Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

Islamic State

It is rare to see the international community coming together on any issue which threatens the collective security of the world at large. When Daesh emerged as the freshest scourge everyone knew that it was flush with funds looted from the Mosul...

December 22 , 2015

Interaction with Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan H.E. Hekmat Karzai, as part of his recent visit to India, held a broad ranging interaction with members of the VIF faculty on 19 November 2015. The interaction spanned across a range of complex bilateral...

November 26 , 2015

Paris Attack is Nothing but a Message

The brutal serial attack in Paris resulting in death of 129 civilians besides injuring scores of others should not come as a surprise to anyone. The possibility of such a well-executed attack on in Europe have been doing the rounds ever since the...

November 16 , 2015

Russia in Syria : The Why & What Next

As I sit before the television I see events hurtling across West Asia at a speed faster than can be discerned. I follow events almost minute to minute but find it difficult to make strategic sense out of many of them. It’s why I pity the layman...

October 26 , 2015

India Wakes up to ISIS Threat

India and the ISIS It is undeniable that the influence of the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) is not seeped into the Indian society even though it has not staged any attack inside the country. Ever since this outfit announced its caliphate...

October 5 , 2015

The Fatal Attraction of the Islamic State: The Curious Cases of the Returnee, Self-indoctrinated and the Lone-Wolf

The news of the four Indian youth from Kalyan joining the Islamic State (IS) in July 2014 became a major concern to the newly-elected government in New Delhi. This was one of the first instances which exposed the probable involvement of Indian...

December 26 , 2014

French Defence Minister at VIF

At the invitation of the Vivekananda International Foundation, the French Defence Minister, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, delivered a talk on 1 December 2014. Welcoming the Guest, VIF Director Gen (Retd) N C Vij briefed the visiting delegation about the...

December 5 , 2014

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its South Asian Connection: An Indian Perspective

A Brief Background to the Evolution of ISIS: Today, one of the most serious threats that have engulfed a large portion of the Middle East is the emergence of the Sunni Muslim extremist group, infamously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (...

November 4 , 2014

Talk by UK’s Secretary of State for Defence, Rt. Hon. Michael Fallon MP

The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, Rt. Hon. Michael Fallon MP delivered a perceptive talk at the VIF, on ‘the UK and India – together in an uncertain world’, during his one-day visit to India on 30 Oct 2014 which was essentially...

November 3 , 2014

Seminar on West Asia

VIF organized a seminar on ‘Recent Developments in West Asia: Challenges and Implications’ on July 25, 2014 to analyse the situation in the strife-torn area and its broader ramifications for the region and India. The seminar, inter alia, focused on...

August 12 , 2014