboration, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Indo-US relationship has had its share of ups and downs, but both admit to the necessity of greater understanding. The book covers economic and political aspects of the changes taking place in Asia, and provides a perspective different from the standard narrative, that of the inexorable rise of China to the top.
On 25 June 2013, Mr David McKean, Director of Policy Planning in the US Department of State and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State called on Mr Ajit Doval, KC, Director, VIF in his office to discuss issues of mutual concern to the US and India. Among other subjects, the present security situation in the Af-Pak region and possible outcomes in Afghanistan post-2014 were discussed. Ambassador PP Shukla, Joint Director, VIF and Lt Gen RK Sawhney, Distinguished Fellow, VIF were also present during the interaction.
On Jun 28, 2012, a group of eminent security experts held an intense and wide ranging interaction with Mr. Jason Issacson, Director of Government and International affairs at the American Jewish Committee in Washington.